The End. Part I.
As my first year of teaching has come to a close, I have to say that my absolute favorite thing I accomplished this year was that I can walk the halls of any of the four schools I work at and pass students and be able to say, “안녕/hi (name)!” to many of my students. I call this an accomplishment because 1. I have close to 500 students and 2. BOY is it hard to learn Korean names; they sound soooo similar. I have identical twins whose names are Jin-oon and Jin-oo… and another set named Minseo and Minjae… WHY DO THEY DO THIS TO ME?! I know each set of twins apart though so you can call me a pro. Some of you might not be surprised because of the countless Starbucks customers’ names and orders I could recall, but this is completely different, in my opinion.
I have always been big on getting to know people more than just how their “good” day is going. (Although if Koreans are good, they tell you, and if not, they tell you). I believe that getting to know someone starts with their name; the biggest identifier of themselves. And not just their name, but saying it right. Seeing my students’ faces, hearing their voices, and being able to identify them in the halls and not just in the classroom has assured me that I have been doing my best to know my students and not just be here to teach them what I know, but to learn who they are as well.
One of the things I don’t love doing is using Korean in class because they’re in English class and English class = English time! But sometimes to motivate my learners who have a harder time than others, I will tell them “you can do it” in English and Korean. I think this actually helps them want to participate because they can see that I am trying for them as well.
I am truly amazed by all of my students. The amount that they have learned and retained versus what I have retained in Korean is a much more significant amount. It’s funny because I am so in awe of how most of my coworkers can speak both Korean and English, but here I am, a bilingual individual myself. There is something about living in a country where English is not the primary language and seeing that others know it fluently is so much more amazing.
I have built strong relationships with my co-teachers and several coworkers that I am so grateful for. The Koreans will never see this, but I’ll write it so I can remember them forever but I want to especially thank all my co-teachers, Hayoung, Jin, Rihwa (a new coteacher!), Jihyeon and Eun Suk for always answering my never-ending questions and dealing with me, a first-year teacher.
My coworkers, @Kyoryong Elem: Gahyeon, Hyojun, Taehoon, Baek, Minguk, Minsoo, Yoonkyung, Eunhyee, and Jin Jeongsook (the janitor!!); @Namwon Elem: Jieun, Doyoung, Jiwoo, Jiho, Suhyun, Won Songjae, Donghyun, and Jongsik; @Geumji Middle: Mr. Seo, Eun Ha, and Mijung. And the lunch ladies at Namwon Elem and the one that moved to Yongseong Elem.
There are SO many people to thank but these are the people who have always been so warm and welcoming to me, supported me, genuinely cared for me, driven me home, made sure I would eat all my meals when I got terribly sick, brought me medicine, and some have even been part of my everyday life here in Korea.
I also would like to thank my fourth-grade classes on Tuesdays, especially my first class of the day because they saved me one morning from literally breaking down in tears. Tuesdays are my busiest days of the week, but the day I look forward to the most because of them, my angels. Seeing their faces light up is the absolute best and having 96% of the class actually participate brings me a lot of joy.
4-4 class: Serin, Chaewon, Hyuna, Jiyeon, Seokyeong, Gaeun, Yoonhwan, Yumi, Aram, Jiwon, Changhui, Seungyeon, Eunchan, Yeha, Junhyuk, Woohyuk, Hyunjun, Minjun, Jihong, Insung, Yoonhee… I love you all soooooooo much. And yes, I just imagined my kids sitting in the classroom and wrote their names down…what favorites???????? (but this is more so I don’t forget their names ever).
This year has been the biggest growth I’ve had in my life and this is no exaggeration. Moving across the world, during a pandemic all alone, has helped me learn new ways of life, learn more about myself, the world, and know that I can adapt to any changes that are thrown at me. I also want to ESPECIALLY thank my Bus Besties, Jane and Lydia; my Namwon family, Sabrina, Yusuf, Toni, Chanel, and Marcos; my Islanders, Sylvia, Cheyenne, and Dongun for literally making this past year the greatest year I have ever had. And of course my neighbor, Daniel, for being a very good and helpful neighbor. Without them, my experience would have been extremely different and I am forever grateful for them.
I have decided to stay in Korea for another year to teach because I can’t leave something I love so much just yet. Saying a possible goodbye to my coworkers and all of my kids made me realize that I truly love my job and I am fulfilled every single day; even after the most exhausting days, they always make it worth it for me.
Did I cry, you ask? Absolutely.