Last Few Days of Camp Finally

There are just three more days of camp and thank goodness! Although, tiring and often mind-boggling strange, the camp has been going pretty well. I have learned what the low-levels need and how better to pace myself for them. They take time to process the English and I try to give it to them in a slow yet understandable manner. But mostly they want to learn through games, crafts and activities. I guess that is true for all first-graders.

Camp, as mentioned earlier, wasn't planned very well even though the planning committee did do hard work. I want to step up for winter camp and plan some new stuff for them, but am trying to lay-low so not to seem like a pushy person.

With camp nearing it's end that means next week I will have my time off and go to Jeju. I am excited but also a bit worried, because it will be hot down there and most of the food you can find is seafood. I really hope to get to a supermarket my first day and stock up my pension with things to make for breakfast. Really though, I am trying to tell myself to just go there and relax. Don't worry about whether you get out and see everything or find the most delicious meal on the island. Mostly, I am looking forward to swimming and seeing several sunsets. Really, I don't know if I want to ride around the island everyday to go see something, when I could be at a nearby beach. Plus there are several sights to see in my area of the island.

I know that after vacation the next semester starts and I am already mentally preparing myself. I want to get through it without any hiccups. I know there will be times when I am approached by my Korean homeroom teachers and that I really need to give a nice face to it all. Last week, I approached the person who hired at me at the school (he is also the head-coordinator) about my position. After the kids went home I went up to his classroom. I basically introduced that I don't talk to him much and would like to say "Hi." I got around to asking him how I am doing at the school and got good feedback. He told me he hears that I work hard and that is good. But then he asked me, "How do you feel about the Korean teachers?" I went blank for a little bit and then smiled and said how I enjoy them and like working with them. I also talked about how for next camp I would like to contribute. He was enthusiastic to hear this. I basically just wanted to make sure he knew that I liked the school and my position. I know most of what he hears about me comes from third parties so I wanted to make sure he heard my side. Hopefully, this will help plant a seed for the future when he is considering my renewal.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, especially how I have grown since my first time in Korea. Sometimes I look back on my first summer here and can't believe it all. I certainly felt so scared and alienated at that time. I am glad to be where I am here in Korea and hope to grow more on this peninsula.

Notes From Camp: Week 3

Dear Camp Diary,
  I guess it is nearly time to say farewell, as it looks like there are just two more days left. What can I say? We had some good times there with the third graders and some bad times when things got a little nuts. Yet, the second week held up really well with the fourth graders enjoying the egg drop.

Here we are now with the 5th and 6th graders. They have been separated into two classes, which is probably for the best. I have the 6th graders, while the other foreign teacher has the 5th graders. But we get to sample both as the kids switch classes now and then. Seeing the 6th graders reminded me that the Fall semester is going to start next week, and it will be back to the regular grind.

Teaching the 6th graders is certainly less of a struggle since their English is way more advanced then the lower grades. I am trying to keep them active and to not get that bored look on their faces.

On Tuesday we did the drama activities and they really got into the "Create Your Own Roleplay" assignment.

I gave them a laminated handout where you pick out some characters then by the roll of the dice determine what the story will be like.

Then they wrote down the parts of their story on the accompanying worksheet. I was impressed with the amount of time they put into it and how well they worked together to come up with a creative story.

I guess I will mention that I designed these handouts and the lesson. If you are interested in using them just send me an email making your request.

There wasn't a whole lot of time left to actually practice their presentations, so if I were going to do this again I would have given them more time. Yet what mattered most was that I saw them having fun and using English.

I am glad that camp is at its end since three weeks is just too long. My biggest complaint is that our Korean coteachers presence in the classroom was minimal. Sometimes I would go back to the office to get something and I would see them browsing the internet. Sure I understand that we can do our job without them, especially if the students are 5th or 6th graders, but their attitude towards things has been very lazy. The frustrating part comes in that if I were to reflect the same attitude I would be the one in trouble. Despite feeling disappointed I let it go and tried my best to not let it bother me.

Positives Joy! The best part of camp was having my own classroom, even if it was just for 20 days. The other bonus of camp was seeing all the hard work and lessons I made come together and work really well with the students. I can see that I know now what works with Korean children and doesn't. Finally...seeing those egg drop creations fall and the children cheering in the background, was also spectacular.

