Each semester there is a big festival day at our school, and most schools in Korea. This is a day that students only need to worry about one thing, their favorite thing – dancing to K-pop music. Each class competes against each other and at the end of the day, a champion is crowned. The weeks leading up to this day are business as usual, but any free time during the day is spent practicing their routines. Usually, I am asked to sacrifice my class time to allow students to study. I use the word sacrifice lightly here. It’s a free class for me!
 |
| Looks like she’s having regrets |
The day is fun with students dressing in anything from sweats and PJs to their closest rendition of an outfit their K-pop counterparts wear. The first half of the day is fun because for teachers it’s more of a celebration of the fact that we don’t have to work. Just a free day. The second half drags on a little as the remaining teams repeat their routines for the coveted title. Either way, it’s a great day with special lunches and snacks galore. It’s nice to see the students, who are usually droned out by endless hours of studying, come out of their shell and be what they are – kids.
 |
| My coteacher creates the ambiance |
For me, I used this day to prep for my Saturday classes I teach for EPIK. A new program called SAM (Science, Art, and Math in English). I teach math. I teach elementary for this program so it’s a totally different landscape. With no coteacher on hand and very limited English skills since they’re so young, classes are an interesting endeavor to say the least. Thanks to the festival day, I had plenty of time to look for fun activities for the SAM students.
In the video, you can get another peek at my classroom. It’s very large and fully equipped. I really like working at my school. That’s why I stayed another year. Maybe a third…?
Wordpress
Facebook