New School

So on Friday I went and saw my new school. We spent a couple of hours there. The school is really really nice. There is a bunch of things there that I will have to get used to using. My experience teaching in Mongolia didn't prepare me well for all the technology in the classroom. I have a dvd player with an overhead projector. I have a computer with a pen that allows me to write on it and project it on the wall. I have a microphone, which I hope that I never have to use. My classes are going to be small. At least that is what they are telling me, about 16 students per class


It is sort of stressful opening up a new school. My director is under a lot of pressure to make it work. It really isn't a school. It is more of an after school program. The classes are free for the students. It is only for spoken English. The way it appears to work over here, is the Korean teachers teach grammar and we get them speaking. Which can be a challenge. There was a study done and the biggest reason why Koreans do not speak English is that there are other Koreans around. They are afraid of screwing up in front of other Koreans.

We do have aids to help. There are simulation labs to help with real world applications. There is a restaurant, shop, doctors office, airport, and bank in the lab. Some of the English is wrong. It is an easy fix, but when they put that much money into a new facility, they should've gotten it right. The prices are wrong on the menu in the restaurant. Most of the prices are $1.7, or $5.5. I told my director that is not the way we write prices. Ours has 2 decimal places. I think he understood.