Life at a Femalions' School

Yeah,

Its overrated. Yet it is uniquely different and brings its own advantages to the table. The ladies indeed have their challenges to address when you teach them, especially as a male.

For example, in the beginning, they were happy to have a young, foreign guy come into the mix and fold, which was very exciting to them. Curious stares, random giggly Q & A's in the hallway, to the straight out "I love you's" and "Teacher you handsome!" comments. Its all exciting for me. What got me was random notes of "I love you" on the school playground where I shoot ball or on my chalkboard in my English Zone classroom.

Teaching them as well is a much more easier task. At Yeonsu High, the real challenge wasn't necessarily delivering the material, it was more just fighting them to get the job done! Here, the Korean girl student is at least a little more docile and obedient, so they play ball whatever style you want them to play it.

Yet at times, as a male teacher, you are more isolated from the student body. You can never get close with these adolescent girls, there is always is a drawing bottom line to which how much you can get close and get to know them. Its something God has put in my heart not to touch, but at the same it has given me wisdom on how to approach our teacher-student relationship in another way.

For example, with Hakik Girls' High Class 1-3, I use a dialog journal with them to write to me in a free way. I give them a topic to write about, give them a notebook to write it in, and away they go. The class brings me the notebook every Friday, I review it for errors, and send it back with a few comments and a new topic to talk about. Its a cool way to get to know my students better without really getting too close to them.

In the end, I believe the job that God has placed within me is noble and honoring. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be working at an all-girls' high school. Its a humbling in a way, that God has allowed me to work with young femalions at such a tender age, and its real cool to somehow be a masculine role-model in their life, and one saved by Christ, in that matter. I hope and pray that they can see the Christ in me and see that I am a changed man, not a typical man.

Other than that, life is good as I prepare for a weekend trip to Taiwan. What new adventures will Soni experience in a land where they speak three/four languages? We shall see as Mr. Soni goes to the land of former Prez Chiang Kai-shek.

Also, Sports Day is next week. Will Soni score 2 goals like he did last year at Yeonsu? No. Because there is no soccer at a Femalions' academy.

Perhaps I can embarrass myself in some other way next week...

Until then, "zaijan."

Rock On!

So, I'm back to the thick of teaching my ladies for the second half of this semester. Its been a fun experience.

So we did a class on "characteristics" recently, and one of the games for our vocabulary building is to have the kids post the new words onto the board to the right category. For example, "button" goes with "nose," and "slender" goes with "face." So, why the kids at each table were anticipating where each words goes, I blasted some Relient K music to get them going.

Relient K is a famous Christian rock band, which also has garnered much success in the mainstream culture. They are known for their stand for Christ's Truth, their discussion of emotional and life issues, and of course, their driving, powerful, fun, and absolutely great rock music.

I played the song called "Pressing On," a lead-off song from their 2001 album. It has a driving guitar melody, and a great set of lyrics that help motivate you to get off your chair and "press on."

I used the song for each class to do the activity, and one student, Ji-yong, from class 1-10, personally asked for the song title and band. She really liked the song. Then I used the song as an English tool for my after-school class yesterday, and it was such a huge hit. The ladies absolutely loved it. I taught them the phrases from the song such as "Pressing On" and "Keeping My Head Straight." It had a real positive theme about dropping your stresses of life and just to keep going, also with the idea that God is there for you every step of the way.

After we did our English conversation exercises, they asked to listen to the song again. Even better, I let them watch the music video online, which they really liked (cuz the ladies were digging the lead singer's looks, figures). But they just liked the concept of giving up the weight on your shoulders and doing what you have to do to make things work in your life.

So, I want to say thank you to Relient K for being a great ESL tool. They worked well last year when I taught my boys during the after-school sessions, and now my ladies are a fan of this hit Christian group. My strategy throughout the year is to use more of these Christian hits that use truth to let them know that there is a Savior that loves them.

"Pressing on, pressing on, my distress is going, going, gone..." (Pressing On, Pressing On)

The next song I'm going to use, which is perfect for a discussion on fashion, is "Picture Perfect," by Michael W. Smith. Talk about an oldie...

