I love my students!

I love teaching, which is partially why I came to Korea.  Those who know me know that I did not want to teach high school kids, and that I was trying to get a job teaching elementary age students.  I had a really good feeling about the co-teacher I was going to work with at this school though, and decided to take the position because of her.  I was apprehensive of teaching high school because I had heard horror stories of Korean high schools and I knew things about American high schools.  Teens will be teens, no matter their location in this world.

Anyways.  I tried to come with an open mind about the teenagers that I would be teaching.  Give them the benefit of an open mind.  To tell the truth, I never expected them to be as awesome and amazing as they are.  They make Korea that much better and teaching all the more fun.  They are nothing like the horror stories I have read and heard about.  They treat me with respect, just like they do with the Korean teachers.  They also joke around with me, just like they do with the Korean teachers.  Really they treat me no differently than they do the Korean teachers at my school and I love them for that.  They are spunky little smart-asses and it is wonderful.  I really could not ask for a better group of students or a better school for that matter.

I am quite lucky that my school got funding for the next year, since GEPIK cut half of the Native English Teacher's budget for 2014.  They are serious cuts, with over half of the NETs losing their jobs.  Prior to me moving to Korea, almost all GEPIK middle and high school positions had been cut and now the elementary schools are being cut.  However, I am lucky because they made the cuts only to big cities, and places that are rich.  The poorer areas (ending in -eup) got to keep their funding because these areas have children who may not be able to go to Hagwons and the only place they can meet/talk to a NET is in their school.  Got to hand it to Korea, they are trying to be fair to the underprivileged students.  It is not a perfect system but for now it is what it is.  And I am lucky to be employed and at this wonderful school with these wonderful kids!