The Purple Haired Teacher

Life Lessons from Teaching Abroad

[thepurplehairedteacher]

When enrolling with various programs to teach abroad, you are told you can select where you would like to live and work, but there are no guarantees that you will be placed in the location you requested. I requested Busan. I was placed approximately an hour northeast of Seoul. Whilst it is green and beautiful with mountains (hills maybe?) on all sides, I do love the concrete jungle.

I am lucky. I have friends who have been living and teaching in Seoul for eight years. I am grateful to have these people to turn to with questions, and have them guide me as I learn the culture and adjust to my new surroundings.

Because I am in a small town of approximately twenty thousand people, and certain life comforts are not readily available, living in the era of COVID-19 could have made daily life living in a foreign country somewhat stressful. As a consumer, my choices are limited. And for me, that mostly relates to fresh fruits and vegetables. I travel to Seoul once a week to shop at the bigger grocery stores, for the purpose of variety and sometimes better prices. 

Before my move, I had planned to be enrolled in a Korean language and Yoga class by now. This morning, it occured to me that maybe I can find an online language class. Praises to the Goddess Ororo for Zoom. I’ve been here officially just over six months. When I started posting here, I had hoped to post at least once a week. Clearly, that has not been the case.

The surrounding mountains and greenery makes this time place somewhat doable, but because of my lack of language skills it can be and has been limiting. I wonder if there are other foreigners living in the village? So far, I have not seen any. Again, COVID does make being sociable extremely limiting. 

[thepurplehairedteacher]

Distance Learning Classes

Teaching English as a Foreign Language via Zoom has been fun (for what it is) and frustrating. Looking at you 9th graders.

My classes are thirty minutes total. I teach 8th and 9th graders once a week, and 7th graders twice a week. The new students to middle school are all in. They volunteer for speaking activities. The majority of them use English to respond and answer questions in chat. And, they use the raise hand button when they are finished writing Oral Assessment questions. Pure joy every class.

The 8th graders started out with very few wanting to participate. However, this week there has been a significant uptick in written responses in English. However, it’s still a challenge to get more than ten - twelve of them to volunteer to participate during the speaking activity.

Now, the 9th graders are a whole other mood. Only TWO of the NINETY-FOUR students volunteer to speak and respond in writing using English. Last week about a quarter of them started responding in the chat, but using Korean. 

I’ve asked my co-teacher to instruct them to at least try to write in English. He says their English is very low. I’ve given him copies of my lesson plans so he can interject and translate at points he knows may be a bit of a struggle. However, he has yet to do so.

My co-teacher says we shouldn’t upset the students by giving them too much work. According to him and my other co-teacher, parents will become upset if they feel their child is being pushed to hard. I mean...what in the seven hells is going on here? Are they not attending school to learn? 

At the end of the day, I go to work every day. I try to do my best when putting together a lesson plan. I try to do my best to deliver the information in an engaging manner and hope that the students are absorbing some of the information. If not, I hope I make them feel comfortable enough to ask questions, and curious enough to want to learn more.

[thepurplehairedteacher]

Distance Learning

School was to start on March 2nd. Because of the CORVID-19 pandemic, as of today, that has not happened. Here is South Korea, depending on the grade level, students started online studies. 

Like many, when this virus was first reported, I was confident in the ability of the United States of America to handle the situation properly. That was the beginning of February, and here it is now two months later and all I can say is, “What is the seven hells?” “The imbecile.” 

Yet, I digress. 

Unfortunately, no one is able to predict when we as a society will be safe again. I cannot imagine what “normal” will look like? Students must cope with a new way of learning. Not that some places already have implemented virtual learning into their educational system. It may become the norm faster than what we had anticipated. 

For now, we must continue to research, prepare and find ways to engage our students through this unfamiliar process. As with most things, we learn step by step and by putting our best foot forward.

[thepurplehairedteacher]

South Korea and Coronavirus (Corvid-19)

Before leaving for South Korea, I was aware of Corvid-19 spreading through East Asia. However, I was not concerned. The year was 2003 and the middle of February when I flew from the City of Angeles to Beijing for a six-month language study abroad program at Beijing Film Academy.  So, let’s just say, I’ve been here before.

Unlike 2003, the internet was and is a good source for information. There are up to date status reports for the spreading of the virus and safety measures being taken by various governments. In addition, there is a widespread campaign to teach the general public, far and wide, about hygiene. Go to Youtube and checkout the Tik Tok video put together by some choreographers for their citizens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twjjX4lBJTs

I did try to purchase some masks before my departure, but was unsuccessful. Vendors on Amazon were price gouging. Luckily, I arrived to orientation where, on a daily basis, they supplied us attendees with disposable mask to ware.

As the situation would have it, we were not allowed to leave the campus we were staying on, which was about an hour drive south of Seoul. Yes, quarantined. In addition, and understandably, the day for the cultural excursion was canceled.

At this time, it has been a week since completing orientation, and I am in my digs provided by the school. Whilst I feel safe, I am also being safe. I wear a mask when out in public (walking, buying groceries, riding the subway/bus, etc.). I wash my hands frequently, for 20-30 seconds, and use hand sanitizer.

The start of the school year has been delayed by three weeks for the students. However, I still go to work on Mondays and Fridays. I haven’t had a lot to do, as of yet, as I am not in the system. Although I have been given a laptop, I do not have the lines/cords/outlets which would allow me to sign-in and use the internet. But I digress.

