Back to school

Hi all

First of all thanks so much to everyone who replied to my last email. It was great to hear from you, it was especially nice that so many of the replies were so prompt.

It’s back to school proper next week. Right now I am feeling relaxed and happy, and a little apprehensive. I wonder whether I will feel quite as happy this time next week?

I’m really hoping this school year will go a little bit better. I really hope that I have learned from the mistakes that I made last year, and that I have also taken something away from the positive lessons. My main aims for this school year are to provide relaxed and fun lessons.

I really want to help the student’s improve their English, and I believe that the best way to accomplish this it to try and establish a relaxed and informal class setting – I want the kids to relax, have fun and make mistakes. Aiming to get the children to make mistakes may sound strange but there is a certain logic to it- many Korean students fear making mistaking and it can be difficult to get the kids to open up and express themselves at all, even in strictly controlled exercises. I want the students to make mistakes, and grdually get used to making mistakes - and I want them to understand that mistakes rarely bothers me, just so long as I can understand them. I understand their fear though. I myself am nervous about making mistakes when learning Korean and I am aware that this nervousness inhibits my own progress. (My Korean learning fell by the way side for a long time and has only just picked up once again.)

I often wonder how much I achieve through my lessons. I see the classes that I teach on an either once or twice weekly rotation, which is not enough to achieve everything that I would like to – but I must admit that I will never achieve everything that I would like to. I constantly have to remind myself that just as important as providing good lessons is planting, and nurturing, a positive attitude towards the English language. If I can stimulate an interest in the English language, and foreign cultures, my influence will be magnified over years to come. I am constantly aware that I for many of the Koreans that I meet I represent more than just myself – I’m an ambassador for South Africa and western traditions in general. Sometimes this can be a bit much, it’s difficult to put on a friendly face when I am feeling grumpy and a curious stranger approaches me.

Here's to a good year.