Not the chaos I was expecting

Middle school students have always struck me as the most terrifying combination of 1) the brains of older students with 2) the hyperactivity and immaturity of younger ones. From the stories I've heard from other teachers, high schoolers are more like zombies than disorderly hyped-up students that will swing from the rafters (which was the mental picture I had of elementary, at first). While my current students have neither rafters nor the height with which to reach them, middle school poses a viable threat to my mental stability.

To say that I was nervous to be solely responsible for a group of all male middle school students would be a colossal understatement. We're talking 'bad dreams for a week' level of stress. The plan has always been to eventually expand my teaching horizons beyond elementary level, but was I ready for a coteacher-less lesson for my first experience?

In the end, the idea of the camp was what sold me. The students would act as ambassadors to us native English teachers, highlighting important parts of Daegu, and educating us on the cultural significance of these sites. Had this been my assignment in middle school, I am confident that I would have picked McDonalds or some ice cream shop and bullshit  say something about how they were vital to the growth of capitalism in America, or how this doughnut is beacon of freedom! Or anything else that would let me eat (my priorities have never been subtle).

But these kids blew me out of the water. Although there was only a year difference between them and my older students, the way they handled themselves around me was impressive. They were incredibly polite and curious, asking questions that weren't too invasive, constantly checking up on me to make sure they weren't walking too fast or leaving me behind. They translated signs and messages when I was staring for too long trying to read (a regular occurrence for me). When it was time to buckle down and finish the presentation, they put together an incredibly well made video to showcase the day's adventures.

We went to two parks in downtown Daegu, neither of which I had been to before. The first park was made in remembrance of high school students disobeying the government and joining in a demonstration in favor of the Democratic Party on February 28, 1960. After that, we went to the park (and small museum) in remembrance of the Korean National Debt Repayment. The Japanese had been controlling Korea under the threat of the money that was owed to them. A movement began of citizens donating their money and gold to the government to be melted down to help pay back this enormous debt. This meant a lot to my kids; one even told me how his great great grandmother (+/- a great) gave up her wedding band and baby jewelry to the cause. The idea of an entire country pitching in whatever they can to help pull themselves out from another's rule is admirable. The movement was a failure, but admirable nonetheless.

To balance out the seriousness of those two parks, we went to an arcade and they won a necklace and USB multi-port for me from the machines (stuffed animals were attempted, but to no avail). We played games for a while, which mostly consisted of me kicking their collective butt in Time Crisis, got some street food, and went back to the school to work on the video.

We took more pictures than the assignment called for, and overall had a fantastic time. The leader even texted me a few days later to let me know that our group got 2nd place for their presentation.

After the rousing success with these kids, I'm much more confident in my ability to handle older students, and can see myself having fun teaching them in the future. I genuinely hope that I get the chance to teach kids that are as interested and motivated again.

(Sorry no photos, having some technical problems...)
안녕!