Hope you've all been well since the last post. No technical difficulties on my end, that's for sure. I am officially my own IT team. I should make myself a certificate or something. Make it official.
Y'all must be wondering what I got up to this last week. Well, this post I'm actually going to focus on a program I took part in for two weeks during my orientation. It's called: Fulbright English Program, or FEP for short.
It is a summer camp for students to come to and be immersed into the English language (well, as much as one can be while staying in country). The program has six classes with roughly 13 students per class. That's roughly 78 students running around for two weeks.
Lord, I haven't been surrounded by so many kids since...
...I actually don't know.
Haha, that might sound a bit bad, what with me being a teacher in three weeks. (Three weeks!??!?!)
But that's why I'm a bit thankful that FEP is held during orientation. It was really nice to interact with the kids and be able to stretch that teaching muscle I've been working on. For two weeks, I was surrounded by elementary to high school age kids, who are restricted to only speaking English (as are we) and learning about each other!
I gotta say, a lot of these kids started off very shy, but a the minute you take a breather, it's like they took a complete 180 and you're balancing three different conversations.
I'm very proud of all of the kids who came to FEP this year. While I haven't had the chance to meet them all individually, the ones that I interacted with, their confidence grew in the couple of weeks we were together.
FEP from a Fulbrighter's Perspective
First things, first. The dress code.
Where to start...well...I went from a relaxed, college environment to the 1800s. We have to be covered up, and as a Floridian, layering your clothes = heatstroke. So the fact that I even have cardigans is a miracle. (Also, money? What is money?) No shoulders, no toes, and no more than two fingers above the knee.Guess who rolled in from a weekend in Sokcho in short shorts, a T-shirt, and some sandals. Spoilers: Iz me.
I have been cruising around in slacks and long sleeves. Which would be fine, when the A/C is on and the weather was at least mildly comfortable. Which...good luck on both those fronts.
Korea is very pro eco-friendly, which is lit. I love how thoughtful they are...but...A/C is pretty lit too. Not much we can do for the outside, but inside the building, a little cooler air in the hallways would be nice.
Like really, really nice.
Dress code aside, I had a lot of fun teaching during FEP. As I mentioned, FEP is a summer camp for students to come and be immersed in the English language. It happens alongside our orientation as it is also an opportunity for us to teach as well! I taught two classes that had a mix of ages and experience with English. I had a co-teacher for both lessons, and together, we created some fun and interactive lessons for the kids to enjoy! (Despite my computer having an early life crisis...)
I'm really glad we had the opportunity to teach before we went to our placement. It allowed me to realize where my weak points are in teaching and what I need to work on. Such as my Teacher's Voice. I may small classes, but it's important to catch student's attention quickly. Also, if I have any rambunctious kids, I'll need to be able to effectively handle anything that may pop up. One can only finesse so much.
Another thing FEP allows us to take part in, is Night Fun and Activity Weekend. And hour to two hours where we get to hang out with the kids outside of the classroom. These kids are so awesome! And creative! Some of the things they say, you never see coming!
Honestly, these students are cute!
They make me excited for my soon to be students!
These last two weeks really have been a great learning opportunity for everyone and has truly made me even more excited to teach.
Make good choices.
#SaveOurToya
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