School Daze 2008

Yes, its back to school with the kids coming back from their dreaded mid-term exams.

The kids seemed much more rested after a long weekend, but getting their minds to work today was a hassle. Yup, its good to be busy and be teaching again, but getting their brains to get back into the groove of things will be a challenge for the next few weeks. There's got to be some way to get them to study harder in my class...

I'm about to see the famed Iron Man film. I heard its big here in Korea and obviously back in the homeland.

We shall see how this another adapatation of a Marvel Classic fares...

Weather here lately has been cooler and damp, which is good. We've been getting a taste of early summer here, but the rains today kind of cooled off things.

In huge news, and sadly, news of disastrous proportions...China suffered a major earthquake in Sichuan Province, with an estimated 12,000 dead.

In neighboring Burma, another 100,000 passed due to a major cyclone.

An impending food crisis threatens many people through parts of the world.

"Only the birthpains..."

Life is precious, do your best in whatever you endeavor, for the Lord will judge every deed, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes)

The Game of Their Lives - Live Blog

The Atlanta Hawks. NBA perennial losers, has-beens, and a rebuilding headache case. National Basketball Asssociation's long-term project and outside the radar. Now on the verge of one of the biggest basketball upsets in history. In fifteen minutes, back in the United States, the Atlanta Hawks are going to begin a struggle of epic proportions...game seven against the Boston Celtics.


The Boston Celtics begin this 2007-2008 season as the favorites. They have three all-star players in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and their long-time captain and one-team franchise player, Paul Pierce. They are written in the papers as shoe-ins for the NBA finals


As we speak, the Hawks are getting pummeled 44-26 at halftime. I'm listening to the radio after spending hours failing to find an Internet channel that would broadcast the game. Its 3AM in the morning here in South Korea; that's how big of a fan I am for the NBA.


Even though my favorite NBA team is the Washington Wizards (who sadly got trounced by the Cleveland Cavaliers in game six), I enjoy following underdog, rebuilding teams because eventually, they will go over the hump and start winning. The Wizards went through that rebuilding phase from 1997-2003, and the results after include four straight play-off appearances. Now, the Hawks, who haven't made the playoffs since 1999, not only squeaked into the post-season dance with a horrible record, they pulled off the improbable of actually tying the series, heading into today's games.


Put short, the Hawks are in a huge whole. A big whole. They've lost every away game this series by huge margins. Its hard to win on the road, it takes character to win against a hostile crowd.


To win today, the Hawks have to play the game of their lives. Josh Smith mentioned, "the better team for 48 minutes gets to move on. That's our mission. 48 minutes man, its all on the line for 48 minutes." (Paraphrase from ajc.com)


The Hawks have been perennial losers. They've picked bad players, had bad coaches, and some organizational issues. There was an infamous court case in which the team owners bickered over ownership, with the main issue about signing off for the trade for budding superstar Joe Johnson, who was brought over to Atlanta from Phoenix in 2005.

Their head coach, Mike Woodson, who has been with the team since 2004, has seen the lows. He inherited a losing franchise with his first year only finishing with 13 wins. Awful. They had a bunch of rookies in Josh Smith and Josh Childress who had no clue what to do. The rest of the players were utility men whose careers were already spent, like Tom Gugliotta (aka "Googs"), Kenny Anderson, Antoine Walker, Bobby Sura, and Kevin Willis. They had dysfunctional team play which resulted in many conflicts between players.

Tragically, in October 2005, Hawks big man Jason Collier passed away. He was a friend to many on that team, and losing a teammate had a major impact on their season, finishing 26-56 with many teammates shocked to see one of their own pass away so young and tragically.

The 2006-2007 season saw them improve and build on the previous year, raising their games in the win bag to 30. Mike Woodson was given one more year to build on this small success, lest he be axed. No pressure indeed, right? His goal: make the playoffs or he will be given his pink papers.

