Hello Culture Lovers:
My school building in Duckdo-Ri is a rather modest affair the oldest part of which, I would judge, was built sometime during the years immediately following The Korean War. I would date it late 1950's. It serves the children of what has been a relatively transient population of agrarian working class people who are migrating toward the bright lights and better opportunities they hope to find in Yangju, Uijongbu and Seoul. Their expectations aren't great and their primary motivation lies in getting their children anywhere other than where they've been. Duckdo-Ri isn't exactly a Peace Corps kind of situation, but neither will anyone ever mistake it for Times Square. The school has languished somewhat by my estimation largely due to the de facto Korean caste system which doesn't seem to assign these people much value beyond manual labor. (For example, I've learned that if your family name isn't included among the eight historically upper class ruling clans of Korea you pretty much don't matter.) Fortunately, the last several principals of the school have been successful in snagging some government resources to make improvements. Having set the scene for you, we direct your attention to stage left where the boob/daredevil teacher from America has entered and, in his usual fashion, immediately upsets the socio-cultural apple cart. (I can hear the groans of "Oh no, not again!)
When I first arrived here back in February, I was told they were "ashamed" (their word via translation, not mine) that the school didn't have a dedicated classroom for English instruction as
many schools in Korea do these days. They did have me set up shop in the school library which had a cabinet in which they stored English language teaching materials. (Side note: Most of what they gave me as teaching materials were obviously created by professionals who know a lot about methods and theory and very little about applied linguistics and, more importantly, how to out-con an elementary age con artist into learning a language.) Long story short, I trashed most of their material (actually, stuffed it back in the cabinet) and went to work creating something useful. If I had several years here I'm willing to bet I could revolutionize their entire language curriculum. Lest my observation be considered an idle boast, I say in the words of baseball great Dizzy Dean: "It ain't braggin' if ya kin DO IT!" Where was I? Oh yeah.....
By a few of what could only be divinely directed circumstances (have you noticed that, sometimes, God just takes over and mostly when you don't expect it?) I got my (now buddy) the mayor of Yangju involved and as of today, August 28th, I am holding court for my youthful charges in a newly constructed addition to the school building that contains everything for which I asked and then some. Among other goodies, we have (courtesy of Samsung, bless 'em) an interactive video system with a 70 inch "touch" screen plus some really cool software, four "Language Tutor" brand individual language practice study stations, an elctronic map of the world in Korean and English, a custom-made "role playing" area that can be converted into everything from a store counter to an airplane passenger cabin and a lot of other cool stuff that was recommended or developed by an educational consulting firm from Seoul. My students may be bumpkins, but by the grace of the Almighty, they're going to be state-of-the-art bumpkins! I'll conclude by noting in the words of a praise song we sing at church--"I called....you answered..."
Karaoke 2: I continued my 1960's theme by stumbling through a haunting rendition of the Petula Clark hit, "Downtown". (How I love that synthesizer microphone). Carnaby Street in London never heard it done any better. Despite pleas for an encore or a duet, I decided to quit while my chi (remember that?) was still working for me. As they say, a good time was had by all.
Wishing you good times,
Electric Bill
When I first arrived here back in February, I was told they were "ashamed" (their word via translation, not mine) that the school didn't have a dedicated classroom for English instruction as
many schools in Korea do these days. They did have me set up shop in the school library which had a cabinet in which they stored English language teaching materials. (Side note: Most of what they gave me as teaching materials were obviously created by professionals who know a lot about methods and theory and very little about applied linguistics and, more importantly, how to out-con an elementary age con artist into learning a language.) Long story short, I trashed most of their material (actually, stuffed it back in the cabinet) and went to work creating something useful. If I had several years here I'm willing to bet I could revolutionize their entire language curriculum. Lest my observation be considered an idle boast, I say in the words of baseball great Dizzy Dean: "It ain't braggin' if ya kin DO IT!" Where was I? Oh yeah.....
By a few of what could only be divinely directed circumstances (have you noticed that, sometimes, God just takes over and mostly when you don't expect it?) I got my (now buddy) the mayor of Yangju involved and as of today, August 28th, I am holding court for my youthful charges in a newly constructed addition to the school building that contains everything for which I asked and then some. Among other goodies, we have (courtesy of Samsung, bless 'em) an interactive video system with a 70 inch "touch" screen plus some really cool software, four "Language Tutor" brand individual language practice study stations, an elctronic map of the world in Korean and English, a custom-made "role playing" area that can be converted into everything from a store counter to an airplane passenger cabin and a lot of other cool stuff that was recommended or developed by an educational consulting firm from Seoul. My students may be bumpkins, but by the grace of the Almighty, they're going to be state-of-the-art bumpkins! I'll conclude by noting in the words of a praise song we sing at church--"I called....you answered..."
Karaoke 2: I continued my 1960's theme by stumbling through a haunting rendition of the Petula Clark hit, "Downtown". (How I love that synthesizer microphone). Carnaby Street in London never heard it done any better. Despite pleas for an encore or a duet, I decided to quit while my chi (remember that?) was still working for me. As they say, a good time was had by all.
Wishing you good times,
Electric Bill
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