Abundance Works: Winter Camp

Oh how exciting is this time of year? You get off from work, the kids are out of school....oh...oh what's that? I see you have to teach Winter camp for 2 or 3 weeks. Well don't fret you'll have lots of fun stuff to do! Oh, they want you to plan it now and it starts next week! Yikes..

So you might be finding yourself in this position or at camp now. For me I've done winter camp so many times I know what to expect and how to drag on that last hour. At my school it's more academic focused with fun stuff thrown in here and there. But I like to spice things up with games and crafts for the kiddos. What I like most about camp is that you get to bond with a small number of students from the school. My advice is to put some care into camp and make it special. Don't just sit at your desk and throw word puzzles or coloring pages at them. It's a time to flex your teaching muscles and test out new activities or games. But maybe you would like some fun ideas for the kids. That's why I made this post so you can see what other's have done and perhaps get some inspiration. (Some are winter and others summer camp.)

1. The View From Over Here: One of the most interesting posts about teaching camp, because it's not your regular classroom. Here she taught Air Force academy students and found it highly rewarding.

2. The Seoul Patch: Back when he was teaching at a high school he put on a camp that involved learning about jokes. I think this makes a great lesson because often times ESL students don't get jokes in English, just I don't often get Korean jokes. So it was nice to see a fun time had with this sort of subject manner.

3. Annie Around the World: In some cases you teach at a camp and don't know what your subject is till you get there. You also don't know what equipment you will have in the classroom. Imagine teaching without a computer!? I'm sure it can be done and I'm not always at my computer in class, but it really helps a lot. Check out her post with plenty of info on how she got through it.

4. My Life! Teaching at a Korean University: Even University teachers teach a kids class now and then. Here she offers some fun games for the kiddos.

5. A Search for Happiness: For most folks camp is the time before your winter vacation, so you do end up thinking about all the fun you will have after the kids go. Although she does offer some tips for camp in this post.

6. A Geek in Korea: A veteran of the teaching community you can get a sense for how to plan for camp in this post and some ideas of what to do.

7. Korea-Diva: Need some actual lesson plans, well here you go!

8. The Harrington Times: A camp with mostly activities in it, but some that can you give ideas. A great way to see how camp can be fun and full of good times.

I hope those links give you enough information to help you through your camp. One tip I might give you is to bring something warm to wear, as some schools might not turn on the heat! Also have a management system of rewards and punishments ready to go. Outline your class rules before getting started and reassure all the students they will have fun. Remember, this is their time off too that they have to be in school. So get them involved and loving it!

Abundance Works: Lesson Ideas 1

As the Chuseok holiday pulls in to its final hours, teachers should be thinking about heading back to the classroom. The rest of the Fall semester is upon us and for me that means a chunk of time dedicated to training my students for the drama festival. Otherwise it would be back to the chalkboard. I think what is great about this job, in most positions here, is the freedom to teach whatever you want. If you just put on some videos and crank out a coloring sheet, that's fun the first few weeks. But then you might want to do some actual teaching. Today I'm going to present some bloggers who have shared their lessons for us in case you need a refreshing idea for the classroom.

1. My Life! Teaching in a Korean University: Here we hear the results of students doing individual projects and whether they meet certain goals. She expresses the differences of doing this project individually or in groups.

2. The Seoul Patch: Imagine doing a lesson on movies. Well here for you are a list of several lessons one can do related to movies and many examples of how to get those kids working. At the end of it all students get to create their own DVD cover, something they seemed to enjoy.

3. A Geek in Korea: I think for making most of our lesson plans successful there has to be good organization going on behind the scenes. In this post we hear about his organization for getting through the week and shows you that productivity is possible.

4. Coco in Korea: A pretty typical assignment we give to students to talk about their favorite things, but more often the best part is seeing the results. Here she got some amusing answers.

source

I hope everyone had a great and relaxing break from the classroom and now has some cool new ideas for when coming back. :)

Abundance Works: Volunteering

If you worry about the image of foreigners in Korea, one way to make sure there is a positive scene is to volunteer your time. Certainly there must be some organizations in Korea where you can work at a soup kitchen or help out animals in need. I've often heard stories from friends who volunteer and give their time back to the Korean community. Here for you are some resources found, and some blog posts about what it's like.

1. Korea4Expats: Just a good list of sites to go volunteer at including, helping with craft projects to cleaning up pollution. Take a look.

2. Ms. Lee to Be: An amazing and thorough post on what it is like to volunteer for an animal shelter. It can't help but warm your heart and give you an idea of where to take your time.

3. Seeking Seoul: A post about volunteering for the group PLUR where the person helped out at a soup kitchen. Volunteering, it seems, also comes with some protocol...

