In the last several months I have gotten a number of inquiries from potential teachers asking what life in Gimje is like. Since I am now finished teaching in Gimje, I thought I would summarize my experiences for future teachers benefit.
The crux of the issue for most of these questions is: how does teaching in Gimje compare to teaching in Seoul? Seoul is a huge city (almost half of all South Koreans live there!), and as such is a busy, sophisticated, cosmopolitan place having more in common with other huge cities than with small Korean towns.
I was given an opportunity to teach in Jeonju (3/4 million people), and was later assigned to a job teaching in a variety of middle schools in Gimje ( a very small farming city of less than 100,00 people). Here are some things to consider…
· Since Seoul is such a huge ‘world’ city, life in Gimje is intrinsically more of an adventure and more of an opportunity to learn about Korean culture and Korean people (i.e. life in Korea versus life in Seoul…)
· The students here in Gimje are more open and less sophisticated than those in Seoul (they are also quite sweet!).
· There is much less western influence in life here, consequently, as a teacher of English; you can make a greater difference. That is, there is more of a need for you here!
Here are a few anecdotes to explain what life was like for me in Gimje:
I would literally run into a great variety of students on the streets (before and after school). Even as a middle school teacher, I would often talk to elementary school students on the streets (they would approach me!). I am talking about 2nd and 3rd grade children here!
In my job at the Gimje Middle School (a public boy’s school) I generally would hand out and receive about fifty high-5’s a day! At the Girl’s school (the Morning Star Girl’s middle school, a private religious school), I would get about as many high-5’s along with the same amount of handshakes every day I was there!
About once a month, at the bus stop, when I would be waiting for my bus home to Jeonju, I would meet a very small, very old man (obviously a ‘Korean War’ veteran), who spoke very little English, but was quite proud to greet me with a very ornate English greeting every time we met. After several of these greetings, he would often be accompanied by some of his friends (his posse, to witness this exchange of pleasantries…).
Life isn’t perfect. Even my co-teachers at the boy’s school would admit that teaching 2nd grade middle school boy’s can be a bit trying (I had class sizes of 35 or more students… all boys). But this is a challenge to teachers in every middle school on earth!
There are a few other things to consider about teaching in Korea:
· Koreans are more interested (generally speaking) than their American counterparts.
· Traditionally, teachers are held in quite high respect in Korea (Korea may be the most traditional Confucian culture!).
· Many students in Korea go to after school academies (sometimes more than one) after school every day, and with homework, these students are often studying regularly well into the night (midnight for middle school students!).
This is in part, my farewell to Gimje, and I would like to thank all of my Co-teachers, the rest of the faculties, the school administrators, the students, and the people of Gimje. I have had a wonderful experience and hope to continue working with ‘my’ teachers and students in the future (from the USA!).
p.s. for new arrivals from western countries…. The food here is quite good too!
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