Teaching Tots

Wow…I’ve been here two months…can you believe it??? Where did the time go???

Well with that much time in, I have a well-rounded perspective on my teaching experience here - something I know many of you are eager to know about!

First of all, I LOVE it (most of the time). The kids are ADORABLE (most of the time) and VERY smart (most of the time). There are certainly frustrations, as there are with any job, but there is nothing that a double shot of espresso can't get me through haha. No seriously, the reward of teaching is much greater than the stress level of the job (for me anyway).

My first week was information OVERLOAD. I was given an observation schedule for Tuesday through Friday and I just watched classes and tried to understand what was going on. No one really explained anything to me but luckily I’m not afraid to ask questions – which is what I did the entire second week when I was thrown into the fire! But my first teaching experience actually came on Friday - my last day of observation. They asked me to teach my first afternoon class: storytelling. It was EXTREMELY overwhelming because there were so many kids of different ages AND I was by myself. YIKES! I have since discovered that afternoon classes aren’t as big of a deal as regular day classes...wish I had known that at the time but hindsight is an ability we all wish we had.

I work for the Pine division of YBM - a large education company that has several smaller branches underneath it. (You can view the website at http://www.ybmpine.com/schools/overview.asp.) We’ve added another class in just the two months I’ve been here and will be adding another in July. My schedule has changed already because enrollment has continued to grow, as it is a relatively new branch in the school system. However, the basics are the same. My work day is from 9-6. Regular classes are from 9:30-2:30 with classes running in 30 minute increments. I teach about 8 a day, plus I have a couple aftercare and afterschool program classes every day that run till 4:30. My afterschool classes vary in their schedule. Some days I teach from 2:30-4:30 and other days I might teach for 20 minutes.

Days can be difficult because I have SO many classes to prepare for and I basically teach babies haha. We have children that are as young as 18 months up to 5 years-old (in Korean age which means they are really only 4!). They are ridiculously smart. Some of the students have parents that speak perfect English and those are typically my best students BUT I am amazed at how some of them understand with little or no English experience. I am sure all the media and Western influence has a lot to do with it, but either way, I am humbled by 3 year olds that speak more languages that I do. (FYI - Some are learning 3 or 4!)

I am more grateful than EVER for my musical upbringing. It has a wonderful effect on the children. When I can't get them to pay attention to a book or to a particular lesson I'm trying to teach, I sing one of their favorite songs and BAM - I have their utmost attention. So I think it only appropriate that I use song lyrics to explain how my teaching experience has shaped over the past two months. Rodgers and Hammerstein expressed it best through “Misses Anna” in the musical, "The King and I":
"The children, the children,

I'll not forget the children
No matter where I go I'll always see
Those little faces looking up at me...
At first, when I started to teach,
They were shy and remained out of reach,
But lately I've thought

One or two have been caught

By a word I have said

Or a sentence I've read
And I've heard an occasional question

That implied, at least, a suggestion

That the work I've been trying to do

Was beginning to show with a few... "

My Oldest Class - Puppy Class!

They offer an afterschool ballet class on Fridays - too cute!

Adorable little Damien! One of my babies who was selected as "Student of the Month." (I had to tickle him to get him to smile.)

Our Picnic Field Trip was rained out so we had a sort of "Field Day" in the gym. Here is Judy - the child that is my sister's reincarnated Korean spirit....seriously...if Helena had been born Korean, she would be Judy.

The kids had a "No TV" week. It took forever to get Jay to take the picture with his certificate so we um...tricked him basically.


This is from "Crazy Hair Day." We had a lot of fun with this one!

With Zane's mohawk and suglasses, I only thought it appropriate to teach him how to do the "Rock and Roll" symbol... (Lothar should be proud!)

HAHA! One of the teachers actually wore this wig for the day but the kids had fun trying it on!

This is a class that I only have once a week. They are ALWAYS full of energy so once a week is enough! But they are cute, aren't they?! (Note Hyunsoo bottom left that looks like a really cute little gelfling from "The Dark Crystal" and the "Peace" signs.)

Don't worry...more to come! I'm a busy girl!