The next semester is coming and Mrs.Kim will move on and we will get the Dude teacher. I hope Mrs. Kim and the other coteachers don't fill his head full of nonesense about me before we start teaching. I am going to talk to him before our classes start and let him know that I hope to have a good time and work well together. I am really dieing to say something like, "Whatever Mrs. Kim said about me...don't believe it." But I would rather him just figure it out as things move along.

Signing off from camp! ~BYE

Egg Drop!

The following is my video of the egg drop experiment I did for my summer camp. It was one of the most fun activities at camp and I am really proud of my students creativity.

Please enjoy ~

Notes From Camp: Week 2

Dear Camp Diary,
   Last week ended with a triumph of laughter and fun. We did our Sport's Day and it went well, except due to the weather we couldn't do the water balloon challenges.

However, we managed to fit everyone inside the old auditorium on the top floor. (Actually this is where they plan on building the English classroom for next year.) We got up there early and turned on the aircon so that the kidlets wouldn't sweat to death. The games seemed to go over well with the pack of third graders. They enjoyed balloon racing games and then a big game of "Red Light, Green Light."

I really got into the fun with them and showed a lot of enthusiasm, which I think my coteachers were impressed with.

After games we settled down back in our classrooms (borrowing the homeroom classes) and gave out the prizes and had our ending ceremony.

Goodbye third graders! Hello fourth graders!

The second week of camp is all fourth graders and we are doing the same program. So far the difference has been that they understand me a bit more. Yet they are still enthusiastic and like to have a good time. 

First was the "Get to know you" day and I think the best way to get the kids familiar with each other is to play a few basic games. So after a few name games it was time for something more active. I got the kids to sit in a circle of chairs to play Fruits Basket.

This is one of those basic games that should be ready to use and can come out of your grab bag of games. I am going to describe the game to you here so you can get the idea and if you want use it in your class.

• Make a circle of chairs and have the Ss sit in each one.
• On the white / chalk board write in large letters a list of fruit. (make it 4 kinds and basic ones) (Ex: Apple, Banana, Strawberry, Orange)
• Stand in the center of the circle and explain the game. "Everybody will become a fruit. So somebody is an apple and other person is a banana. The person in the middle will call out two fruits...example Apple and Banana." "The people who are apples or bananas have to stand up and switch seats." "There will be one person with no seat and they will go to the middle." By now they either get it or are confused so you will show a demonstration.
• Give each kid a fruit name. Start with someone in the circle and touch their heads. Apple. Banana. Strawberry. Orange. Apple. Banana.....and so one till no one is left.
• Tell them you are going to start the game. Shout out 2 pairs of fruit. They should start to get up and move. Tell them to hurry and find a seat. Usually they get it after a few turns.
• After a while you want to announce to them the rule of "Fruits Basket." Which is that if the person in the middle announces "Fruits Basket" then everybody gets up and finds a new seat.
• Remind them to not kill each other and don't fight. 

This is a good game that can last 15 minutes and get them excited. 

That was about it for Day 1 with the fourth graders. Day 2 was drama day and so first they learned about story parts, where they were given a piece of paper with a diagram on it. Then they were given an envelope with story parts (just some funny pictures). They were to make the pictures into a story using the diagram, which was of 3 rectangles listing the beginning, middle and end. This was so that they can think about the components of a story. After putting together a few stories they then thought of what they would say to describe the pictures.

Both 3rd and 4th grade took a long time with this activity, mostly because they tried to make as many stories as possible. I think this was a really good activity since it first used basic visual skills, and then got paired down into writing and then speaking. I could really see them working hard at making a complete story and using their vocabulary.

After this was an activity on characters and then it was time for role-play. I was amazed at how enthusiastic the kids have been towards doing a role-play. I made sure to pick out plays that were simple to read and with simple stories. I had the groups pick which story they would do then practice it before giving a performance. Memorization of the lines weren't required.

Check out the following video of their role-playing. 

Well camp has been interesting so far and I guess I am in the middle of things since there is still next week. Tomorrow is Egg Drop day again and I am wondering what the groups will come up with. 

Oh by the way, today Mrs. Kim came back and I felt really nervous and a little stressed out. So I tried to stay down-low and just get through the day in a cheerful way. It was nice to see her and give her the souvenirs I bought for everyone back home. She will be here till the end of August so I am going to give it my best to let her leave in peace. 

