Orientation Day 2

I woke up at about 6am (could be because I went to bed so early) and got ready for breakfast. I had cereal, bread and jam, fruit, and a nice cream soup that tasted like chicken broth; I quite enjoyed it.

First up on the agenda was the first Lesson Planning class of orientation. Our instructor has been in Korea for about 16 years now, he first started with EPIK, and began regaling us with stories from his various classrooms. He made us sing a Hello song and really just get comfortable with one another. Now, I learned how to write lesson plans during my 4 years of university, but I feel so much better prepared to write an English specific lesson plans after this class. The instructor took us through how to follow the English text book, which just so happens to be written in Korean, and how to base our lessons off of the textbook. Following this class, I headed to another about After School Activities and English Camps. The instructor was so soft spoken I could barely hear her with a microphone on top of which said microphone cut out half the time anyways. All that aside, it was interesting to learn that we will be in charge of after school classes/ hobby clubs within our schools. We pretty much have free range when it comes to themes, such as Harry Potter or Space, and clubs, such as Movie Club or Book Club. Lots of good information even if we were interrupted by a tech person yelling "ah, ah" into the microphone during our instructor's lecture.

Lunch was very exciting. I had delicious fish cakes, vegetable croquettes, tofu soup, chicken, and radish greens. I try and grab a little of everything that is offered so I can at least taste as many dishes as possible. I have certainly not loved every dish, but I can say that I have tried them in order to form my own opinions. I was so tired even though it was only 12:30 in the afternoon that I decided to grab a coffee from the convenience store and.... IT FINALLY HAPPENED! I was able to try the ice cup and pre-packaged drink that I was so excited to experience. I grabbed a vanilla latte, and I am not lying when I say that was one of the best coffees I have EVER had. The cup was a perfect fit for the drink; no overflow or anything.

Vanilla latte

After meal time, it was back to the lecture halls. My third lecture of the day was all about Classroom Management. This was something I especially wanted to learn about because this determines how I, as a teacher, manage my students and the expectations I set forth. The instructor was absolutely amazing and gave out so many ideas as well as a great amount of reassurance. Essentially, there will be days I feel I have failed in terms of how I manage my students, but I will just come back the next day and start over. Once the class was over, we were given ice cream, and nothing makes people happier than ice cream! The final lecture of the day involved learning about Cooperative Learning. The instructor talked about different ways in which we should engage students with content and different activities that can be utilized throughout the various stages of a lesson. There was one point in which I was in a group of 4 and having to speak in Korean. I would ask a question in Korean then my partner would respond in Korean, ask me the same question I had asked, and I would respond with the same sentence she had. It certainly took a lot of skill and practice, but by the third round I pretty much had it down.

Vanilla ice cream

Walking out of the lecture hall, the hallways were completely dark, and it was only 5:30 in evening. I quickly realized why when I walked to the glass doors and saw a torrential downpour. Now, being the good Girl Scout I am, I came prepared with an umbrella in my bag. Most of my peers, however, had nothing. I held my umbrella over one of my roommates and myself and made the 7 minute trek back to the dorms. I was just glad the temperature finally dropped below the 90s. It has been absolutely miserable with the heat and humidity!

Dinner was a tasty treat. I had a hamburger, sans the bun, with pineapple on top, french fries, shrimp pilaf, and pickles. Everything was absolutely delicious and much needed after a long day. I then went back to my room and relaxed for the rest of the night.