To My Precious Sixth Graders

Though our time was short, I have seen each of you grow in different ways. I'm very sad that we won't be able to spend more time together, but I wish you the very best! I only ask that you always try in your English classes! Right or wrong, just try. You can do it, I believe in you! 화이팅~!

영어선생님이에요

Today my Vice Principal told me my teaching style has greatly improved. In fact, she said I deserve a certificate for being a real teacher.

And yet...I have mixed feelings about this statement...

One is joyful and the other one is resentful.

I'm well aware that I wasn't exactly a teacher when I first started out back in September. Before then, I'd taught only two classes with another English teacher. Outside of that, I've only given presentations to my peers (woo, class presentations~!). So, to hear that I've improved is fantastic!

But...why didn't she give me any tips or suggestions on how to get better?

Yes, I have a TEFL and TESOL certificate that say I am qualified to teach English to non-English speakers, but let's be honest...attending classes, drafting lesson plans, reading methodologies...theory is one thing, and the practical is a whole other beast.

Some days I struggled, other days I was able to keep my head over the water. There were even some days that I could stand in the water with confidence. Those first six months were rough, but they were doable. I'm proud that I was able to achieve what I have.

But...a little help would've been great. Not going to lie. Especially since I never really knew what I needed to ask to improve. Knowing what I do now, it was getting to know the students and having them know me. It was through this process that I was able to figure out what kind of teacher I was.

I connect with my students by being silly with them. I get my students improving by sticking to a routine. Heck, even the usage of my minimal Korean has shown my students that as they try to learn my language, I'm also learning their's. I kid you not, the second I told them to get out their 공책, they not only flipped out, they got more attentive.

Did I have to learn Korean to be a better teacher? Maybe. For the position that I am in, at the school that I am in, it did make me a better teacher. Had my circumstances been different, it may not have been what made me "better".

What did make me a better teacher was the amount of time I've put in for my students and for myself. I feel that at the beginning, I'd only been doing half of that. I was putting in too much effort for one of those, and it was hurting me. Until I figured out my balance, I wasn't doing anyone any good. Not my students, and definitely not me.

Six months to get comfortable in a new land.

Six months of teaching young children to first get comfortable with English.

Six months from when I left everything that I knew.

I can now say, with confidence, I am an English teacher.

영어선생님이에요.

#SaveOurToya

Those Little...

You ever get so frustrated to the point of wanting to cry, but you can't because you're just so angry?

As of right now, I'm not sure what's going on anymore. I'm pretty sure common sense has been forcibly thrown out the window and children are having run of the town...uh, school.

How else can all the crap that has happened...well, happen?

These kids need a whole lot of stability and consequences.

These kids need a super nanny.

But what these kids have is baby-glove-consequences.

And me.

And I don't know about those baby-glove-consequences, but I'm ready to do this. These kids can either act right, or go down to the Staff room and tell the adults why I sent them. Hell, I might even go over to Daiso, find myself some nice stationary, so I can write down the truth (because I can't trust them to tell them why they were sent), and then tell the student to go bring it to the VP.

"Today, I told the teacher she'll die."

"Today, I told a student if they wanted to die."

"I'd rather scream across the classroom than listen to the teacher."

"I decided to assault another student."

This list could go on.

No, really...it can.

I don't know about other English teachers abroad, but is this common behavior in your classes? I can only speak of my own teaching experiences and what I remember from when I was in school. I can never remember things getting so OUT OF HAND...

And back in the states, we had a whole list of consequences. There was no tolerance for violence in school.

Detention.

In-school suspension.

Out-of-school suspension.

Expulsion.

You can ask me if these things exist at this school, and I can honestly tell you that only one does...and its explusion.

Listen. I understand when things go bad, you want to get rid of the problem. And sometimes, that's what you have to do. But before you do that, you have to work with the problem. And I mean actually work with the problem.

Not just hope for the best.

For good behavior, reward it.

For bad behavior, acknowledge it and work through it. Together.

Clearly, a kid has anger issues. And clearly, many of the students don't know how to express themselves without getting physical, period.

So...less baby gloves and more actually helping these kids.

At this point, you might be wondering, "Damn Toya, that's a good point. But what are you doing to make a difference in these kids lives?"
Fair question, Fam.

