Lunar New Year

So this new school year is kicking my butt. Yes, that's right, Korea starts their new school year in January (Technically in March).My new kids are driving me insane. It's not all their fault, they can't understand much of what I say. It's also the person I have to teach with.

My new co-teacher is giving my little patience a test. The woman rearranges my classroom, almost daily. Moving my materials for class, changing the board schedule, changing the things she wants us to do in class.

Korea has gotten the best of me. As much as I wish I could be all rainbows and butterflies it is far from reality here. January was okay, not great but bearable. Now it is February and although I have  long weekend this weekend I am not exactly in a chipper mood.

Tonight after my last class of the day I had a meeting with the principle and my former co-teacher. Mind you this is during the only prep time I have today. I had emailed the principle to tell her that no, her extra projects were not done, I don't have enough prep time (and now she is taking my only hour of the day). She went on for almost a half an hour questioning my passion for teaching, my love of children and work ethic.

Great way to start a weekend. I love to be insulted and degraded by my boss. I of course started to cry, lovely, show weakness to the Koreans. I give up.

If Korea is the best year of my life like everyone keeps insisting it is they really haven't lived. I loved my student teaching placement in North Minneapolis. I drove to work in the wee hours of the morning, I did lesson plans and classroom at home. I wanted to do as much for my students as I could. In Korea I look forward to the moment I can walk out of school and not see my students for the rest of the day.

I didn't know if Korea would change me or not when I first got here. I have now realized that it absolutely has. I am even more determined to get back to the states and be that teacher who takes work home every night and loves it. I want to teach in a school with people I respect and look up to. I want to use curriculum that is interactive and engages the students. And most of all, I want someone to appreciate what I do. In Korea I am wrong 99% of the time, and when I am not wrong, it's just expected that I go above and beyond.




On a lighter note yesterday we had a Lunar New Year celebration. Here are some super cute pictures.

Here is my class they look like angels, right? 

Whole outfit and my favorite student Allie

All the six year-old students and teachers.
That's the Principle Mrs. Lee on the far left and Mrs. Kim far right

The students bowed to us, crazy!