teaching at this English camp

HIYA!

I've taught at English camps four times, three different camps (I did two summers at the MBC Camp). Three summer, one winter.

They keep you really busy at these camps. We have a 9am meeting with the Academic Director and some of us don't finish work until late at night. After the meeting we have 3 50 minute morning classes. Then lunch. Then a break until 2:30. Then 3 more 50 minute classes until dinner at 5:30. Then at 6:45 we have some sort of evening activity. Either sports or yoga. I do the yoga. I just now thought of it, but I guess if they don't do the sports, they come to me for yoga. I think I'm the only teacher doing anything besides the sports activities. I was doing it every night but got really tired of teaching the kids who won't settle down. So I whittled it down to 3 nights. Much more manageable. After an hour of this I have no more commitments but I do need to make sure that I'm prepared for the next day. So I might have to write up a short story or make a word search puzzle, or both. I often don't finish until about 11pm. Then don't get to bed until midnight or later. Then get up by 7:30. I haven't slept so late every day for a long time. I used to get up with the sun. Now I'm zonked out until quite late in the morning. That's Monday to Friday. We work some weekend days but those are more fun oriented activites with some study.
We don't work every weekend. I was off both days last weekend but I'm working this Saturday the 12th and I'm off the 13th. So there's time to do other things. I might go into Seoul on Sunday.

I myself can't really say that I'm enjoying it. I've got the youngest and the lowest level. Kids aged between about 9 and 11. My kids have the least English capability of all the kids at the camp. I chose this level for two reasons. One, I know it's hard on me. If I don't face the difficulties, how will they ever get easy? Two, I thought that coming up with lesson material would be easy. Easy. I didn't consider how difficult it might be communicating with the kids what I want them to do. Basic basic things. How do you tell a kid to certain things, even using gestures and pointing? Some people are able to do it, and do it well. I have been working on developing this ability. I guess I'm getting better. Can't say for sure.

The thing that really gets to me though is that they have so little motivation to study. They are so happy to just run and jump, and yell, and make commotion. I wrote about this in my last entry so I won't get into it again. Just to add that this is getting to me less and less too. But it's still tiring.

Most teachers at this camp may be American. Or perhaps Australian. Four Aussies came as a group. They've got art and drama backgrounds and this is perfect for the camp. There are five Aussies, so yeah, there must be more Aussies than anyone else. I guess three Americans, two Canadians, one English, one lady from New Zealand I think, and one young Korean guy who's lived in England for more than 10 years so he speaks real good English. Oh, the camp director speaks good English but nowhere near native. Yet she's teaching. Ah, this is only about half. Never mind.

The school gives us guidelines to teach within. The morning classes are pretty much up to us but we've been given workbooks that they want us to use. They want us to go through a lot of it because parents want to see that their kids've done something. So that makes teaching and preparation that much easier because you just follow the book. But still, when kids finish the assignments at different paces, what do you do with kids that finish early? I haven't perfected this one. I pretty much just let them run around. And it's exhausting. I haven't talked with other teachers to get better ideas. I never think of it when I see others. I'm not going to stop typing now to talk with them about this.

The afternoon has much more structure. I do song and dance because I thought it might be good to move my body to some dancing. But it's been really hard. I don't dance. I don't know any dances. And I haven't been spending time looking for dances. I haven't been very good about this part of the day. The songs go much better. We've got simple songs that are easy for kids to sing. We do it listen and repeat to get the words down and listen to the songs and sing them with and without the singing on the tape.

After this we have reading and writing hour. The kids are so low level that nothing I've been able to find seems to fit them. So I've been writing things up. It never goes over very well but I do the best I can. Same with writing time. So tiring.

My roommate is a 28 year old American. He's a good guy. We get along well. Many other teachers use the A/C in their rooms. One reason Brian and I are roommates is because neither of us likes it on. And we don't smoke. I could have chosen the English guy but I'm real glad I didn't. He talks way way way too much. One of the Canadian guys rooms with him. The room is like a walk-in freezer and his Canadian roommate says the English guy can get pretty irritating. The rooms are small but adequate. Bunk beds, two desks with plenty of drawers, a cabinet for clothes, and a window.

I'm the oldest teacher at this camp. I've always been among the oldest but I guess this is the first time I've been the oldest. Maybe the second time. The others are all in their 20's I think. Some are paying off school loans, others are doing other things.

Food is the second biggest challenge, after the unruly, unmotivated kids. Vegetarian isn't so well-known here, it seems. And the cafeteria staff doesn't seem too interested in making anything veg very often. So I often eat something during the meals but I almost always eat much of my own food.

Most of us teachers get along real well. Only the English guy sometimes gets cold treatment from other teachers. But we all have someone here that we get along well with. I can get impatient with him but I let him know when I want him to stop talking. I've been pretty good at being straightforward but not curt or harsh with people.

Enough is enough.

Love, Troy.