CONCLUSION
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Being sensitive to Korean culture is a key to working harmoniously here. Once, I began to get the feeling I could actually teach these children English in one year, so I began to work very hard. But that was an illusion. This is just an introductory course, but the job should be taken seriously.
Korean teachers are very busy and though many express the desire to learn English, they just don¡¯t seem to have the study time. The ones that do have time, make my life easier because we are learning how to bridge the communication gap, which can be formidable at times.
American culture is very prominent in Korea. I have watched more Hollywood videos than in my entire life, being here. It is not a cultural imperialism as Korean culture appears to be fully in bloom. There is a world culture that has no country boundaries, and English is helping to crate that opulent world, not just in Korea.
It is very challenging to try and deliver good lessons in this big school. One foreign English language teacher at Andong University compared these schools to factories. The comparison I think, is not really accurate. Korean teachers are very humanistic and love their students. It can be a grinding work environment for the foreign teacher who does not have one classroom to teach, but goes to all the classrooms and teaches all 800 students.
It¡¯s impossible to teach without lesson plans and some classroom structure. After one year here, I feel I am beginning to establish some routines and techniques. Next year, I hope my teaching will go a lot smoother because I understand the Korean education system better.
The teachers will be on the ¡°front-line¡± in the future, so it is important to try and meet there needs. The students are not going to learn a lot of English only 40 minutes once a week in a big classroom. But when they study twice a week with a Korean teacher trained in English teaching, they will be able to make greater strides forwards.
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