Kindergarten, my dear Watson

Here it is: photographic proof that I'm in Asia. Heed and defer to my explanatory syllogism!

1. The child with me in the photo is Asian.
2. Asian children are found only in Asia.
3. Therefore, I am in Asia.

It occurred to me (after I was told so) that I haven't talked much about the details of my job. So, I will. I work at the Boramae branch of Kid's College, which is a franchise chain of English-immersion kindergarten schools. There are about 24 franchises, I think. Most are in Seoul. We also teach extra-curricular English classes for elementary-age students. The Boramae branch just opened on March 1st (which is when the school year begins in Korea). A British couple, who comprised half of the 4-teacher staff (not including the large non-teaching staff), abruptly left for places unknown. Also, a guy from California flaked out and left (this happened after I arrived), so the school was pretty desperate to secure a reliable replacement. This is why I was able to sign a 4-month contract instead of the standard 1-year contract. This is also why the span between the time I first heard about the job and my arrival in Korea was about 2 days.

The school is magnetized to a cluster of high rises (not literally, but it was built nearby to tap the market contained in said buildings). These are very large and expensive buildings. From what I gather, the rent is comparable to downtown Vancouver. Hence, the students at our school are relatively well off. There are about 50 students, but no more than 20 or so are ever there at once.

I teach Monday to Friday. From 9:30 (nice, I know) to 2:20 I teach 5 forty-minute classes to the 8 kindergarten-age kids in my class. From 2:30-6:20 we teach classes to elementary-age children (roughly grades 1-4) who have finished their days at their regular Korean schools. These classes are staggered, though, so I don't teach the full 4 hours. It varies by day, but the average is about 2 hours. So, theoretically I only teach about 35 hours a week, but I'm usually at school for 45 hours per week with all the preparatory work. I like it. The pay is good. I feel like a real teacher because I have the same 8 kids for most of the time. This is different than in China, where I was more like a guest English coach in a Chinese teacher's class.

I teach 14 subjects to the kinder kids, for example: Language Arts, Arts & Crafts, Theme Activity, Sharing Time, Character Education, Gym, Library, etc. The class maximum is 12 kids, but since the school is still new, my class of 8 is actually the largest class. I'm kind of proud of this, for some reason. It's also the neatest class, since I'm a bit obsessive-compulsive about having it organized. Also, our wall art kicks the most ass.

Kids get very excited, especially when a happyface token is at stake. I have devised a happyface chart that ... charts the number of happyfaces each student receives (for good behaviour or good work). At the end of the week the top 3 students get candy. This bribery is remarkably motivating. Mind you, kids also get really excited about things like pink scissors: "Teacher, me pink scissors!" (There are 2 pink pairs and 6 blue pairs). Also, they become angelically quiet and they stare at me with hypnotizing sincerity when the daily helper badges are being assigned. (Please let him pick meeeeeeeeeeee, If I concentrate hard enough I can will him to put the snack helper badge by my name.) There is a paper helper, a line leader and a snack helper. I've been thinking of making a team leader badge. It would have to be more ornate than the others, which would make it more coveted, but, of course, the person who won it for the day wouldn't be required to do anything; it would be an honorary title. I could also have assistant to the regional manager. Yes, I can see it now.

So, yeah, the above is a clump of details about what I've been doing here. Consider yourself informed.