Good-bye Namseon, It's been a good run!

After two years of faithfully serving the students and staff of Namseon Middle School, Michael Teacher had to offer his final good-bye.

From the very beginning, Namseon Middle School welcomed and embraced the Harrington duo. Taking the couple to a buffet dinner on their first night in Daejeon and even continuing to invite Melissa to a "New Principal Welcome Dinner" and a Seoul-ful Field-trip.

A Seussical Summer Camp: Samcheon Elementary School

 

Having enjoyed success in previous camp seasons by using popular children's stories and author's, Melissa Teacher opted to create a camp which would focus on the works of Dr. Seuss. The camp had a small focus on rhyming as well as various aspects of stories such as The Cat in the Hat, Ten Apples up on Top, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and of course Green Eggs and Ham. While Melissa teacher focused on the use of stories to teach prepositions, free time activities, likes and dislikes and comparisons, the Korean co-teacher conveniently provided movie watching opportunities as well as cooking classes.

The previous camp season, students learned to make hamburgers and kimbap. This camp season students again made and enjoyed kimbap as well as fruit punch.  However, this fruit punch was not exactly what Melissa Teacher would have imagined a fruit punch to be. Filled with chopped fruit including bananas, un-ripe peaches, kiwi, apples, grapes and even tomatoes the liquid portion of the 'punch' was a watered down combination of lemon-lime soda and pineapple soda. Needless to say, the fruit punch from summer camp 2012 is not among the recipes Melissa Teacher feels a deep need to recreate anytime soon...or ever for that matter.

The few days Melissa Teacher spent with her camp students were her final days at Samcheon Elementary school. A better way to end her teaching days in South Korea than the regular semester had provided yet still not an entirely difficult position to leave with the taste of hard peaches, tomatoes and sprite fresh on the tongue.

Summer Camp Repeat: Namseon Middle School

With numerous tasks to occupy the weeks prior to Korea departure, Michael Teacher opted to do a camp repeat and made use of his ideas and materials from his first and perhaps most successful camp: Survivor Camp.

The camp involved students creating team names, posters, structures and even an outfit. Teams were 'banded' together by handkerchiefs. The camps included a fashion show, numerous projects and even a game of redneck/cowboy/ladder golf. Overall, the camp went over without a hitch and gave Michael Teacher another handful of good memories to carry back to the USA.

Good-bye Dear Samcheon. It's been a Year!

As July rolled around last summer, Melissa had the difficult and relatively unenjoyable task of saying good-bye to a number of dear students at both Seongcheon Elementary School and Bongam Elementary School.

At that time, Melissa Teacher was nearly certain she'd enter the world of Korean middle or high school. However, mid-August 2011 revealed that Daejeon Ministry of Education had other plans and would be sending her to Samcheon Elementary School. From the moment she learned of this teaching assignment throughout the following year, Melissa Teacher has experienced the roller-coaster of emotions typical to working in South Korea. Frustration. Elation. Surprise. Apathy. Understanding. Anger. Gratitude.

Michael Teacher: The 'Off' Hours

Typically, when the last bell of the school day rings, teacher's all over the world hope to leave most of their teaching duties and responsibilities within the confines of the educational institution.  Native English teachers are no exception, often keeping their fingers crossed that they don't run into their students too frequently (read: never) once the school day has let out.

For Michael Teacher however, those rules don't apply. With a heart of gold and an uncanny ability to build meaningful relationships with folks of all ages, Mike has had a long-running tradition of meeting up with his students at OEC for a cup of hot choco or other cafe specialty.

Having recently decided that Korean Public Schools will no longer be their source of income, Mike has made an even greater effort to convince/remind his students to swing by the cafe for a delicious drink, a round of Uno or in the case of the young boys pictured above, a bit of footy (soccer).

Nameson Middle School Festival 2011

From the archives of long-lost photos and video footage The Harrington Times brings you a small, yet insightful glimpse of a Korean Middle School Talent Festival. Of particular highlight is the group of Harmonica playing young lads who will truly wow you, if you don't have time for the full video at least skip ahead to hear their impressive skills (6:18 with bonus footage at 8:50)!

