i would kill for the atlantic, but i am paid to make kids panic while i teach

(i will refrain from mentioning my school's name just in case somebody in the near future tries to google my school and finds this blog.)

as promised, though slightly tardy in relation to the last post, here is a blog about my school and how that affects my life in korea.

my. school. sucks.

with the start of the new semester, my school has started sucking super hard.

a lot of that has to do with a lot of new kids.

it's hard to control kids who don't know english when you don't know their native language.

who'd've thunk it?

but the kids are getting better.

the workload?

that's not getting better.

as i told kristen teacher not too long ago, recently i've been getting that loverboy song stuck in my head:

"everybody's workin' for the weekend," because i feel as if i am.

at this point, it's also not getting any worse, but it took a sharp turn for the worse just a couple weeks ago.

it all happened when our boss told all of us (the foreign teachers) we have to detail a subject-specific lesson plan, to be updated every week.

i'm talking like we have to write down pretty much everything we're going to say.

and the foreign teachers have to do this every week, right?

the korean teachers? everyday, son.

my first 6 months at my school were totally chill.

pretty much the only work we did was teaching.

we did very little lesson planning.

i could look forward to getting out of the classroom and mindlessly staring at my desk in the office.

nowadays, it's the other way around: i would rather deal with those little punks then sit in the office and be asked or expected to do something.

the lesson planning debacle is the biggest problem.

also, our boss is on a serious power-trip, much as former teacher kim hypothesized.

this probably spurned the lesson plans.

we're made to look busy like all the time.

the other day, she told us to clean up after ourselves after lunch.

seriously? SERIOUSLY?!

(btw, we do it everyday, since the day we arrived.)

this blog is fortunately slightly deflated because of a serious bitchfest/vent-a-thon with former teacher kim and others with the samgyupsal, the hofs, and the noraebang.

there's no telling how much i would rant and rave if that night didn't happen.

so, thanks. a lot. to kim and friends.

needless to say, i've been compelled to commence counting my days left at my school.

my last day will be so sweet for a number of reasons:

i'll get the hell out of my school;

it is also my buddy brandon's last day in korea so there will be some serious emotion near that final day;

my sister will already be here or arriving soon;

i'll more than likely be moving to seoul (though i might like suwon more);

i'll get my 13th payment, thus placing within reach of bring over my parents for christmas.

here's to hoping we get a lot of field trips/birthday parties/non-class days/etc. between now and august 31st.

countdown: T minus 88 work days.

lots of love,

jo