Till next camp diary!

Notes From Camp (Week 1 pt.2)

Dear Camp Diary,
    Week 1 is blazing by very fast. It seems I just got off the plane from America and was put right into the classroom. I can't believe that just last week I was enjoying myself in California eating American style sushi.

Let's see, this would be my 6th time doing camp and finally it feels organized and full of fun. However, I feel that for the first part my mind was still on vacation as I forgot to play certain games with the kids when we had nothing left to do. But it seems my mind finally woke up today, on what is the 4th day of camp.

Yesterday was cooking and we made the yogurt parfaits. I think the kids enjoyed it, however their yogurt was not refrigerated so was more runny than thick. The kids looked like they had fun, anyways trying to make the layers.

Some of them even brought their own toppings.

 We had a toppings bar set up for those kids who needed more. The M&M's would melt in the yogurt causing it to change all sorts of colors.

Yogurt parfaits were a real hit and I think next time will try to have more healthy topping choices. 

Today was Science day and it was the grand "Egg Drop" day. Yesterday I kind of stressed out too much so had some good rest last night. Therefore I was fresh and ready this morning. First I told the kids about the experiment and made up a story that their egg is an "alien baby." 

Then they were given a worksheet to brainstorm what their egg basket would look like. After this the materials were handed out and they got to work with their creations. They really liked the balloons, however and we had to get them back to work on their project.

They really got into it and discussed it with their group on what would work best. Of course, I showed them some videos to get them motivated. 

*Actually, when I picked up this group's project the egg you see there fell out. I had to quickly replace it with another egg before they found out. (Kids were outside)

The kids went outside as we (Native teachers) headed upstairs to drop the eggs out the window of the 4th floor.

I am at work so I can't access my video editing software. For now you can enjoy this clip of the egg drop. I will probably make a full edited video after I do this with all the grades.

Tomorrow is Sports day and we have this big "Mission Impossible" game planned. Depending on the weather I might be out in the heat or inside under the air conditioner. I am looking forward to the last day of week 1, and having a good time.

This isTeacher Joy signing off.

Notes From Camp (Week 1)

I am already past the third day of camp. So far it has been running pretty smoothly, but with 3rd graders what can you expect. This camp is special since there are 2 foreign teachers at my school and so we have 2 groups of kids. Also our program entails the groups switching classes. It turns out the group I have are quiet and the other group is noisy. Kids are kids, so what can you do?

Coming back to work I felt all right and ready to tackle the months ahead. I think the vacation did us all good as we are all at a general level of smiles and "How are you?". There were a few riffs today when I was explaining the shopping role play game but I blame the heat and that I woke up too early. Yet I put myself into gear and calmed down. I am feeling more at ease around my coteachers and finding myself letting go of things that use to bother me. I hope this kind of rhythm keeps up.

Tomorrow we are going to do the egg drop and so I am looking forward to that. However, knowing that there are still 2 more weeks to go drags me down. My next vacation will be in the middle of September for Chuseok, so I think I am going to look forward to that. Yet I don't know what I will be doing yet.

I think I need a nap.

Summer Camp Preperation: Themes

For those who work in public schools around Korea summer and winter are not only time for vacation it is also our time for camp.

Camp at Korean public schools is probably not what you have in mind when you think "camp." For example, the kids are not in tents and they don't learn outdoor type activities. It is a period of learning English inside the school and usually lasts 5 days.

Depending on the organization and communication skills of your coteacher(s) you may either plan camp well or in a rush. You might be told, "You can do anything" or "No let's not have a movie day."

I was blessed this year to have a coteacher who let us (two foreigners at my school) plan whatever we wanted. She really wanted us to make it fun. We put our minds together and came up with 5 different "day-themes" for each day of camp.

Our camp schedule will be 3 weeks.

• First week = 3rd & 4th grades together
• Second week = 5th graders
• Third week = 6th graders

We plan on using the same themes for each week, just change up some worksheets for the older kids.

Here for you in this post I will show you the themes we chose. It is my hope that these ideas might come in handy for you when you have to plan your camp. Certainly planning for camp depends on how much time you have. Remember that camp is usually just you in the classroom with 20 kids of mixed levels. Sometimes the school separates the kids by level but I actually think that is unwise. In my experience the advanced kids help the lower level ones and this is a real boost to their English confidence levels.