Kiva, Mike and Headlines

As part of previous camps, Mike Harrington has introduced and initiated some Kiva-loaning within his student population.

You can read more about it here from The Korea Herald.

Harringtons in Korea: K-Pop Slam with Nameson Middle School

As the Harrington's time in Daejeon wound toward the end, they made yet another trip into the educational realm of South Korea, this time tackling a Korean Middle School. Waking up early and sharing one small Asian-sized bathroom, six Harrington's made their way to school on Friday the 30th of December, 1 to Samcheon Elementary school to finish out week one of Winter Camp, 5 to Nameson Middle School to play numerous rounds of K-Pop Slam with loads of sweet Korean students.

Per hospitality routine, the Harrington's were served numerous paper cups of Korean green tea, introduced to principals, vice principals, teacher's and students. They were handed cakes, plants and more cups of tea and coffee. Each outing into the middle school hallways elicited countless shouts of 'Hello!' and 'I love you!' Lunch was typical: rice, soup, kimchi and unidentifiable otherness with bitty fish. So it was, the Harrington's passed the day as the biggest group of celebrities to hit the Nameson Middle School scene, learned loads of K-Pop songs and performers and were filled to the brim, yet again, with Korean hospitality shown in a shower of gifts and snacks.

Samcheon Winter Camp 2011

For Melissa Harrington, this years Winter Camp was professionally encouraging. Nearing the end of the MAED program she began in October of 2010, Melissa was able to see a number of things she'd learned over the course of the year take shape and create a positive learning environment for students, not to mention having a phenomenal group of 5th and 6th graders.

Highlights from Samcheon Winter Camp 2011:

• Hidden Talents (splits and yo-yo tricks)


• Daily tasks undertaken with committment (vocabulary rating and dictionary making)


• Our friend 'Joe'


• Laughing snails, crying bears, jumping rabbits, kicking dogs and so much more


• Mixed-up People (students who are tall like giraffes, can sing like IU, and are scary like dragons)


• Making Kimbap


• Guest Appearances


• Watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs


• Writing Role-plays


• Playing Woosh Ball


• Being given a Korean name: 김맬리사 (Kim Melissa)


• Playing Evolution Tag


• Practing Role-plays


• Wearing a chicken apron


• Making and Eating Hamburgers (being hand-fed Hamburger)


• Watching How to Train a Dragon


• Performing Role-plays


• Writing and Creating Stories

Want to see for yourself how wonderful English Winter Camp 2011 at Samcheon was? Let the video and photos speak for themselves.

My FAVORITE thing out of camp ever!

Oh Christmas Cards, Oh Christmas Cards!

One of the most rewarding activities to do with students, particularly when holidays roll around is making cards to send home to the people we, as expats, miss the most especially during the season. Last year, Mike did a fantastic job getting cards sent for both Christmas and Valentine's Day.  This year, both Mike and Melissa enlisted the help of their students to create some Christmas joy to send and give to their family.  (For family who is reading this...we still haven't put them in the mail, apologies, we're getting around to it! Who doesn't  love a little belated Christmas in the new year?)

3rd and 4th Grade Artwork...impressive, to say the least

4th grade card creators hard at work!

Examples AND do see that PILE of cards! So many messages to read ^.^

Elementary Summer Camp: Seongchon and Bongam

An experience in photos and video. Dear THT Readers, enjoy a glimpse of English Summer Camp Seongchon and Bongam style!

Teaching Success: Shark Tale Movie

If you haven't watched the movie Shark Tale, you might as well. Particularly if you can do so as part of your after school class two weeks before school is out for vacation.