So, here is the young team, with a core of Josh Smith, the high flying shot blocker, Josh Childress, the utility wingman, Joe Johnson, the captain and franchise player, with gritty center Zaza Pachulia, and throw in new additions Al Horford (almost rookie of the year) and Acie Law IV (rookies), veteran point guard Mike Bibby (received in a trade), and they started to take off this year.

Through ups and many, MANY downs, this team finally has given the city of Atlanta it deserves...a winner. ATL is a famous city in America mainly known for its famous baseball franchise, but a b-ball team, there has not been hype since #21 Dominque Wilkins led the franchise.

If they win today, wow. If they lose, still wow. The success story of these Hawks is still amazing to me because they have built on each season since Mr. Mike Woodson took over these bumbling fools. He whipped them into shape, gave them an identity and guided them towards playoff glory. From 2004-2008, Woodson has guided his team from 13 wins to 37 wins. Not a bad job for a guy who had doofuses with oogles of talent but no guide.

Isn't amazing how our God can do the same, except on the maximum level considering our talent as human beings, which He created and LOVES to this day?

Just like the ATL, building our lives takes time. We truly all have talents and skills that God has instilled in us. Its time for us to listen to our coach, go out there, and play the "game of life." Whether you are a teacher, a nurse, a fast food worker, business owner, or fixing cars, God has put you in that role for a reason, its your turn to play it.

As we speak, the ATL Hawks are getting pounded 62-32 in the third quarter, so let's just say, it was a great run. Time to go to bed...just got back from Busan last night anyway.

Fond Memories of Japan Trip 2008

I haven't really talked too much about my second long trip to Japan. The second time I went to Tokyo, northern Japan, and Osaka once again. The experience was rewarding as usual.

It was cool to be in the country again and make comparisons. I saw some really neat things and we (my friend Dave and I) ran into some neat people, Japanese and foreigner, as well as had some interesting experiences.

From seeing an awesome Japanese castle, while it was picturesquely snowing, to going to an onsen, or Japanese hot bath on the outside while it was freezing cold was really an awesome experience. Touring Tokyo, even though in many ways is similar to Seoul, was still awesome because this is one of the most important cities in the world. The sheer monstrosity and design is something to behold. Its like the city of the future.

Japan is truly an unique country. They are so special in that they have taken everything modern and "Japanicized" it. Cars are inherently built with a Japanese work ethic and flavor. The food is distinct and has its own quality and prepared with pin-point precision. Etiquette is done and spelled to the dotted "i." Everything from animation, games, schools, to government policy has a Japanese tint to it. To me, Japan equals order and precision, everything is done in a certain way.

One special memory of Japan was our fourth night in Tokyo. We had to switch hostels as we were preparing to leave Tokyo the next day and head to the Samurai village of Aizu-Wakamatsu. Unlike our previous foreign-friendly hostel, which was big and had many visitors...this one was really small. Each floor had a few rooms, but were really clean and had tatami floors. There was a small meeting room where travellers could gather, mingle, and use the Internet. There was space for a table and a TV for everyone to gaze at the wonders of Japanese television.

So it was night time, and here are us "gaijin" ("foreigners" in Japanese) just sitting around swapping our backgrounds. Its me and my friend Dave, two other girls from America, an European, and two Taiwanese girls.

Up comes this Japanese drama on late night TV, inspired by the famous manga called "Death Note." Death Note, even though very sinister and gloomy at its core, is quite actually intriguing. Long story short, a boy has the power to predict and write how people will die. He simply writes the act in a notebook, and bam, the victim is gone. Yet another boy, reluctantly paired up with a team of investigators, tries to stop him before he gets his next victim.

We all stopped talking and just started to watch the drama. The room is dimly lit as there is a curfew for nighttime, so it made the room a little more relaxing. We have no clue what they are saying, as there are not subtitles and its all in Japanese, but pictures count. The acting and filming were actually quite well done, as Japanese is a very dramatic language. There were some really intense moments of suspension where we just watched without talking. It was like a family of us were watching a movie together.

It was a fond memory because to me, we all stayed in for the evening just to relax. Dave and I were really worn out by the day's hauling around Tokyo. Just to do something mindless and simple such as watch TV was something new in our activity-filled trip.