Overall Theme:
Let's move on to the theme of our summer camp. We are calling it:

"Passport to English."

If you are truly lucky you will get the privilege of titling your English camp. If not you could end up with "Fun Fun English" or something similarly bland. We came up with this title because I suggested the idea that since we have two Native Teachers it would be great to have the two classes move from one to the other. Meaning Class A would be with me for 1 hr and then Class B would move to the other teacher for an hour and so on. They liked this idea and so I pushed my next thought was that the kids carry passports.

Everyday there will be target sentences they will have to study. As they leave our classroom they have to speak the target sentence, which rewards them with a stamp in their passport. 

This led to more creative thinking and produced that our classrooms will be themed as a specific country. Since I am from America my class will be the American classroom. At the beginning of camp they will pretend to "enter" America with their English Passports. 

Above is an example of the passport template I made in Microsoft Word. They will end up making it on the first day. 

The idea is that as the days progress they will practice target sentences based upon the daily themes and receive stamps. By the end of the week those with the most stamps receive a prize. We also have found ways to incorporate it into a few games. 

Day 1 Theme: "Passport and Get To Know You"

The first day of camp is an important day because it will set the standard for the rest of your week. You want to make sure you lay down the rules and concepts of camp so that the students aren't lost throughout. Also they need to know what actions will get them rewards and what will get them punishments. 

This day you get down the basics, such as group formations and ice-breaker games. You want the kids to feel comfortable at camp and be friendly with their peers in their group. Grades 3 & 4 are pretty good and make a working together feeling but grades 5 & 6 will end up sticking to their own personal groups. One way to combat this is group kids randomly instead of letting them choose who they get to be with. Make sure to play games and activities that gets them up from their group and play with everyone. 

During Day 1 we plan on having ice-breaker and get-to-know-you games. Here are a few examples:

Get to know you BINGO: Using the handout Ss go around the classroom and try to find a student who can do a certain thing on the bingo. When an Ss gets a BINGO they sit down and get their prize. *Afterwards ask Ss who can do what related to the handout 

Name Game 1: Ss sit in a circle and pass a ball around. First Ss: “My name is Lisa. I like apples.” Second Ss: “My name is Tom. Lisa likes apples. I like bananas.” Third Ss: “My name is Brian. Lisa likes apples. Tom likes bananas. I like oranges.” And they keep playing this way till everyone gets a turn and they have to memorize everything.

Snowball Speaking: Ss will practice a sentence and have it gain more words as they play. They will line up in their groups. NT will write the sentence on the board. “I like to eat apples.” First Ss in each group starts out saying this sentence then the next Ss has to say the same sentence and repeat the first item and then add an item of their own. (Ex: I like to eat apples and bananas. The point is that the Ss must remember every new item and add a new one. This is a speed game so when the sentence gets to the end of the line that Ss has to run up to the board and write the sentence including all the items.

As you can see Day 1 will be a kind of relaxed day meant to get the kids into camp and in the mindset to work together. We also have peppered in learning some songs. 

Day 2: Drama and Role-Play

What camp would be without a day full of drama and role-playing? Actually, in my experience, teaching drama to students can at first be a bit challenging. Mostly because you are asking the kids to get up and act out in silly ways in front of their peers. But if you join in and act silly yourself you can get them to play along. 

This day we plan on switching the kids from class to class. My class will be learning the parts of a story and character types. This will be achieved with a PPT and a worksheet activity (or group activity). 

Then the kids will have a chance to create their own story and practice acting it out for a performance. In this case I made a handout where the parts of their story are determined by rolling the dice.

Since they need an ample amount of time to practice and perform their role-play this consumes most of Day 2. There are few drama games thrown in for fun, too. Examples:

Sculpting Figures: Using the same cards Ss will try to shape their group members to make other teams guess what it is they are doing. Example: Team gets the card “playing baseball” So they will position their team members in a way that makes them look like they are playing baseball. 

Story in a Bag: NT prepares different object cards in envelopes for each group. Groups will take out their cards and try to make a story.

