Teaching vs. Learning

I like teaching. I would rather be a student. That pretty much sums up my experience teaching thus far... while I'm attempting to shove English into young Korean minds I can't help but think, "God I wish I was being taught Hangu right now". My theory is that learning is more fun than teaching because teaching requires selflessness and hard work, while learning is usually self-involved and effortless(unless it's something lame and super hard like calculus) .

Don't get me wrong, the kids are adorable, they say cute things, and they are really really fascinated by me which makes teaching easier. I like watching their little faces light up when they stumble on a realization or they have had an "Ah Ha" moment. My point is that it's just not as fun as learning. So in order to enjoy teaching more I've decided to try and learn as much from my students as they will hopefully learn from me. This is very selfish, but if it helps the students than why not?!

Here's a list of what I have learned so far


1) Looks are highly valued in Korea, there are ten-year-old girls in a few of my classes who have had open eye-lid surgery to try and appear white, and many of my co-teachers have had various plastic surgeries. The most common is the open eye lid, but nose jobs are a close second.
What is beautiful is thought to be good-and so English teachers who have the usual outward signs of attractiveness(wide eyes, high cheekbones, slender body) have an easier time.

It's hard to get used to.

2) Time takes on a different meaning in Korea. Before coming to Korea I never realized how immediate, quick, and organized things are in Canada. If you want something done, it gets done. However, there is a downside to this! We come to expect things to be easy, simple, and immediate. We become jerks when things are slow and are unable to go with the flow!
Here the simplest actions(like buying a cell phone) take forever. This slowness breeds new attitudes. I'm already becoming a more zen less stressed out person. Which is good because a stressed out person would never last here.


3) English is so important. Korean parents push their kids to learn English because they believe that having English is the key to having a good job. Some children in my class have had the bottom of their tongues removed because their parents think this will help them pronounce English words better! My Korean co-teacher tells me that this is "crazy".

I have to agree.

I'll add to my *Things I have learned list as the year continues!*