And I'm not saying that I'll hold a culture class titled, 'mad, black woman' and teach them the ins and outs of where that stereotype came from, but these kids will learn something new about me.

I've already instilled my 'heads down' policy. I only use it when it gets too loud and no one is listening. Today, all I wanted them to do was write their vocabulary words. Instead, I had shouting across the classroom and students not staying in their seats. Three minutes in, I had had enough. Yesterday, a student assaulted another student with some scissors. This child could've been very badly hurt. Thankfully, there's only a few scratches. I have no idea what started that altercation or who said what, but frankly...it shouldn't have gotten that far to begin with.

That's why, three minutes in, heads down was activated. But, it was a little different than normal...

I put a touch of...'if ya'll don't put cho'heads down r'ght now, I'mma give you a reason ta be screamin' across this room' into my tone. It was the quickest I've ever seen them shut up and quiet down.

Oh ho ho, Toya-teacher don't play.

And what a wonderful lesson to learn!

That being said...

I'm about to go teach a class with all of my students in it, so that's roughly twenty students, and it's to practice singing an English song for the festival next week. And we both know, things are about to get wild.

#SaveOurToya

If you wanna keep up with the shenangians that are...well, my students at this point...go ahead and hit the 'follow' button on the right! And if something spoke to you at all during this post, please don't hesitate to leave a comment!

How does this KEEP happening?!

PC: Ashley

November is here, the leaves are changing, the heat mats are coming out, and I have climbed yet another mountain.

I'm not...mad...or anything.

But how do I keep finding myself on a mountain?

It's as if Korea has evoked the hiking enthusiast out of me. And today's hike was an adventure. 

Where do I even begin?

Let's start with how I'm feeling now, shall we?

PC: Ashley

My feet hurt, but my ankle is mostly fine. As you know, I had to go to the hospital a couple months ago to have it checked out. I had been a bit too active for my Achilles' taste and discovered I had tendinitis. The doctor told me to rest it for a month.

Well that month was up as of November 3rd. 

But...it did hurt for a while on the hike. I'm going to take that as a 'not completely healed yet' sign.

My head is killing me, as it usually does when I'm out in nature for a long time. I have nothing against nature, in fact, I love it. It's really peaceful and wholesome! 

PC: Ashley

However, my head still hurts.

Moving right along...despite the few aches and pains, I feel...GREAT! I climbed a mountain. I finally made it to the top of a mountain, despite my trash-talking. 

PC: Ashley

Oh yes. I trash-talked on the mountain. In my defense (not sure if it's a good one...), my foot hurt and my muscles burned and I had been promised we'd reach the top 'soon'. Well, 'soon' meant in an hour. 

And no. We hadn't just started walking. (Don't be rude.)

That being said, I couldn't have climbed that mountain with a better group. We were...I don't think I actually have a word that describes us. Except, CHAMPIONS. (Since you know, we climbed a mountain...and listened to Queen while doing it.)

Look at this view. You're welcome.

PC: Ashley

The four of us are all English teachers, but unlike myself, they're not from the US. And let me just say, that it's wonderful how you can meet people from all around the world no matter where you go! And while others were invited on this outing, they were unable to join us this go-around. But that's okay! I'll be seeing them Wednesday for our weekly soccer match anyways!

Here are some more pictures from today's hike!

To the top!	The Champions~!	The water...so clear...much wow
Break time	Loving nature	Found some wings again~!

If you wanna keep up with my latest shenanigans, hit the 'FOLLOW' button on the right!

#SaveOurToya

The Mini-Break

During my hiatus, I thought a lot about my status of renewing my contract or not. We had October 3rd off for 개천절. And thank goodness that we did, because I was emotionally dead by that point.

It's why I was thinking about renewing my contract. It got real rough at work.

Given, I've been here for a short time in the grand scheme, and it's not something I need to make decision about now.

But.

My thoughts still wandered and I decided to give it some serious thought. Especially since I was on a hiatus and was taking the time to care for myself. Ignoring my thoughts or feelings is the exact opposite of what I told myself I needed to do.

Now, as many of you know, I want to do all three years with Fulbright.

At least...I did...