Day 3: Nutrition, Shopping and Cooking

One of the basic necessities of camp seems to be a role-play shopping and cooking day. Don't let your coteacher fool you into making sandwiches. Have you ever made a sandwich before with pre-sliced ham and cheese? It takes all of 5 minutes and doesn't really present much creativity. Instead search online for fun kids cooking recipes. There are whole lot to make that are out there. Do you remember Ants on a Log? Putting peanut butter on top of celery or apples? That is really fun.

Well for our camp we tried to break out of the "sandwiches" mode by coming up with two recipes to make. Backing up this day are lessons about nutrition which will lead into the cooking part where kids choose either "healthy" or "unhealthy" toppings. 

Our recipes: 

•   Funny Face Sandwiches: Here the kids will toast bread and cut out shapes in the bread, cheese and ham with cookie cutters. They will try to make a funny looking sandwich in this way. They will have a choice of candies too. 
• Yogurt Parfait: This will be my part. Just your basic recipe of building up layers with yogurt, cereal and fruit toppings. Of course they will have a choice of candies.

 The other activities on this day include a shopping role-play where they compete with each other to shop the fastest. One group will get a shopping list while the other groups pretend to be different types of shops. I have already played similar games in class and so know how much fun it is. Since cooking, eating and cleaning up takes up some time this day is pretty much wrapped up.  

Day 4: Science  

I love Science! And this subject is so much more fun with kids. When doing a science day try not to get too technical with the kids. One theme I did before was learning the different types of senses (their language) and then have a taste-testing session with mystery foods. 

This time for camp we decided to do the famous Egg Drop!

 If you have never done this as a kid than I truly feel sorry for you. But definitely try this out with your students. At the mountain camp I went to last year the science class did this and from what I heard it was a real hoot. 

The basics are that you get the kids to design the egg basket in their group. Have them make it together. Then the teacher climbs up to the roof and drops their eggs. Afterward a discussion is held to talk about what happened. 


Here is a look at the handout I made for the pre-drop time.

 I am really looking forward to this day, because out of all the things I have done with children in Korea this looks to be the most creative. I hope it will be a surprise for the students as well.  

Day 5: Sports and Outdoor Fun
The last day of camp is one of tired students who wish they could be at home. That is why it is a great day to hold outdoor sports and mini-competitions. 

We split up the day in this way:

1. Sports Language & Rules: Korean kids can't help but shout Korean when playing games. So before we start playing we plan on teaching them phrases to say in English while playing. Also we will add in general sportsmanship rules for them to remember.
2. Relay Sports on the field: Your basic games. For example putting a balloon between the knees and racing this way. Classic run backwards race and so on.
3. Water Balloon Challenge: Just what it sounds like. Hopefully we can get our hands on lots of water balloons.
4. Mission Impossible Game: This is a bit of a slower activity. Kids will work in groups and get a handout listing missions they must complete. On the paper are clues about certain places around the school. They have to figure out the clue and then make their way to the location. At the location will be a stamp where the kids stamp their paper. Below is an example of the mission handout.

 My coteacher was kind enough to add Korean to the paper so that the kids had a better chance of figuring the stuff out. 

After the games the kids will come back to the classroom to eat a snack and sing a song. Then it will be the closing ceremony. For some reason at my school the Principals like to have an opening and closing ceremony where they speak Korean to the kids and everyone bows. We usually give out the prizes at the end of this. 


I am really looking forward to summer camp this year. Mostly because we are getting to do stuff we really want to do and also because last camp's coteacher no longer works with us. (The old lady). She disagreed with every idea we had and thought the students levels were that of super-beginners. 

Anyway, I hope this synopsis of the themes of our camp will give you some ideas for your camp. If you are going to teach your first camp this summer then I wish you the best of luck and just have fun with your kids.

:)

Reflection Room

I am planning my summer vacation travels. Booking airplane flights and reserving car rentals has me in a dizzy. But I can manage it! Certainly I hope my wallet will end up okay.

Today as I was trying to find out whether the San Francisco airport has a service where you can store your luggage in between traveling I found something quite peculiar.

It is a reflection room:

Berman Reflection Room

The Berman Reflection Room provides a center for quiet self-reflection and meditation. 
International Terminal, Main Hall, pre-security
hours: daily, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

With the hustle and bustle of traveling this kind of space makes sense to have at an airport. I wonder if people know about it and use it. But maybe it is more of a memorial than a place to zone out.