Corvid-19 has surpasses SARS in regard to infection and casualties. People are scared, here and all over the world. Flights in and out of China and South Korea are being canceled. People are using the virus as an excuse to openly display their xenophobia and racism. Checkout the Code Switch podcast over on NPR.  https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy&episode=NzNjZWEyNTctNThmYS00OTIyLWJhMDMtZDAyMTk5ZDMyM2Ey&hl=en-KR&ved=2ahUKEwiaqe7v95ToAhWDE4gKHanvAsAQieUEegQIDxAG&ep=6 Don’t get me wrong, I always want to know if a person is racist or not, so I know who I’m dealing with. But, you know….damn.

I digress.

The Coronavirus is real. There is no vaccine or cure. Whilst the person that currently occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue initially held a presser to tell the American people that everything was under control. He now says, with the warmer months coming, by April the virus will disappear. What a bunch of pee-pee-ca-ca. That’s right, I have no confidence in the current administration, which is presiding over the United States of America. As it stands, come fall, Corvid-19 will mostly likely be even deadlier than it is now. More people will likely be infected and more will succumb to the disease.

So, with that, please take precautions and be safe.

[thepurplehairedteacher]

From Spain to South Korea

Before I earned my 120-hour TEFL certificate at Canterbury TEFL (Madrid, Spain), I’ve wanted to move to South Korea to teach. After teaching two separate six month stays in the US, eight months in Riyadh, and five years in Spain, I have finally arrived in the Land of the Morning Calm.

I applied multiple times to different recruiters only to be rejected. There were those never acknowledging the receipt of my application. Some were kind enough to reply to my submittal. Sometimes the responses came with praise for my CV, but there seemed to always be a reason or another that I just couldn’t make the cut.

               “You need a minimum of three years of teaching in a school.”

“You don’t have enough teaching experience. You need five years.”

               “They’re usually looking for younger applicants.”

Throughout the years, I have spent many frustrating moments trying to handle the consistency of rejection.

Question: When you really, really want something, do you just give up on your dream because it’s been difficult and hard to obtain? Don’t get me wrong now. Sometimes, the Universe is trying to tell you, “It’s not for you.” One or two times I thought it, but I did not succumb to it

Whilst I loved living in Spain, and consider it home, moving to South Korea was something I still desired. Because ageism is real, I knew my window of opportunity was running out. So, I decided to give it one last try. Almost a year later of applying, I’m here in South Korea. Although I made it, it has not been an easy process.

Even after being accepted into the program, completing orientation, being placed, and starting at my new school, I’m still being pressed for verification. Just the other day, I received an email asking for contact information to authenticate an official document, which is on letterhead, with ink signature and stamped by the principal of the school I taught at for two years.

For a moment there, I felt myself becoming irritated, but what could I do? I did the only thing I could do, which was to shrug my shoulders, and send the requested information.

I reminded myself of the few affirmations I’ve written down to help guide me through as I try to acclimate to my new environment.

               Be gracious.

               Be kind.

               Be open minded.

               Ask questions.

Whilst my contract is only for one year, I am going to try and make the most of this opportunity to learn, grow, and enjoy.

[thepurplehairedteacher]

As an LA, communicating with my co-teachers is extremely important. I try to stay on top of what is being taught in each of my classes. And, from time to time, I am asked to come up with games or ideas to review with the students before an exam.

However, one of my great joys is being allowed to come up with projects to teach the students to my culture. While I try usually do this for holidays celebrated in the US, introducing my students to Dr. Maya Angelou for Black History Month has been a source of joy and pride.

Once a week the students would read and watch video clips of and about Dr. Angelou. With this, they created personal notebooks, expressing their thoughts and understanding on the weekly lessons.

[thepurplehairedteacher]

I have been assigned to assist at CEIP Magerit, in Parla. It is a bilingual primary school. With the exception of Math and Language (Spanish), all classes are taught in Engish. While it is quite the commute to the outskirts of the capital, Parla is in the Community of Madrid. 

Establishing a positive relationship with the Coordinator, teachers and other LAs is very important. I feel very lucky as all of my co-teachers are fantastic and allow me to interact and assist with the students in every class.

With the exception of one class period, I mainly work with the 6th graders. The kids are smart, engaged and respectful. I really enjoy working with them

[thepurplehairedteacher]

About Me

I believe the earth is a small place with many different cultures and languages. Exploring and learning are important for me as an individual for understanding and developing into a human being. “We’re all just monsters trying to become human beings” - Oh Dae-Su

I was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I attend and earned my Bachelor of Arts from LMU, in Los Angeles, California, which is where I call home.

My hobbies are baking and reading. I like making cakes, cookies and pies from scratch; such as Hummingbird Cake, Snickerdoodles, and Pecan Pie. I like reading historical/political books and comic books/graphic novels. One of my favorite books is “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown. When I was younger, I collected and read X-Men by Marvel. Now, my monthly must read is Saga published by Image Comics. I like going for walks, doing yoga, and watching football. 

[thepurplehairedteacher]

Education & Teaching Background

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Asian & Pacific Studies, and a 120 hour TEFL Certificate. Through various language schools, I started out as a freelance English teacher in Madrid, teaching in primary schools and corporations.

After a couple of years, I returned to the US and worked as a part-time English teacher for a language school. Then I moved to a country in northern part of Africa to teach English to freshmen students.

Next, I returned to Spain through the government Language Assistant Program, initially teaching adults in Bilbao, before transferring to Madrid where I am now at a primary school.