Some common sense tips for 'teaching' 3rd and 4th graders using a movie:

• Pre-teach vocabulary - especially to ensure your principal will look on you favorably as an English instructor
• Watch the movie in small parts
• For low level students use subtitles in English or Korean depending on student need
• Review vocabulary and parts of the movie throughout the instruction process
• Guide students in drawing some characters, the setting and a favorite scene of the movie. Advanced students can add a written description of any or all the movie.
• Enjoy the movie with the students, you'll probably understand the humor and such more than they will anyway ^.^

About Nuclear Power: A Middle School Teacher Trip

Common amongst South Korea's teacher population are 'Teacher Trips'. On July 19th, Mike Harrington was lucky enough to find himself loading onto a party bus, complete with karaoke and dried squid snacks to head to...Techno Valley. A little area about 10 minutes drive time from his school. Here, he began 'learning' about nuclear power (although actual learning would have required a more advanced Korean vocabulary than either of the Harrington's possess). After a few hours of touring near home, Mike and his co-workers made their way to Gyeongju for a series of tourist site visitations, all night eating, snacking, singing and drinking followed by a morning visit to a nuclear powerplant before returning home and conducting final preperations for his summer camp.

Good-bye Dear Seongchon, It's been a Year!

Seongchon 4th Grade Students

Seongchon 6th Grade Students

Seongchon Grade 5 Students

Seongchon Grade 3 Students

A few days back, the Harrington Times presented a list of reasons that Melissa Teacher will be missing her co-workers and students at Bongam Elementary school. Having presented her final lessons to the students of Seongchon via a Dear Diary activity and summer camp activities ranging from a lesson on animals, hobbies and ice cream sundaes, the end has finally arrived. Before moving into a middle school setting, Melissa Teacher has taken another moment to jot down some favorite memories and lessons from her year at Seongchon Elementary School:

• Paris Baguette Hamburgers with primary co-teacher Miyeong.
• First day teaching jitters and eager faces of my first students in South Korea.
• Opportunity to teach phonics and develop a teaching style for phonics
• Leading games, games and more games
• Reading about Doggy Poo
• 5th grade students committed to teaching Melissa Teacher their names (Korean AND English)
• Afternoon hikes and melt your mouth spicy squid, octopus and bean sprouts
• Winter Camp and freezing toes
• Peppero Day
• From Head to Toe - Open Class
• Sex Iron Tiger - co-workers with a sense of humor and dose of boldness
• A relaxing, non-stressful summer camp

Dear Diary: A gift for the replacement GET

In transitioning out of her two elementary schools, Melissa Teacher wanted to create a lesson that would honor her students need to know she would no longer be teaching them in the fall while also providing some potentially valuable information for the Guest English Teacher (GET) who will come into this position next. The solution? A 'Dear Diary' activity where students read/listened to the diary entries of SpongeBob, Homer Simpson and Melissa Teacher then answered some questions about what they had heard. Students who answered questions or remembered a word from the diary, had the chance to throw a 'ball' into a a 'basket' Following the reading and listening activity, students were instructed to create their own 'Diary' entry that would tip the new GET off to student interests as well as language abilities. The folowing excerpts are some Melissa Teacher's favorites from Seongchon Elementary Schools students.

Tuesday Nights with Girls and the Lady

Tuesday nights, the Harrington's continue to make their way to the OEC Coffee house just out of Galma exit #2 for some of Daejeon's best hot/iced choco and green tea lattes -- not to mention, a fabulous and kind Barista! But it's not just choco and green tea and sweet friends that lure the couple to the coffee shop on Tuesday nights, it's the prospect of spending some time with a few Middle School girls, playing Uno and chatting. Special bonus, now that the weather is warm (vergeing on swealtering), the couple can bring Lady Annyeong along and sit with her outside of the coffee shop. Not only do they get to enjoy the Lady's company, but the Middle School girls are all to eager to help the Lady maintain her 'girlish' figure by running her around and wearing her down!

Sports Day at Nameson Middle School

If readers want a story to go with these photos, they'll have to petition the male editor of The Harrington Times. You can petition him by leaving your pleading, desparate-for-more remarks in the comments box.

