Teaching English

EPIK English Summer Camp 2013

Part of my EPIK contract is running a week long English camp twice a year (Summer and Winter). Last week I finished my Summer camp and I thought I would share some pictures. But first some advice for new EPIK teachers. Start planning your camp ASAP..... <read more>


Last week was exam week at my school and on Thursday afternoon (the students went home about 1pm) the vice principal decreed that there would be a group bonding session for all the teachers at school. This was the last thing I felt like getting involved in, but even though writing the English camp workbook was crushing me and the deadline to have it completed was the next day... I decided I should join in..... <read more>


In Australia (at least, back in the good old days when I went to school) students take their lunch to school. Not so in Korea! Students eat a hot meal which always consists of soup, rice and kimchi with some kind of meat side dish. The soup and meat side dish is often very spicy hot too..... <read more>


On Thursday last week was my schools sports day. It was pretty different from the sports days I had in Australia as I was growing up.... <read more>


Work Experience Day

Friday was the work experience day for grade 3. I was lucky enough to be able to tag along with one of my co-teachers and her home class. We would be going to a training center for a couple of hours to learn how to cook. Not exactly what I would consider work experience, but who am I to complain.... <read more>


I already stand out like a sore thumb in a school full of Koreans, but I thought I could kick it up a notch. I picked up a Santa's beard and hat for $1 at a junk shop and have been wearing it to school all week. I got a few funny looks from teachers and students, and a couple of girls screamed when they bumped into me around a corner but overall I think it was well received.... <read more>


Winter English Camp 2013

Some teachers give their camp a theme and focus on a different area of the theme each day of camp. I was fresh out of good ideas, so I just picked 5 different daily themes and ran with that. The students seemed to like it, so I'm calling it a win.... <read more>

Today Heidi, another EPIK teacher I met at orientation, organised a fund raiser to help the Philippine which, if you have been living under a rock for the last year like me, was smashed by a Typhoon late last year. Heidi rallied her English camp students and turned them into a well oiled fund raising machine... <read more>



Summer English Camp 2014 - Zombie Theme

Previously I have done a different theme/topic every day of the camp, but this year I decided to do a zombie themed camp! <read more>


English Club
We met together for the first time today. I originally wanted just 8 students, but the demand was high and my arm was twisted into bumping the number up to 10. I felt terrible about turning some of the lower level students away, but I wanted to work with higher level students. It will allow me to try things I can't do in my normal classes and since I have no Korean co-teacher I have to manage the class without their translation assistance. 


Kinball - Teacher Bonding
It's exam time at the moment so all classes are cancelled while students sit exams. This left the teachers with some extra time up their sleeves in the afternoon, so on Thursday they organized a teacher bonding game in the gymnasium. The name of the game was Kinball and is an easy to learn game for the athletically challenged...... <read more>


Teacher/Student interaction in Korea is a little different to in Australia. In Australia, a teacher would think it highly unusual and suspicious to receive a gift of food from a student. In Korea however, it happens quite regularly. Normally it will be something store bought like a cookie, candy, rice cake, or... if I'm lucky... a hamburger, but from time to time students will cook something in their classroom and share their creations with teachers.... <read more>





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