And I'm not saying that I'll switch over to EPIK or maybe go to a different country. I've seriously contemplated going back home after this year.

Crazy! I know!

But, at the current moment, that's just where my head is and I wanted to make note of it. I'm not disregarding this feeling or thought because I made it during a not so good time for myself. It's still a very real feeling.

It's not shade at Korea or anything.

I'm just contemplating if teaching is really my thing...

It's especially hard when you're faced with misbehaving children. And I'm not talking about tantrum-ready, screaming children. I'm talking about kids who are quicker to curse you out and call you a pig. I've always said kids were mean, but sometimes...they can be particularly vicious.

Behavior like this is hard to correct. It's doable, but hard. And since we have a language barrier between each other, it's even harder. But you can be proud of me. I did not let it stop me. I'm not afraid to stop a lesson midway through and get serious. 

And why should I be afraid to do that? It'll ruin the lesson? Let's be real. The misbehavior has already ruined it.

I had had enough and pulled a full halt on everything. I cut them off. I stared them down. I spoke over them. I made sure I had everyone's attention. Then in as simple as possible with words I know they know, I told them: "No. I do not like bad words. You will not say 'fuck you', 'what the fuck', or 'mother fucker'. That is bad. No more."

Of course, there had to be that one kid who called me a 'pig' to lighten the mood. Shut that right down as well.

I've yet to escalate this to their homeroom teachers or my coteacher. Honestly, I don't know why I haven't. Maybe, it's because I want to try to handle it on my own, as I hadn't tried yet. It could be because of anything. As far as I see it, if it does happen again, I'll get serious again and bring it up to their teachers then.

I did not fly all the way across the planet to be disrespected or made fun of. And yes, kids are kids. But it doesn't mean they have to be horrible. That crap won't fly in the real world. And frankly, it doesn't matter that they're only elementary school kids, because they're still in the real world. I'm in the real world.

This behavior definitely will play a part in influencing whether I want to be here another year or not. To do three years would be beautiful, but...if reality is telling me differently, then it's telling me differently.

Are any of you having these thoughts of renewing your contracts or staying at your place of employment for another year?

If you wanna see what else I get up to while in Korea, please hit the 'FOLLOW' button on the right!

#SaveOurToya

Week 8 - Consistency is a Thing of the Past...Apparently

For a second there, I didn't know what I was going to post about...

But then I remember something that happened during Day 2 of teaching.

I don't think you'll ever guess what happened. (Unless we happened to speak to each other during this week.)

Five minutes before I was about to teach my last class of the day, literally FIVE minutes, I get a "Toya-teacher, hi. Can you teach for three hours...straight?" (There was a lot more stop and go, with mistranslations and lots of confusion. But it boils down to that.)

Please note, that I only had a single lesson plan in my hand, wasn't even that good of a lesson plan, that would last for 40 minutes.

Now, I haven't had a math class in quite some time...BUT! Crazy thing, I do know that 40 minutes does not equal three hours.

In my head, "FUCK."

What I actually said, "Three hours? Where? The computer room? Okay!" And skipped my internally freaking out behind back to the first floor where the kids were waiting for me.

Y'all...I really don't know how I survived it. But somehow...I did it.

Looking back, I can hear what one of my favorite coworkers use to say all the time. "Consistency is key!" Out of everyone in our office, she was the one to remain consistent for the two years that I was working there. And she has a point.

Consistency is so important. It helps keep things organized and succinct.

But the way I'm feeling it while being in Korea...not so much.

But before we get all 'rawr rawr' about it, there are some things to keep in mind. Yes, it was day two, and WTF!?, but also. It was Day 2. My schedule is still tentative as they try out having a full-time English teacher. And yes. I am the English teacher. Not the assistant.

There is definitely a language barrier. And that can be really intimidating on getting information across quickly and confidently. Not that it's an excuse, but it is a factor that plays a role whether we like it or not.

Also, did I mention I was their first full-time ETA? Yeah. It's all a bit crazy.

Hopefully, things get better for next week!

So, I want to hear your thoughts! Do you think you'd be okay with someone springing a three-hour class on you all of a sudden? What are your thoughts on consistency? How would you have handled this situation?