I was told to say a phrase, in Korean, that basically means “enjoy your meal, sir.”  It was in the formal and respectful form of speech.  I was also instructed to use both hands when giving the food – a respectful mannerism here in Korea.  Next, I was told to speak quietly when entering the areas these guys call home.  We were told to be watchful, if they needed medical attention let the guide know and they would call an ambulance.  Don’t photograph them or their homes.  Be respectful. 

4. Bathhouse Ballads: Sometimes volunteering your time doesn't mean you have to go out and do something in public. Perhaps volunteering your creative skills is also a way to give the foreigner community a voice. Here we see a group in Daegu that puts together a small 'zine called Daegu Pockets.  Otherwise making any creative contributions, I feel is a way of giving back to Korean society in a positive manner.

5. Seoul Stitch N Bitch: Another good list of links to volunteer at, including some to help out women in need.

6. Ulsan Online: Here you can see how to help North Korean defectors adjust to South Korean life. Certainly that would be very interesting!

As you can see the possibilities are definitely out there, and you don't really have to live in Seoul. I would suggest giving up some time to go out and give back, and give a positive image to your local area or wherever. Have you volunteered before? What did you do?

Abundance Works: Sports Day

With spring here now it is time to face the events calendar at your school. For those who work in public sector it is customary to have a Sports day during the spring or early summer. This is when the kiddos get out on the field and compete in various athletic events. In my experience of this here in Korea, I have seen games ranging from the strange to ridiculous. Usually schools start off the event with a warm up exercise to the tune of music. All right, today I will show you various accounts of bloggers encounters with Sports day in Korea.

1. The Harrington Times: What's fun is not just seeing the students participate but often parents will get involved. They usually compete for prizes, but these aren't fabulous things. Rather usually the prizes are household goods or in some cases bottles of soju. A good post with some nice pictures too, that show this day mostly allows kids to take it easy.

2. I'm No Picasso: As someone who has only stayed in the Elementary level of teaching I've often wondered what Sports Day is like at Middle or High school in Korea. Here we can get a glimpse of the fun these older kids get to have. Mostly looks like kids being kids and teacher getting to hang out with them.

4. The Seoul Patch: Back in 2009 Mr. Seoul Patch enjoyed Sports Day at his high school. His school had the typical fair of games but as basketball championships. Looks like a lot of fun.

5. A Search for Happiness: Most of the time you aren't really aware this event is going to take place until your coteacher comes to you and tells you. In this case it can ruin the fun because you aren't prepared to take in what is about to happen. In her case the day was really hot so it was a bit tough to enjoy. But I like this post as the Sports that happened were somewhat traditional.

Have you enjoyed Sports day at your school? Please, do share.

Abundance Works: That First Week

It's March here in Korea-land and for many of us that means a new semester of work. Also, for many that means their first day on the job. I recall my first day, four years ago, and it was a completely different experience from what I go through these days. You are not only dealing with learning the ways of your school but culture shock is still rocking your mind as well. Today, I present you some words written by folks who had a memorable first day (or week) at their job. I hope this helps show how important and groundbreaking this day can be.

1. The Seoul Patch: He's written about many first days and I liked this one because it shows how you can run into some surprises. Although, there is nothing you can do about it, that first day might come as a shocker.

"So, okay, maybe I'm not as smart as Einstein after all, but nobody told me I am at an ALL-BOYS SCHOOL! Not that it really matters, I'm just saying that seems to me a feature of a school that you might want to mention."

2. I'm No Picasso: For some seasoned teachers they might experience that first day again when they get to teach a special class or camp. Here she highlights how things can go awry that first day if the school isn't even ready for class. 

"What was that about no electricity, GFBR? Yeah. Me too. Got it switched on and then moved to the new classroom to find — what’s this? — no computer! No powerpoints or photos or games."

3. My Life! Teaching in a Korean University: Here you can get a good idea of what this teacher does on her first day. A simple class indeed!

I hope those posts help you get an idea for what the first day (or week) is like on the job here in Korea. 

Abundance Works: Notes from Students

As a teacher in South Korea getting notes from you students is often fun and charming. Other times just noticing what they wrote or produced on worksheets can also be quite amusing. It's not that their English is poor, rather it is the way their creativity goes. In this new addition of a topic I am calling, "Abundance Works" we take a look at notes or other creative pencil creations from students.

1. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat: In some extra class she was teaching her students sent signals of wanting to go, via handmade signs. The humor is there but the reality is also prevalent.

2. Coco in Busan: Sometimes kids creativity is very amusing and here her students made up a drawing of love.  It points to how even the youngest of children can have feelings for each other.

3. Plate Full of Onions: One of the best day's to get Teacher's notes is on Teacher's Day. Usually they are cute and hand-made. Here she displays some of her treasures from this occasion.

4. The Seoul Patch: You don't always have to see the creative stuff from the youngsters. Here his teenage group went to town on creating apps for an iPhone worksheet. The results were amusing.

As always teaching in Korea brings us lots of happy times and fond memories. These kinds of notes and creative responses help us remember why we are here.