tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997912958688613223.post2738414318689743177..comments2023-03-28T16:43:50.336+09:00Comments on Korea!: SchoolSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02661989150696438559noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997912958688613223.post-42597379902488182412008-10-19T08:44:00.000+09:002008-10-19T08:44:00.000+09:00Sarah Beanie,Nana says "go girl"! I am very proud...Sarah Beanie,<BR/>Nana says "go girl"! I am very proud of you, keep them in line. I do hope you will not be teaching always, you are to smart for that job and I think you will get bored.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997912958688613223.post-66976403182432629132008-09-23T20:01:00.000+09:002008-09-23T20:01:00.000+09:00Sarah Beanie-Just catching up to your blog (specif...Sarah Beanie-<BR/>Just catching up to your blog (specifically about your trials and tribulations with school.. I will get to the rest later). Here's what I have to say about this: 1). Its not so bad being compared to Angelina Jolie and Jesus, is it? I am usually compared to Brad Pitt. Took a while to get used to it..2) your are powering through that difficult class. I am proud of you. It is a lot of responsibility. Keep up the good work, but try not to get discouraged. You can't be perfect, even if they think you are Jesus.<BR/>3) I gotta go. The coffee's ready and Angelina Wakeen is asking asking for it. Love you. I'll be back. Dad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997912958688613223.post-80257480756351924892008-09-18T19:34:00.000+09:002008-09-18T19:34:00.000+09:00sheez. you try doing my job! work is hard! and t...sheez. you try doing my job! work is hard! and then i am tired when i come home....but i've been working on some stuff. hold your horses already. and i really am sorry for not updating more often.<BR/><BR/><BR/>P.P.S. ahhhahahahaSarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02661989150696438559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997912958688613223.post-81717116230338672232008-09-18T14:34:00.000+09:002008-09-18T14:34:00.000+09:00Dear Sarah,Tell us what's new!Love,Your loyal fan ...Dear Sarah,<BR/><BR/>Tell us what's new!<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/>Your loyal fan base<BR/><BR/>P.S. We watched Teenagers from Outer Space the other day...it's still awesome<BR/><BR/>P.P.S. <A>http://www.explosm.net/db/files/Comics/Dave/comicbabytreated2.png</A>Danny Shaharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16781136797017833336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997912958688613223.post-9414340199232931762008-09-16T04:30:00.000+09:002008-09-16T04:30:00.000+09:00Hi Sarah...I agree with Liane! I have never had a...Hi Sarah...I agree with Liane! I have never had a lot of confidence when I am presenting a loan, partly because I don't do it everday (and partly because they are often out to "get" you!). Being comfortable presenting and thinking on your feet is a valuable skill in any career. Congratulations on being able to handle the group! Isn't their culture male dominant? Do they show respect to the other females? Why do you have such an unbalanced work load compared to the rest of your group? We are very proud of you Sarah and John! MomMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01778261384492961537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997912958688613223.post-91249006121600311832008-09-13T20:31:00.000+09:002008-09-13T20:31:00.000+09:00p.s. Liane - you were talking about having my stu...p.s. Liane - you were talking about having my students tell me about Chuseok, right? John made the point that you might have been talking about the Koreans in general. Also, I don't think there's a real efficient way to view comments I've written to other people besides looking at all of the comments on the posts. You're not computer illiterate!Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02661989150696438559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997912958688613223.post-11504696098503678072008-09-13T19:19:00.000+09:002008-09-13T19:19:00.000+09:00Danny-Good to hear from you buddy! How's Irvingto...Danny-<BR/><BR/>Good to hear from you buddy! How's Irvington-On-Hudson treating you? I really appreciate your commment...I never thought of it that way. I've definitely been working on seeing myself as a teacher. It's a little weird, but I basically just try not to think about it for too long. Everyday I am surprised by myself in how I teach. It only took one class for me to get over being nervous and be confident instead. And John is always laughing at the things I say and do when the kids piss me off. As a student, I often thought about what kind of teacher I'd be, or at least strive to be. None of that seems relevant, now. You are who you are no matter the situation, but I do aim to be kind yet firm. It's really strange though - I just sort of threw myself into this job. I don't know if I assumed a teacher personality that was always within me but never had an outlet, or if I'm just acting the part. I will try to be more conscious of it. Being a better teacher is important to me, these days.