Sports Day at Bongam Elementary School

Sports Day is quite the phenomena. Filled with songs, dancing, saluting, synchronized stretching and a wide variety of relays the day is a day that students can kick-back a little and enjoy life as a child, as opposed to a student. Highlights of Sports Day at Bongam Elementary school include:

• Kindergarten students paired with their parents rolling a giant ball down the field.
• Melissa Teacher being paired up with the one foreigner (Chinese) student as his 'step-in' parent for two relay races:
• Race #1: Pair up with another family, each individual grab a corner of a sheet, carry a large ball to a mid-way point, set down ball and sheet, scurry through small tunnel like thing, run back to ball and sheet, run back to start point.
• Race #2: Child sacrifice one shoe. All shoes scattered in the middle of the field, adult carry child to center of field and find child's shoe - both run back to starting point.
• (Please Note: Student is approximately the same size as Melissa Teacher)
• Mother's competing for Fabric Softener by keeping the hula-hoop in motion.
• Father's competing for Toothpaste in a game of singles hacky-'golden-pom-pom'-sack.
• All students gathering in the field, hula-hoops in hand to conduct a song and dance routine.
• Kindergarten students and their teachers busting out a K-Pop Routine with white gloves and matching yellow shirts and white socks pulled up to the knees.

Days such as these are always welcome when one has been teaching in South Korea for a few months (or longer). It's great to see the students outside of the classroom environment having a good time competing and performing for each other, their parents and themselves.

After School Classes with Gogo

As part of academic school year 2011, Melissa Harrington has the great pleasure of teaching 4 (soon to be 6) after school classes. The most successful of these is for 3rd and 4th graders at Bongam Elementary School. Within the first couple of classes, Melissa Teacher discovered her students deep love and appreciation for Gogo - a dinosaur who is conquering the English language. The videos are presented in an order reflective of the Korean curriculum (which is to be expected considering Korea's EBS broadcasting company developed Gogo) so it is easy to find supplemental materials on websites such as www.waygook.org. The best source for Gogo's Videos is from this blog post which lists and links them in order.

In Melissa Teacher's after school classes, students had the opportunity to make and decorate their own dinosaur mask. They have since been laminated and are used in conjunction with the 5 minute Gogo clips as part of each class. Students listen and watch the cartoon which is conveniently paused by Melissa Teacher after Gogo speaks - students then raise their dinosaur faces to cover their own and repeat the 'target language' as stated by Gogo. The videos are then easily supplemented by various songs, activities and worksheets gleamed from the internet or Melissa Teacher's own creative energies.

Should you find yourself teaching in an after school class and have enough freedom to design your own curriculum, don't hesitate to check out Gogo's Adventures With English!

Students making a hand family following Gogo's and the Hand Family Song

A recent outcome of the students learning classroom objects with the help of a Karaoke Classroom objects song and cut-out pictures of various items such as an eraser, pen, chair, table, etc.

Hot Choco, Uno and Students: a Tuesday Night Ritual

In an attempt to offer his students a more 'natural' and 'relaxed' setting for speaking the English language as well as a mutual desire between the Harrington's to frequent the OEC, Mike Harrington has initiated a type of Social Hour which takes place nearly every Tuesday at the OEC. Each week two or three students show up at the coffee shop and have the chance to practice their English in a comfy, relaxed setting. Most often, the language practice is conducted over a game of Rummy or Uno and a glass mug of Hot Choco (one of OEC's specialties).

These weekly meet ups have not only provided an opportunity for both Mike and Melissa Harrington to get to know a few Nameson students (and teachers) but have also assisted the Harrington's in getting to know the young lady who works at the OEC. OEC Coffee is a coffee house that has captured the attention of the Harrington's since their arrival as it is located within a few minutes walk of their home and has an extremely cozy and quaint atmosphere - not to mention fabulous hot choco and caramel lattes!

Getting there: Exit 2 at Galma sub station - walk forward past the Blue 24 and the OEC will be on your right (unless you're on the main street, then it'll be on your left ^.^).