I am an elementary school teacher. I teach in a rural city in the Gangwon-do Province. In my main school, I teach about 70 students from grades three, four, five and six. What’s a typical day like for me as an EPIK teacher? For starters school begins at 8:40am, and ends at 4:40pm. The commute to school is less than five minutes by foot.

Arriving to School

When I arrive at school I put my shoes or sneakers in a cubby for the English teacher and change my them for slippers. Everyone – students, teachers and staff – swaps their footwear for indoor slippers. Then I head to the office and greet everyone inside with a common Korean greeting, slightly bowing while saying 안녕하세요 “annyeong haseyo.” Usually the vice principal, his secretaries, head teacher, maybe a few administrative staff and teachers are there.

Prepping

If I have a few things to take care of (PowerPoint modifications, print outs, copies, etc) I’ll do it very quickly because the first class starts (within 20 minutes) at 9 o’clock. Then I head to the English Learning Center, also known as the classroom where English classes are held. I make sure the classrooms in order, that I’ve written the lesson/objective on the board, textbook CD’s and PowerPoint’s are ready, along with any worksheet(s) for that day. There are two ten-minute breaks and two 20-minute breaks across a full day schedule. And currently two of my classes are taught in their homeroom classrooms.

Teaching

Teaching (my favorite part) is the reason why I’m in Korea. Classes are 40 minutes. Sometimes students arrive early so I’ll have a chance to chat with them. When classes start the homeroom teacher is always present in the classroom; their help is especially needed when students need translation from English to Korean. Homeroom teachers can also participate in the lesson by role-playing with the English teacher or another student. They can also provide necessary context to the lesson. I always greet my class with a warm welcome and ask them how they are doing.

My lessons usually comprise of a warmer, to get the students prepared the lesson of the day, a short presentation, practice and a production activity. Students really like when games are incorporated in the lesson. This helps them practice speaking, listening, writing or reading English in a free, relaxed and fun way. I like to see when my students getting really excited over an activity. In a day I may teach three or four classes back to back until lunch at 12:30 PM or I’ll have a free period(s) in between or after a class. Then I usually eat lunch at 12pm.

Lunch

For lunch everyone gets on one line. When you reach the tray table you grab a tray, spoon and a pair of chopsticks. I always greet the two lovely lunch ladies who cook the school’s delicious food. The first food staple you’ll see is kimchi (there’s always kimchi), rice, the meat or meats of the day, and other sides such as dessert, fruit, then soup and some kind of green side. The lunch ladies serve each person unless it’s a particular side dish like kimchi or greens, which are self-serve. The school’s food nutritionist is always present to assist. I usually need her help due to food restrictions, since I don’t always know which meat is which.

A Snippet of my Korean Lunch Album

Lunch Customs

Homeroom teachers tend to sit with their students, but not all the time. Staff members and other specialized teachers usually sit at the designated area in the cafeteria. Whoever comes to sit at your table or was already sitting there when you arrived, you’d greet them with, 맛있게 드세요 “mashige deuseyo” “enjoy your meal,” then communal eating begins. Early on I noticed that people (students and teachers alike) ate quickly, like within 10 to 15 minutes. I guess I was babysitting my food, or maybe admiring it too much. It takes me between twenty to thirty minutes. I heard the rule of thumb is “eat as fast as the slowest person at the table.” I think even the slowest eater eats too fast for me.

If there are leftovers in the tray, most people put them in the soup bowl or the bowl part of their tray. I learned this by watching people at the table. I guess it makes sense – it’s easier to throw away your food if it’s all in one place. Food is thrown into a huge bin, because food waste is disposed separately from recycling or garbage. Spoons, trays, and chopsticks are piled in separate bins. Sometimes at my school kimchi and fruit peels are collected in the same bowl. Upon reaching the exit, everyone gets a cup of bulgur tea. Most people drink it after they eat. Many Korean foods are made with red chili pepper. I find that drinking the tea helps to wash away any remnant pieces of food especially red peppers. Wouldn’t want to smile and have red pepper in my teeth.

After Lunch

After lunch, depending on the day, I may have to teach one class, prepare for after school or enjoy two – three free class periods. Most teachers will have free periods scattered throughout their schedule. They can use this time to lesson plan. Now and days I really try to do my entire lesson planning at school. Otherwise it trickles down to homework, which I’d prefer not to have. Some of my favorite websites to use during this time are: www.waygook.org and www.korshare.org

I am really grateful for the teachers who share their teaching material on these websites; they help me save lots and lots of time. There is amazing work on these websites. Unfortunately, there are days when my evenings at home are spent lesson planning for too many hours. And this cuts into my personal time. So finishing all lessons planning at school is always great.

After school

Twice a week I teach two (40 minute each) after school classes on my own, without a homeroom teacher present. Typically, four to ten students participate. After school is held between 3:00pm until it’s time to go my safe haven. Third and fourth grades are grouped together and fifth and six grades. In after school we use craft and play various games to practice common dialogue, build on/test prior knowledge and increase student’s vocabulary.

Leaving School

At the end of the day, if I’m not teaching after school, I’ll mst likely be in the office lesson planning. When it’s almost time to leave for the day I’ll wrap up anything I was working on. I make sure to save my work on Google drive or email myself if necessary just in case, so I don’t lose my work. Who ever is left in the office, I’ll say my farewell’s, 안녕히 계세요 “annyeonghi gyeseyo,” which means goodbye, because I’m the person leaving or 잘 가요, “jal gayo,” go well. Something I noticed early on is that security starts checking one to two minutes before 4:40pm to make sure everyone’s making their way out of the building. It caught me off guard at first. I didn’t understand the rush. I try to finish my work early now.

Travel School

Once a week I go to a travel school (which is typically in a smaller rural town with fewer students) 15 minutes away from my main school. I’ll go by school bus (two staff members takes me) early in the morning. There I teach two six grade students over three consecutive class periods, with breaks in between. Then I take a public city bus back in time to have lunch at the main school.

Surprises

Though I’ve described a typical day as an EPIK teacher, there’s always room for surprises. And when surprises come, they come. Sudden changes can happen at any time, such as changes in the school schedule, perhaps due to an upcoming holiday, special event or school trip. Usually someone will notify me when they happen. I’ve learned to be flexible as an EPIK teacher. Surprises don’t end at school. You may even discover something new about your apartment. There’s more where that came from, but that’s another story.