As I'm still sitting here in the tea fields, you can safely assume I've renewed for another year of teaching down here in Boseong, Jeollanamdo. I had a great year at my elementary schools and high school, and the town of Boseong truly feels like home. When it came time to renew my contract, there was no doubt I wanted to do a second year!
Sadly, funding was cut for my elementary school at the county level, so I wasn't able to stay there for a second year. What followed were some rather anxious few months as I waited to hear from my coordinator (and probably drove him crazy) about my new school. I had initially applied for a switch to an elementary school in Suncheon, but the day before our new placements were officially announced, my old co-teacher from my vocational high school reached out to me. Her new school, the academy high school in Boseong, had received unexpected funding for a Native English Teacher (NET)! We had a quick get-together that evening after school and decided to call the main office first thing the next morning to catch them before making the placement announcements. Somehow, all the pieces fell into place and I was able to stay in Boseong! As great as Suncheon would have been, staying in a town I knew in my same apartment and working with a co-teacher I know I already get along with fantastically just seemed like the most logical choice.
Now I am happily settled in at my new high school, which is just across the river from my apartment complex. This school hasn't had a NET since 2010, so both the students and staff were buzzing on the day of my arrival. Especially the students, who are absolutely adorable and so polite. Judging from their reactions, you'd think I was Beyonce or Taylor Swift! The boys battle one another to say hello, and the girls shyly wave and dissolve into a mess of giggled when I say, "Hi!" in return. I even got a marriage proposal on my second day, but all the girls in the class told him they wouldn't "accept" our relationship as he was unworthy. Poor guy! They crushed his dreams harder and far more swiftly than even I could! I'm sure it will all die down by the end of the semester as I go from Dazzling Celebrity Foreigner to Regular English Teacher.
The school itself is beautiful--it looks like something out of a Korean TV drama! The campus is fairly large, and there are many new buildings. As an academy high school, there are dorms for students who live in the countryside or whose parents want them to focus more on their studies. Our classes begin at 8:30AM and while 7th period ends at 4:15PM, the students don't get to go home until 10PM or sometimes even 11PM! Both lunch and dinner are served on campus, and students spend their evenings in "self-study," which is supervised by teachers. In fact, many of the teachers who live 30-60min away in Gwangju actually stay in the teacher's dorm building during the week because of their supervision duties. Both the students and teachers work very hard and incredibly long hours.
 |
| Yes, this is actually my school. Yes, it actually looks like this. Who said country living wasn't cool? |