If you want to get updates on the latest #SaveOurToya shenanigans, please hit the FOLLOW  button to the right. I mean, why not?

#SaveOurToya

First Day Nerves

This is it. 

Today is my last night before I become a real teacher at Jusang Elementary School. What makes me finally 'real', you must be wondering?

I'm finally teaching a literal class tomorrow. 

I'm teaching four classes and yes, I am nervous as fuck.

Not so much in my teaching ability, but if I lesson planned well enough? Does that even make sense? 

If not...here's my defense: I've been sitting in the living room of my Homestay for the last 4 hours, making out my lesson plans. And before that, I was making a powerpoint for about an hour or so. It would've been less time, had I gotten more accurate information on where to start my lesson planning to begin with. 

The hardest part in a new job is the starting point. 

The messier your information, the harder it is to get your mind around everything.

I do pride myself in being able to sort out things out quickly and efficiently. But still...I'm allowed to be nervous!

It's normal!!!!

At least that's what I keep telling myself. 

So here's what I'm jumping into:

There has never been a Fulbright ETA at this school before me. They have one traveling teacher, who jumps between three schools. I am in contact with her, and bless that I am. Knowing where the kids left off before their break is much better on where to start, than suddenly being two chapters ahead. 

Which was the information I got on Friday. And on Friday, I banged out like four lesson plans, they were beautiful. But now...nevermind. Gotta use them later. Maybe in October?

I almost forgot!!

Don't let it fool you. This is not set.

Annndddddd, let's not forget that I don't even know my full schedule yet. I'll find out tomorrow. 

During go time. 

I feel like I'm a new driver with one foot on the gas, the other on the break, and another on the clutch. It's like I have three feet, two legs, with the street signs blown away by the typhoon. 

Gah.

So. Much. Gah.

Lesson learned (pun NOT intended): At the end of each class, semester, year, whatever...write where you left off. It's not only a good benefit for yourself, but also the next person coming in. You definitely want your administrative staff to be aware as well. 

Communication is so important, folks. I mean...don't leave home without it, important. 

There's so many other things going on, why make it harder?

My next post will be on Week 8 to talk about my first week in class. Any predictions on what's going to happen? I'd love to hear about it!

If you want to get updates on the latest #SaveOurToya shenanigans, please hit the FOLLOW  button to the right. I mean, why not? 

I'm a peach.

#SaveOurToya

First Day Lesson Planning

Before Orientation ended, we had to create a lesson plan for our first day. I was trying to be all smart and proactive by creating it on Google Slides so that I'll have access to it wherever and whenever.

But guess what I found out a few days ago.

No wifi.

So, no internet in the classroom...unless I'm willing to use my phone has a hot spot. Mmm, Mama ain't got that kinda data plan.

Which is why these last two days, I've been reworking my lesson plan to a none online source, that isn't Microsoft Powerpoint (since I lost access to it due to a whole other problem).

Y'all, my life is a hot mess and I don't know why...

#SaveOurToya

Week 4 - FEP

안녕하세요!

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

Sokcho - 속초시

Oh my gosh! A post that isn't on Sunday!?

Haha, yeah it's been a while...a little over a week....maybe?

You might hate me, but I've finally got around to making my post about Sokcho! (All pictures can be found at the end of the post if they are not strategically placed within the post~!)As you can see in the header of this post, I even included the Korean spelling! Sokcho is a city on the east coast of South Korea. If you were to google it, you'd see that it's pretty close to the DMZ. In fact, it was the only time I actually saw military anything while being here.

And even then, it wasn't like they were armed. They were going to the convenience store for a snack or waiting for the bus. Nothing crazy army-like.

Sokcho is known for its beaches and back in July 2016, it was the only place in South Korea where you could play Pokémon GO. Government mapping restrictions...according to Wikipedia.

And if you know me, I don't play Pokémon GO, but I do like going to the beach!

It was a nice reminder of home, to be honest.

Temple we went to

Friday: The bus ride was nice going there. It was roughly four hours long, with a stop around mid-way through. When we got there, it was a little bit past noon. We had limited programming, where we learnt about Buddhism and Korea. It was rather interesting, and I enjoyed seeing the Buddhist temple afterwards. Despite the hot humidity and glaring down on you sun, it was a nice temple visit. We even had dinner at the temple, which was a unique experience in itself!

