Wonderland

Front Desk       

      Wonderland is the English Academy where I teach. I arrived in Cheongju on a Tuesday and was thrown into the classroom after three short days of orientation. It is a good thing that I have practice in "teaching" through Camp Manito wish and religious education. These previous experiences equipped me for my first few weeks teaching. There has been a sharp learning curve in the classroom but from the first day I started I felt as though I was answering a calling. Being in a classroom feels spectacular. I enjoy the challenge of engaging all of the students, the stories/energy they offer, and the ability to inspire them with new ideas. 

      Every day I have a similar class schedule with changing content. In the morning Wonderland is a kindergarden with four, five and six year olds. I teach the oldest students for five, forty minute periods. Throughout the morning and early afternoon the students and I explore science, art, craft, reading for success, reading for vocabulary, creative talking, and phonics. The mix of subjects allows me to have fun as well as teach core comprehension and vocabulary. The students may be young but they are very wise, with good English. They never speak Korean! After the first five periods the school becomes an "Academy" where public school children come to have specialized English lessons. For my remaining four classes I teach a range of elementary school students. I am thankful for the older students at the end of the day. They enable me to switch my teaching style with a bit less structure in the classroom.     

      The teaching days are jammed packed with learning but the extra activities and my co-workers make the days exciting. Throughout any given month we have special events, field trips, and cooking days. October was especially busy with a field trip to a Presidential Palace, open house, a cooking day, birthday parties, and a Halloween party. The special days mix up the week and help us have some additional fun with the students. The staff at Wonderland help make these events and every day exciting. There are approx. thirteen teachers in the school; five foreign teachers and seven Korean teachers. We work well together in the office and enjoy sharing meals and shopping trips in the evening. Wonderland has been a fun, supportive and exciting school community to begin a potential career as a teacher.