Japan Part II was a cool trip because we covered alot more ground. I had some really fond memories of the place. You really learn about yourself when you are an environment that is not in your comfort zone, and the lessons from travelling with a partner, and sometimes, on your own show your true character at times. All for purpose, Romans 8:28.

A Waiting Period

I was thinking about the story in Genesis 29:15-30 tonight. Its an unique story about Jacob, one of the patriarchs of the Jewish race. Jacob at this point in the beginning of time is on the run from his brother Esau, whom he tricked to give him both his birthright and his rightful blessing. Talk about having a grudge against your brother, Jacob booked it out of there to get as far away from his bro as possible! Esau was piping hot!

Well, this particular story is about Jacob's first two wives. Jacob is living with his Uncle Laban. Laban has agreed to give his youngest daughter, Rachel, to Jacob in marriage only if he works for him for seven years on his property. Jacob likes this because he has a thing for Rachel, who is supposedly a bombshell (verse 17).

Jacob puts his work in. He gets married, and he believes the wife given to him in marriage is Rachel. Yet for some odd reason, after lying with her on their wedding night, he wakes up to the face of Leah, who is Rachel's older sister! Is this some kind of cruel joke?

No. Laban, probably in a non-humorous manner, explains how in their culture they do not give the younger bride first; the oldest goes first. Laban does not even apologize (verse 27), and goes on to tell Jacob if he works for him another seven years, he gets Rachel as a bride too. Jacob, with no choice since he loves Rachel more, goes on to agree work for another arduous seven. The Trickster is tricked. The following week after he marries Leah, Jacob receieves Rachel as wife too, but is bound by this new contract.

Where am I getting at? I've lately been comparing last year with this year. The experience so far has been totally different compared to last year, sort of like a waiting period like Jacob's. No, its not like I tricked anyone to get this job, yet it was more of enduring a few things to get where I want to be in my career here in South Korea, and God has provided nicely.

In March 2007 I touched down in South Korea to begin my job at Yeonsu High School. Everything came at me in a shockwave: the new lifestyle (no more driving to lots of walking), adjusting to the language barrier, figuring how to do EVERYTHING, learning about Korean schools and their teaching environment, and just absorbing everything. It was like eating a huge plate full of enchiladas when I've been eating salad my whole life; everything's different. Sometimes to this day I remark how amazing it is how God got me through that time of adjustment to the culture.

To be honest, my first few months in Korea started rough. My apartment had nothing in it, so I started from scratch. It wasn't funished as advertised. It was small, and there were a smattering of problems with it (too much to go into detail). Learning how to adjust to living on my own was difficult at times, but thanks to our Lord for being faithful and introducing my family and some expats who really helped me out, my place because a personal sanctuary for me.

As for school, I had to learn how to do everything on my own. No one at the school really gave me a teaching guideline on what to do. I made up all of my lesson plans and I taught them with no revision by my co-teachers. I did everything solo and even though my teachers gave me suggestions from time to time, I picked up alot of training just by failing. Yet on a professional level, I had teacher friends like Bobby, James, and Dave whom we shared joys and troubles of teaching "Engrish" to little Korean kritters.

Another neat insight I learned today is the present situation at Yeonsu High School. I learned from the new native teacher at the school, Michael, said his freshmen class is a really nice crop. Former teachers of mine detailed to him that my class had a bunch of bullies and tough boys. They are right.

One of last year's bigger struggles was there were an odd smattering of boys who were just rough. Even some of my smarter boys had an edge to them. Not like they were hostile to me, but they had to be broken. The first few months of getting a few of my homeroom classes to pay attention was just outright difficult. Adjusting had to take its due course. Thankfully, by month four there was a grand union of understanding between us and I even made some of the rough boys get on my side. Teaching became easier from there on in.

I finished my Yeonsu experience on a good side. I finished strong. Now onto year two.

Just out of curiosity and a desire to get away from the boys, I've always desired to teach girls. From what I've heard from other native teachers, they are an easier bunch to instruct, even though, like I mentioned in my previous blog, they have issues too.

