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About

"So I guess this is where I'm supposed to introduce myself. I'm a Canadian male teaching ESL in Seoul, Republic of Korea. This will be my second stint teaching ESL, only this time I'll be teaching at a High School, using my actual teaching experience to use. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me - no question's too small. Take care, and enjoy the ride."

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  • Surviving South Korea
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  • "Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire" by Niall Ferguson
  • "Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World" by Haruki Murakami
  • "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order" by Samuel P. Huntington
  • "The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth" by Benjamin M Friedman
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  • the middle school experience...

    Well, its so far been three days total at my new school, and I've certainly learned quite a bit, even though I haven't actually taught anything. The first day that I arrived, I met my co-teacher, and she informed me that their were even three teachers who were so excited by my coming to Korea, that they wanted to pick me up at the airport. Bizarre? Yes. But you see, I'm the first official teacher at my middle school, ever. My school's principal is almost into retirement, and so is the vice-principal, and neither of them has had a foreign teacher before. Many of the staff (over 60) have never "worked" with a foreign teacher, even though I'll be only teaching with four of them. Its been quite the experience so far, that's for sure.
    One, my poor co-teacher is roughly five years older than myself, so everyone who sees me following behind her thinks that I'm her boyfriend, which embarrasses her to no end; she volunteered for the part of being my official co-teacher, however, I do not think that she knew she was getting herself into. So far, she's had to sign up my internet in her name, and she will also have to do for my cable television; I've only been here for less than a week and I'm already indebted - seems typical for me:)
    As for the middle school experience, there's a common similarity; the girls seem to like me quite well, and the guys are either intimidated by me, or think I'm there for comic relief. For those who know me, you would know that I'm shy, so all of this sudden popularity is slightly embarrassing; its middle school . I wish I'd experienced middle school myself, but only so that I could remember what it was like. I went into one class to observe, and it was a little worrisome - not to toot my own horn, but I'm somewhat worried that the guys will do nothing but goof off, and the girls will do nothing but stare. The guys are as sharp as marbles, and the girls are too shy to speak. Its a lethal combination when they speak English; more of a struggle when they're Korean.
    So far, the staff have been really nice. I have my own desk in the teachers room, with a monolithic desktop pc, which is a greater help than I thought it would be. Other than the steady stream of students coming in and out of the teachers room, its usually pretty quiet. This situation is a stark contrast from my last position, where I was surrounded by so many English speaking staff; I don't know yet if its a good change or not.
    Well, I finally got my internet set up tonight, and I'm blazing. I was signed up for the fastest package, and I'm liking being able to use communication tools again:)
    take care all, and I'll post more soon
    God bless,
    me

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    • Anonymous Anonymous says so:
      3/14/2007 09:01:00 p.m.  

      Glad to know the old blog is back up and running and we can see a slice of your life. From reading it, its a good thing Valentines day is over or those middle school girls wouldn't know what to do with you...... top

    • Anonymous Anonymous says so:
      3/15/2007 06:40:00 a.m.  

      Are you sure you're not tooting your own horn a little too much? I'm sure those girls have seen guys before. Seriously... give them some credit.

      Nah, just giving you a hard time. :) top