United States
US
Alyssa Koerner
Teach Enrich Empower
Haengbog Means “Happy” in Korean
I am excited to announce that as of a little over two months ago, I have embarked on my first English teaching job.
However, I’m not sure I would exactly call it a job because by definition, a “job” is considered a task or piece of work, especially one that is paid. While this definition matches what I am doing, working at Royal Crispin School in South Korea does not feel like a “task”, I would consider it more of a passion, something I look forward to every single day. I feel very fortunate with the school I was placed in.
My mornings and early afternoons consist of teaching a group of six-year-olds. They are honestly my favourite age to teach. These last couple of months we have focused a lot on animal words, shapes, modes of transportation, and numbers up to 25. I teach using a lot of visuals, as a lot of kids seem to learn best when seeing things in front of them. I have also taught English through swimming classes with the kids every week, cooking class once a month and field trips once a month.
While teaching the kids, they are also teaching me as well. My older kids will often tell me Korean words and help me to pronounce them, the school provides us teachers with traditional Korean meals (lots of rice, kimchi, bulgogi, many chicken dishes, etc.), and when we take field trips, the teachers get to learn some Korean history.
“Thank you to The TEFL Academy for introducing me to the world of TEFL.”
If someone had told me five years ago that I would move to South Korea in 2018, I would not have believed them (as I was much more of a homebody). Completing my TEFL course has opened such an amazing door and I’m sure many more to come. I can’t say that moving to another country and leaving home for a year has been 100% easy but it has been an easier transition than expected and I already know that after teaching in South Korea this year, I will want to continue teaching no matter where I end up. Why live your life in just one place when the world is so immense and full of amazing opportunities everywhere?
I would have to say that one of the best things as a new teacher to see is when you have a child who has been struggling a little with a word or pronunciation, tackle that word and do it with confidence and a smile. Kids need praise from adults with these victories, they need to know that they are doing great! Aside from that, getting to swim with the kiddos this last month during these hot days in Korea has been so much fun. They love kicking and splashing around in the water with their teachers and friends! So much joy comes from learning English in fun ways, having the kids tell us they are “swimming like fish.”
I can’t give The TEFL Academy’s TEFL course enough credit to opening me up to a (literal) new world where I get to work with some incredible kids in a completely different part of the globe than what I am used to. I look forward to these next ten months teaching in Korea and whatever adventure is to come after this one!
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