Now, its kind of not objective to compare this year so far to all of last year because I just got started. Yet I can make some observations on how different things have started.

For one, I've already gotten experience at my new girls' high school. Last winter, they were devoid of a teacher because the man had to attend to his ailing father. They called our school (Yeonsu High) to ask me to volunteer for their winter camp. I gladly accepted. So I was exposed to a smattering of students who would be entering their senior and junior years in high school. I already met some of the school staff beforehand.

It just so has it that there were two openings at two girls' Incheon high schools at the time: Incheon Girls High School and this one, Hakik Girls High School. I was actually slated to go to the first one, until a circumstance came up where they had to change my position, and the coordinator slotted me at HGHS. It turned out for the better.

My transition period to the school has been relatively smooth and without too many hitches. Its all about growth which makes seeings things in a quicker manner. The invaluable lessons I learned last year have made it so easier to start off well here at this ladies' school.

On a superficial end, I brought all of my old lesson plans with me. All I do lately is adjust them to fit their English level and make it more detail-oriented (girls love details), so instead of working long and hard producing lesson plans, its all about fine-tuning them.

Also, I know the flaws of the current teaching system for the Native Teacher Program (EPIK), and try to adjust to it accordingly. No more struggling with the system, I just do what I can within the current one and do it to God's Glory.

Finally, girls are docile. Guys, including myself, struggle with pride and egos, so some of them were too cool to be nice to "Mr. Foreign Teacher." One distinct advantage, of course this varies case by case, is how the lady students were quick to receive me, compared to the first few months at my guys' school. Like I mentioned before, I met 20 of the girl students at the previous winter camp. So, these ladies really helped me out by spreading the word about me (whether its good or bad, thats up to them) when they got word that I would be at their school this year.

So really, I'm in a situation that has been an outright blessing. The school, compared to other high schools, has a more humble background because some of the students come from poorer families. I teach a few mentally challenged students and one deaf student. Some of the girls come from broken homes. Hence, the mission and the challenge are greater this year. Yet like Jacob, even though he had to wait to get his desired bride, I got the perfect scenario in which God can continue to use me even more on a scale that I never imagined.

Finally, in some way, I am intrigued by ministering to students who are from broken homes or have a tougher streak. It'll kind of give me an edge too, to be strong to challenge them to be more and not settle to just be an average student.

Communication

My second year here has brought new goals and ambitions. One of my major obvious goals is to improve my Korean communication. That's a given, simply because as I discussed before in previous blogs, I love languages and I believe God has given the gift of language to share my life with others.

Yet last year, there were moments of struggle because I put too much pressure on myself to learn the language. This is due to my unreasonable goal setting in which I believe the only way I could truly learn about my Korean heritage was to speak the language at a high level. I gave that up a long time ago. Well, not that I "gave up learning the language," but I dropped the serious tag about how to learn it. Since I'm learning the language as a "pay as you go" method (basically, get what I can from everyday conversations with fellow Koreans), I cannot necessarily get too serious about language study on a day-to-day basis because I teach English. Whatever I glean from each day, I put it to use.

Like today, Saturday. Our Korean Class for Foreigners (that I attend at Seoul's Sookmyung Women's University) took a break this weekend to have a class trip to Gyeongbokgung, or the national palace of the Joseon Dynasty. It is the grand chief of all palaces in South Korea. It has some awesome architecture and a cool museum with a brand new exhibition including artifacts relating to that era.

What was cool and unique was our teachers who hosted us today. All of our teachers are young females with alot of enthusiasm and kindness to help foreigners practice and learn the Korean language. Some speak decent English, but many don't speak it that well. Obviously, the interaction and conversations are done mostly in Korean. I am proud to say that I am in the Level 4 class, the highest that they offer (but that does not mean I am nowhere near where I want to be in terms of communication). My teacher, Seul Bin, is a kind-hearted woman who speaks slow and effective Korean. She was my tour guide today. Most of her outlines on the national palace were in Korean, albeit with the occasional translation of a word that I didn't understand into English. It was really hard to figure out what she was talking about at times, but it forced me to rely on the powers of context to get a meaning and analysis. Yet at the same time, it was pretty cool to figure out what she was saying and learn new vocabulary while I was at it.