This reflection room is dedicated to
HENRY E. BERMAN
President of the San Francisco Airport Commission

For his vision of the airport, his love of San Francisco, and his dedication to public service having served over 25 years on City and County of San Francisco boards and commissions.

I found this tweet:

at sfo berman reflection room. it's a super quiet room with a great view. awesome! #sfo

Doesn't seem like it is too hard to get to after you arrive, so I might try and check it out.

Location note: The GPS location is for the BART San Francisco International Airport Station. The reflection room is immediately inside the airport from the station on the left hand side.

Speaking of reflecting I thought I would take the time to give a little update on work. Things have finally petered down into a workable situation. Meaning I am not being attacked left and right anymore. Since those last disasters (back in late March - April) things have been steady. I have noticed that I am most vulnerable right before my period. PMS does a number on my ability to keep calm and collected. So when this time comes around I try extra hard to control myself and wear the "I like everyone" costume. Speaking of which, I am encountering that struggle today! Already I had a hiccup this morning with Mrs. K, which I thought was allright. Just spoke in a kind of direct tone to her. Then after lunch, out of no-where, the Princess (youngest coteacher) said to me:

Princes: "Joy today I think you made Mrs. K sad. I saw her face this morning and she looked upset. I care a lot about her and you should try not to make her upset."

Me: "Really, I didn't know she was upset."

Princess: "Yes she looks that way. And now she is not in the room. Maybe she is uncomfortable here."

Me: "No, she left the room because her computer has a virus (true) and I think she is looking for help." 

Priya: (other Foreign teacher) "Yea she has been upset lately about her computer."

Princess: "Really, hmmmm" (She makes a high-pitched hmm sound. Have you ever seen the Dark Crystal? Remember the bad characters that sucked the life outta the gelphlings. She sounds like them.

Me: "Well ok. I will do that and try to not make her upset. Maybe you should talk to her." 

And she went back to doing something else. Meanwhile I grabbed my stuff and headed to the next class I had to teach. I made sure to catch up with Mrs. K and apologize for this morning and tell her I "really care about her." Turns out she didn't even know why I was doing that and so I explained that the Princess seemed concerned about her. We hugged and all was right with the world.

Coming back from class I wanted to tell the Princess that things are okay between me and Mrs.K. But she was not here. I sent a lovely little text message to her computer citing that things are okay and that anytime she has a "problem" she can come and talk with me.

Let's just say I am glad I put this out before it blew up. 

Besides that crap I have been dealing with a little junk from "#2" coteacher. This is the middle aged one that is between the oldest and the youngest. I teach with her once a week. She coteaches with me so differently from Mrs.K that things were starting to bother me. 

For example, when #2 and I teach together she usually just stands in the back and paces around giving Korean translation now and then. But with Mrs. K she is always in the front or middle of the class giving lot's of translation (almost too much) and helps with the computer. Basically more real "coteaching". I probably should of handled this more gently, but last week I spilled the beans like this.

Walking to class

Me: Do you always stand in the back of class in Priya's classes? (The other foreign teacher ...they teach 3rd grade.)

#2: No....the 3rd graders have some song or role-play we do. (That sounded puzzling since the 4th graders do the same crap)

Me: Oh, I was just wondering. 

#2: If you want me to come up to the front I can.

Me: No I am fine, really. If I need you I will call you.

And of course I thought everything was fine after that conversation but I was wrong. It turned out she took that comment personally. I found this out after lunch when we were sitting around the table for tea-time. I mentioned stuff about North Korea to start a conversation but she didn't seem interested. Then I mentioned how it's okay if she is in the back of the classroom. She said, "You just think I do nothing back there. But I am helping the students...." I said: "No, no that is not what I meant. I know you do stuff back there. Just your coteaching style is different from Mrs. K." But she didn't really get it, got up and went back to her desk. 

I didn't dig into it anymore with her and let the powers of time take care of things. Once again they are so sensitive that work-related issues such as coteaching-styles can't really be brought up without someone's feelings on the line. However, if I were approached about my teaching style and took it personally I would be called out for overreacting. 

And so this leads me back to reflection. I do a lot of time reflecting on all this trying to figure out why and what I can do to make things better or at least tolerable. I end up worrying about what will happen when it is contract review time, and my mind spirals off. 