<BR/><BR/>As for your postscript, I have wondered a lot about that myself. I really think it does affect the kids, though. I think the kids in Room 3 take advantage of the fact that less is expected of them. I know lots of them actually believe they can't speak or understand English, but when forced, they perform. And the kids in the first Room have the advantage of being surrounded by kids who care about school and who can push them to do better as well as not actively interfere in their efforts to do so.<BR/>I understand why it's done though. If you read what Liane said above, it's true that "all it takes is one jerk to really ruin the whole thing." John and I are looking forward to learning more about this system - how the kids are categorized and how often, and how academically mobile they really are. I'll try and get back to you on that.<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/><BR/>SarahSarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02661989150696438559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997912958688613223.post-38990540469147651542008-09-13T18:57:00.000+09:002008-09-13T18:57:00.000+09:00Liane,Thank you! I appreciate you sharing your ex...Liane,<BR/><BR/>Thank you! I appreciate you sharing your experiences with me, and for giving me some credit. It helps!<BR/><BR/>About the Chuseok thing, I was thinking about making comparisons when Thanksgiving rolls around. It might be more efficient to do it now, but I don't want to make too much more work for myself than I already have. Plus I had my middleschoolers teach me about it...I'll post photos of the pictures they drew me. They're cute. Thanks for the suggestion though!<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/><BR/>SarahSarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02661989150696438559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997912958688613223.post-90360309471358336952008-09-13T15:40:00.000+09:002008-09-13T15:40:00.000+09:00Glad I found this! It sounds like things are real...Glad I found this! It sounds like things are really going well, in spite of how it seems like you might be feeling at times. Just remember that your awesomeness is an objective fact, and not just something you tell yourself to make yourself feel good. If you can learn to combine the identity of "teacher" with your own existing self-image, you'll probably be able to achieve a lot more inner harmony than you will if you try to cram the identity of "Sarah" into your preconceived notions about what it is to be a teacher, and your students will probably do better and like you better as a result. You probably already know that, but I figure it can't hurt to drop a friendly reminder. As always, much love!<BR/><BR/>P.S. How do you think being categorized as a xx-3 student impacts the kids' self-confidence? Do you think some of the problems you've been having with them might stem from that categorization? And on the other end, do you think the smart kids have benefited significantly from being separated into a more accelerated program?Danny Shaharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16781136797017833336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997912958688613223.post-80763361821291453072008-09-13T12:27:00.000+09:002008-09-13T12:27:00.000+09:00Wow! Sarah you're doing a great job! I know it d...Wow! Sarah you're doing a great job! I know it doesn't feel like that, but trust me (as a teacher) you are! I think the optimal size for a class is 16. I absolutely hated having 30 and 33. You're right that it is difficult to maintain control of an unmotivated group of 40 students. And, all it takes is one jerk to really ruin the whole thing. But, if you managed to get any cooperation it means you are on your way to success!<BR/> I did have to smile to myself. Reading your struggles brought back memories of the first time I ever taught. I got the class list 15 minutes before the first class. I didn't have any direction about what to cover, how to do a syllabus, how to choose books, etc., etc. I can actually FEEL myself back in that classroom, with the sun coming through the windows (it was an OLD building with those tall windows). All the students (32) were at their desks and I was standing in front of the blackboard (Black, not a white board--dates me!). There was complete silence. And it dragged on, and on, and on as we looked at one another. Suddenly, I realized that if I didn't say something NO ONE was going to say anything! Boy, was I ever green!<BR/> Anyway, I want to encourage you to hang in there; be tough if you have to be, but don't let the turkeys get you down. You are going to end up being a VERY fine teacher because you are learning in the trenches. If you succeed there you will be amazed at how easy teaching and presenting and public speaking will be for you for the rest of your life! It is very different learning to teach by actually teaching--no theories and no textbooks can ever really prepare you for the real classroom. Every class is trial and error anyway because the students and their interactions with one another change. Just stay as flexible as you have been so far and you'll do fine.<BR/> One thing you can try to find out from them is about their Thanksgiving. I was startled when John mentioned the holiday to me last night. The Germans, for example, don't have such a holiday--of course, because they didn't have Pilgrims. So where did the Korean one originate. It might be interesting to compare the US holiday with the Korean one. :-)<BR/>Anyway, YOU GO GIRL! I'm proud of you--and your parents surely are, too.<BR/>Love and hugs,<BR/>LiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com