While glancing through the Korea Herald, I came across the weekly cartoon series, "Ugly Americans, Ugly Koreans". I stopped to read it because I usually get a kick out of it, but this time the kick hurt: "Koreans think it's rude when unqualified foreign English teachers come to Korea with no previous teaching experience. Teaching is a serious profession and there is no excuse for it."

 Ouch! That cartoon was taking dead aim at me and several hundred --at least-- other people in Korea. First I felt mad, then embarrassed, and finally sad and hopeless.

 From my first day of work at the hagwon, I realized that no one expected me to actually teach. Nobody seemed to care what I did in classes as long as I didn't get complaints from parents or disturb classes nearby. However, teaching as a profession was intriguing to me and I took on the experience for all it was worth. The kids were important to me, too, and I committed myself to being a good teacher.

 Yet, the words of another foreign English teacher would often ring in my head, "We're the entertainment". After I read the "Ugly Americans, Ugly Koreans" cartoon mentioned above, disillusionment and demoralization hit me like twin torpedoes, and I sank into the realization that I really wasn't a teacher.

 I dreaded going to work after that. It was as if I had been living in a fantasy world. Now the amusement park was closed; as the lights went out, reality came on.

 One day I was walking somberly through the parking lot trying to remember where I had parked my car when I came across a child who pretended not to notice me. I had no will to speak but I couldn't resist a teasing gesture to call on her attention. She looked at me curiously and I opened my mind for her to read. She began to get excited and we fed each others' desires. Then, her eyes got big and her face became a smile. She pointed at the blackboard, jumping up and down, and shouted out the answer. Yes! It was so exciting I found myself jumping up and down, too!

 I couldn't believe what had just happened - I had given up teaching. I had stopped giving them the answers. I had stopped telling them what I expected them to do. I had done something a little different than what they were accustomed to. We had played a game I had come up with after talking with my roommate about our classes that day. I can't even remember what the game was now. That wasn't the important thing. The important thing about that experience was feeling a child's mind grow. A curious puzzle had been presented to her. It stimulated her interest and created a desire for her to want to learn. Instruction had ceased. Now there was only learning and it was up to the child. I realized later that all I had done was present material in a way that aroused curiosity. The child was given a treasure map and the treasure was easy to find. Questions were asked, answers were offered, and understanding arrived. A part of that child's mind had changed and I felt it. It happened for all the students in that class, myself included. A simple bit of knowledge, a new way of thinking about something, a realization renewed my hope. I'm here until my contract ends and I'm going to make the most of this experience. Some exciting, mind-expanding stuff is going on here. I wanted to experiment a little with the cognitive processes of the human mind and have some fun in the meantime. Learning became something that the student did and helping students learn new things in different ways became something the teacher did. So, I learned how to teach. I cared, so I considered myself qualified. I became willing to take on that challenge.

 I began to talk to everybody I could to get ideas. I fed off their ideas and tried to come up with some on my own. A few people turned me on to some cool books like David Paul's "Finding Out" Teacher's Book 1 and Communicate series, Elizabeth Claire's "ESL Teacher's Activities Kit", and Heinemann's Children's Games.
Things have been great ever since. Work is not something I dread. In fact, I generally leave in a good mood. I spend a little more time there, but it's been worth it. I wouldn't have been this happy if other people had not helped me out. I feel like I should give something back. At the same time, I'm always needing new ideas and information. So, I decided to write something in "The Expatriate" to see if people could help me out. It seems to me that with so many foreigners here teaching English, we could have a part of The Expat dedicated to sharing teachers' ideas. "The Expatriate" needs to know if there is a demand for this. Please contact them and give them your opinion, which will will be gratefully received. Maybe in the future we could have a workshop somewhere to help each other out. If you're interested please call me at 264-9753.