I know I am not perfect and make little mistakes along the way, so all I am trying to do is not make them blow-up like before. It is a fact that I cannot change their opinion of me by defending myself or talking to them about these issues. 

In a perfect world we would have monthly meetings to talk about these things and share our ideas on teaching and coteaching. But that has never happened here, and yes I have suggested it. 

After the summer break and when the new semester starts Mrs. K will be gone. Also the Princess may be whisked away by taking a missionary trip somewhere. The replacements have already been called (a male teacher and an ahjumma at the school). Both who are pretty cool. But #2 is going to be here the longest and so I know that despite how crazy she makes me I gotta play like everything is cool. 

That is work for you in a nut-shell. Thankfully planning for summer camp and my vacation has kept me busy. Still, I hope to get through this teaching year with no more craziness despite that all the crap that is happening around me makes me feel nuts.

Reflection room where are you?!!?

Summer Englishee in The Mountainsee

It's amazing how much you can learn about yourself and the world that you live in when you spend 5 days at an English camp in the mountains in Korea. With the reality that my school rejected to keep me for another year and that I cannot pinpoint why, I entered teaching the mountain camp with the attitude of a free spirit. I figured this may be my last time out there and I should make it a good experience. For my classes I figured I would try my best to teach them English at the same time making sure they were having fun and learning. So it was that camp proved to be a heartwarming experience.

Without further ado I bring you the adventures from Summer Camp 2009.

Girls pose for a picture on our way to camp.

My sleeping cabin.

Flora

My teaching cabin (They put my class in this cabin...the regular classroom was being used as a room for the cleaning staff.)

My accommodations...this time I brought a mat to put under the blankets.

Flora

Kids run out of the lobby to go to their cabins to change into swimsuits so to go boating and fishing.

Kids get training for boating~

Fauna~

Fauna~

Kids go fishing using nets. It was rainy this day so a bit cool for this summer activity.

The boating begins~

A lot of excitement.

Somebody was too cold to keep fishing.

The kids found this book in the lobby. It is a book of bunny suicides. I read the publisher's page and found out the author is English. Title: The book of Bunny Suicides. The kids loved this book and some parts were a bit too gruesome but overall very creative.

On Wednesday we found a Toad leaping and crawling near the building. We were all fascinated by it (teachers)...which meant we had been at camp for a while.

Talent night~

Kids loved finding the bugs at camp, capturing them and showing them off to us teachers. I wasn't' too scared by what they caught and was fascinated too. Some teachers found it cruel the way the kids played with the bugs, especially the boys. But I concluded they are boys and that is what boys do.

Mountain scene~

This was the "cool" boy at camp...i.e. popular boy.

Frogies!

Last day of camp in the morning. Kids are tuckered out from learning English and being at camp.

On the last day we decided to have one big event for the kids instead of teaching our individual classes. Some teachers were organizing a scavenger hunt. I helped out by creating a lower level scavenger hunt sheet. I went to the office to make copies. The head director greeted me and asked if I were coming back for Winter camp. I told her my story of how my school didn't sign me on for a second year and she frowned. She told me that I was a really good teacher and will be sad to see me not at the camp again.

It was as if the skies had opened up and handed me a gift. Meaning I have been waiting all my time here in Korea to hear a Korean person tell me that I am a good teacher and mean it.

I didn't kiss ass either to get that praise. I really tried to teach the kids, be patient and provide them quality care. For the low level class I went slower and made sure they were on the right page. For the higher level class I challenged them more with quizzes and comprehension checks. Throughout camp kids would come up to me and say "Geography!". I was the Geography teacher. hehehe

I really have an open heart now towards kids and teaching them English. I know there are times when we (teachers) get stressed and tired and don't want to deal with the kids. But I feel that I can no longer blame them. Saying, "Oh this class is so hard, the kids are so slow" just won't work for me. I feel now no matter the kids it is my duty to be patient with them and be their teacher.

Anyways, camp was great. It was really rewarding to unplug for a while. Behind the cabins was a creek that helped one relax.

I wish I could come there again and again, but that means I would need to find a Gunpo City job somehow. Well we will see!

For now I feel fulfilled with my abilities at teaching and excited because SUNDAY I go to America for vacation!

See you there!