Training and Beyond

Something happened. Somehow, I blinked my eyes and November became December. When November went, it took the States, Thanksgiving, and my week of training with it.

Training was not nearly as ghastly as I feared. Before I left, I tried to do a little bit of research on the training itself, and received shocking results. There is one story in particular published online where a man recounts his story of being that 'tricked' into training for the wrong section, failed due to lack of preparation and was forced to return home. Now that I have experienced training and know a little more about the company, I can say that this story is complete poppycock. The fact is, this is a business, and it costs a lot to train new recruits. It ends up costing the company a lot of money if they pay to put someone through training who doesn’t end up in a classroom the next week. LOGIC! However, the ‘me’ that was reading this before I left was not being logical. I was worried sick.

However, once I met my roommate, some of the other trainees and all the trainers, my fears immediately subsided. Actually, I found training pretty enjoyable for the most part.  Of course it was difficult, as we had a lot of material to master in just one week, but I found that I really enjoyed learning effective teaching methods and how to manage a classroom (who has two thumbs and it a total nerd- this guy).

The market inside a subway car 

(Side note: One of the best parts of training was having to take the subway to and from it everyday. I love taking public transportation in a new city- actually, in any city. The subway stations in Seoul actually look more like malls. There are mazes of shops and fast food places. There is even a station with a food market inside a stationary train. Neat!)

Once training was over, I made my way 30 minutes outside of Seoul, to Bucheon, where I will be living for the year. First, I arrived at the school where I met some of the other teachers and sat in on some classes. I felt like the shiny new toy on Christmas day because almost as soon as I stepped foot in the school, I was surrounded by a mob of kids smiling and waving and marveling at my humongous, red, polka dotted luggage.

The night lights of Bucheon

So far, there is a lot to remember- like which class is on which lesson, when to collect and hand back workbooks and homework, and when to grade the homework that is done online. It is hard trying to decide if your kids actually understand you or are just nodding and smiling at you because they know they should. But, like any other job I have ever had, it is just tough learning it all at the beginning. In a month or so, I will be a pro.

And so, after all of the struggle of filling out paperwork and getting a visa and working through training, I have made it. I will henceforth be known as 'Elizabeth Teacher.'