The other host teachers were all humorous, engaging, and fun ladies who enjoy teaching the Korean language and meeting foreigners. I had a delightful conversation with one girl, in Korean, discussing topics from the Korean language, my unique bi-racial background, to the election coming up in Korea (for the national assembly), and to ours in America (BO vs. McCain).
As well as for other students who are in the other classes, the situation forced them to use their Korean to practice and effectively communicate. Its the only way to learn a language. For me, once I got the pride monkey off my back, learning the Korean language is now fun again. I don't have to pretend to know everything and simply go back to square one and learn the language through the pain and joy that I have been learning it before hand. Ask questions constantly, make mistakes, and just simply try.

As for the school situation, I am still pondering about how I can communicate to my students. I am dying to practice my Korean with my girls. Its sometimes eerily weird to try to communicate to them in all English, because they simply struggle with understanding me while I struggle speaking Korean, I want to get to know them better. I always reason that a little Korean would be useful on my part because it will show that I am learning their language, something I tried to do last year with my boy students.

However, most teachers and administrators in the EPIK (English Program in Korea) system do not want the native teacher to communicate in Korean to the students. They reason that this would defeat the purpose of "English Only" and take away the purpose of having a true native speaking partner for the students to practice with and to improve their English skills.

I wholly understand their point of view, and respect it. Korea is in dire need of teachers and in general, a new system that forces students to practice their speaking and listening communication. We foreign teachers are that solution.

On the other of the spectrum, we must think about the role of the native speaker in the public schools program. Our job is to improve the English ability of both the students and English teachers alike, and I simply want to do that to the best to God's Glory. Yet, let's think about reality of the native teacher and some positives of using Korean to communicate with students:

1. We live in Korea too. One difficult aspect of a native teacher who really wants to immerse themselves in Korean culture is that he is supposed to speak English all day. That's a given. If the teacher's first language is English, then its going to be natural for him to speak. However, outside the class and when school is over, we have homes to go to and business to conduct at supermarkets, banks, and hospitals. Not every Korean outside the school has decent English skills to help all foreigners out. One of the major difficulties for those native teachers who ardently study Korean is that it is difficult for them to switch from the English side of the brain to the Korean one.

2. It makes the students more comfortable. Many Koreans cannot stand the English language. As I discussed before in previous blogs, the way they teach actual English in the classroom is outdated and ineffective to teach effective verbal communication. Hence, sometimes the students, even though they gladly accept many native English teachers, see them as sort of too lofty to approach because they seem not interested in Korean language and culture. I remember how some students got really comfortable with me last year because of the fact that I occasionally practiced my Korean with them. On the other hand, some students treat the native speaker simply as a guest because they cannot really communicate with them on a deeper level. Knowing some Korean could help bridge that bond.

3. Its fun. Language exchange at a public school setting could prove useful and rewarding for both staff and the native teacher. It shows that the foreign teacher is making an honest effort in learning effective Korean communication, which then makes the Korean teachers more comfortable in approaching the native teacher to practice their English. Both sides can help each other. Also, most students quickly realize of who is learning their language from a person who is fluent in Korean, I mean they are not stupid in realizing that they cannot speak only Korean to the native teacher who is also learning their language. Its one thing for a Kyopo (Korean American) who is fluent in speaking both Korean and English, which is not effective at all for the classroom because the students would want to speak Korean with that teacher anyway. Yet for a teacher who makes mistakes with the kids trying to speak their language can actually be encouraging because they see that the teacher is trying and failing, so they can do so.

So, that's just something I have pondering about lately, and something I want to discuss with my teachers at my new school. I do not want to coast through this year without showing the true Korean side to me, and the honest effort I want to make to become a teacher who can use both Korean as an asset to help reinforce my English teaching. We'll see how the results come.

Please send me an e-mail at Minos24@hotmail.com if you have an opinion about this topic. Do you think its a good idea to just speak English to the students? Or mixing the native language in can be a more effective way to build trust and more dynamic learning? You tell me.