Thoughts on a cold Monday

I’m tired in the sense of, “I can’t keep up this schedule for another 12 months,” kind of way. Nine classes a day with no planning period. Prep for classes on your own time before and after teaching hours. Koreans are incredibly hard workers, and it’s something I really admire about the people in this country, but being a part of the system is tiring. I’m sure many Korean would think our jobs are cake compared to theirs especially when considering our salary, which for WON is a very good one; it’s when you start transferring over to the dollar that things gets a bit shabby.

I want to do an excellent job every day, and I’m not. I don’t have enough time to do a superb job. I want to complain because I get frustrated, but then I think about how absolutely blessed we are to have stable jobs that make enough (even with the poor exchange rate) to cover our bills back in the States and still save a tad. Saving money was a novelty back home, something we thought about and said, “Yea, that would be nice to actually be able to save money one day,” and now we are and I just can’t complain even though there are some legitimate complaints to be made and heard.

Our director always talks about “the grass is greener on the other side” syndrome he says runs rampant here among English teachers. It’s true, but there’s a reason why. Korean directors think that all foreign teachers are ungrateful, lazy, party addicts, and foreign teachers make widely general statements that every director is trying to take advantage of us and find any way possible to withhold money from our pay checks. Of course everyone in this scenario is little right and a little wrong. So many people come here to make money and teaching is the means by which they do it. Many foreign teachers will openly and honestly admit that they know nothing about teaching and consider themselves pretty bad at it. Of course this always frustrates me and then I start to understand why directors have a bias. This whole explanation could go on and on, and there’s really no point. This is the first work environment I’ve been in, however, that once you’ve met someone the question, “So, how much money do you make?” comes right after, “What’s your name?”  and “Canadian or American?” which is commonly responded with an unenthusiastic ,” Oh yea, ok,” like the person is trying to say they’re sorry that I’m an American, but they understand it’s not my fault or anything.

I’m an ESL/EFL teacher. I’m not here solely to make money – I actually love teaching, and I don’t have my head buried in the sand when it comes to it. That’s what I feel like saying aloud multiple times a week and sometimes several times a day. I need adequate time to prepare for classes in order for them to be successful and worth the one thousand dollars a month that parents are paying for them. I need to feel like I’m teaching and not running machinery, please. I’m not one of the foreigners who is going to come into work hung-over. I’ll always be on time (thanks to Josh) and will work afterward because I need my classroom to be excellent for my own pride and professionalism, understand that please. I will work hard, but not until I’m worked silly.

It’s amazing being here. I am honored to be in this country teaching children. On the weekend, I especially love what I’m doing, but today is Monday, so give me a break after reading this.

-Mandi