Renewing My Contract

It's amazing just how quickly time flies. It's been almost one year since I arrived to these shores. And, I must say the adjustment period for me took a bit longer than I had anticipated; about 6 months altogether. But, South Korea feels like home to me now.

I guess my biggest shock when I first arrived was the attitude of the students. It was not what I thought it would be given all the reading I had done prior to making the career change by coming here. These kids really do not want to be in class. And, I don't really blame them either. Unlike in North America, a typical high school student's day begins at around 7:30 am, depending on what grade the student is in, and does not end until about 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm. That's a 12 to 14 hour school day! Monday to Friday, and every other Saturday till about noon, or longer. These poor kids have no life. It's school and more school. They are extremely intelligent, though. But, really run ragged. The system makes for great minds and abilities, but does nothing for letting kids be kids while they are still young. All this leads to major discipline problems while in class. And, this was the bit I was not prepared for. If you think North American students are bad in class, they are. But, these kids are also a handful. But, that's just "group behavior" rearing its ugly head. Individually, even the worst students are decent, friendly, and respectful. But, throw them into a group setting and things can get out of hand very quickly.

If you know anything about sociological theories of group behavior (as in "Sociology 101"), you will know what I am talking about here. The "group" is very different than the "individual" (as in "Psychology 101"). As, Psychology and Sociology were two of my major areas of study in university, this distinction is very much paramount in my mind when dealing with my students. Having the background to understand this distinction makes life a lot easier as a teacher here. But, like I said previously, it took me 6 months to adjust to it. Now that I have acclimated, things are much smoother than they once were. This greatly helped when the new semester started in March as I had "fresh" students to mold into better behaved groups (classes) than I did last semester where I inherited the former English teacher's kids. Unlike North America, the school year begins in March and not in September. Most of "my" kids are so much better behaved than "someone else's" kids from last semester.

So, I have renewed my contract for another year. I'm just waiting for the new contract to arrive and then it's time to renew the visa as well. For those future teachers wondering about the medical exam, yes there is a requirement to get another one for the renewal. Drug and HIV tests mandatory per government regulations just like the original contract. Don't go nuts while you are here if you want to stay on. You won't pass and then it's good-bye, Charlie.

I hope things get done before the end of the month as I am heading back to Canada to visit family and friends prior to the start of the new semester in late August. I need my passport back before I can go; which I have to first hand into the immigration office and get back once the new contract arrives. Lotsa timing issues here to be sure.