All I gotta say is: dem potatoes tho!!!!

After the temple, a few of us found our way to a 7/11, grabbed a variety of soju bottles and snackies, grabbed a table outside and had fun. After two intense weeks of Orientation with two following weeks of FEP, we needed a moment to just relax and realize that we were definitely not in America anymore.

Before I forget, we stayed in the Class 300 hotel!

We off to the beach~!

Saturday: The relaxation continued. Some of us found our way to the beach (me) whereas others went hiking (definitely not me - waaayyyy too hot for that). What was supposed to be a quick trip to the beach turned into a four to five hour stay. My tanning game was as strong as ever and I easily got four to five shades darker. Unlike others, who got sunburnt (No shade, fam!).

Angelina's birthday cake

Saturday was also a good friend's birthday. And because it was their birthday, a few of us wanted to surprise them with a cake! That was when Crap-How-We-Going-To-Finesse-This-Happy-Birthday-Plan came alive. While (Anni) was tasked with distracting the birthday bae, Tae Hee and I finessed a birthday cake.

It took a little bit to find the bakery, but when we did. Oh thank Jesus for air conditioning and pretty cakes! I wish I had taken a picture of the cakes, but I did get a picture of the cake we ended up picking. 😀

Angelina Beelina, thank you for letting us celebrate your birthday with you!

Grilling AT the table

There was also went to a really yummy place for dinner. It's the type of place you go to where you can grill your own meat at your table. I have to give a shout out to my girl Anni, who looked like a literal pro as she cooked for us. (I also think she was the youngest at our table..., which works out nicely.)

We ended the night at 노레방. Or as we like to say in English, Karaoke. It's not what we know it as though. Karaoke in Korea is where you and your group of friends get to go into your own rooms, and have your own karaoke party. Whereas in the states, you perform in front of a crowd. A lot less pressure. BUT! at 노레방 we were being scored. That took me by surprise. Haha~!

At the end, we went our separate ways back to our hotel room.

But. In Tae Hee, Angelina, and my room...karaoke continued. We didn't get to sleep until around midnight.

Sunday: We left Sokcho a little bit after breakfast. And I thought it would take a nice comfortable four hours, like it was on our way up.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead...it took us eight hours.

4 hours < 8 hours

You may be wondering why...good question.

Honest answer: 2 museums, 1 lunch, free ice cream (thanks KAEC!), a bus stop, and traffic. Lots and lots of traffic.

And the kicker, the bus had no A/C. After the museums and lunch, I happened to wake up after falling asleep. After looking around, I found myself in the middle of a sleepover. Everyone, except for the bus driver, was out cold.

#FulbrightKoreaGrantees

Whether it was because of the heat, the adventures from the days previously, delayed jetlag, or the activites from that day alone, but we were all exhausted. [see image to the right]

When we got back to the Orientation site, we couldn't hang around as most of us were inappropriately dressed for FEP. So we went to our floor (7th Floor) and either crashed in our rooms, changed and mozied about, or something.

I honestly didn't pay too much attention to what the others were up to. I was tired and nasty. I took a shower and went to bed.

Overall, Sokcho is a nice place for a mini-vacation. The beach was nice, if a bit odd from my perspective. Back home, you can pretty much go swimming all along the coast. But here, there were designated swimming areas and barely any waves. The only waves that really came at us were the ones from the boats or jetskies zooming about.

The water was also really cold...

I think I'm going to see if a few of us ever want to go back for a weekend or another place along the coast. Can't go too long without seeing the beach!

Make good choices, Fam~!

#SaveOurToya

The pictures are a little all over...please bear with me until I figure this out!)

Look at our hotel room~!

View from the 15th floor dining room

Look how close we were to the ocean!

Anni!

  

Some of these views...just wow~!

Catch they next album in stores near you

That's the Pacific right there

Tae Hee looking all happy

Kristy~!

A different kind of beach-going

Back at it again

Featuring Toya

Chris and Curtis make an appearance too~!

Lilly pond~!

Anni didn't cook this time, but we still ate good~!

Kisses~! :*

A typical trip to 7/11