Introducing our latest teacher interview: Eric Adams. Eric is a recent college graduate from Maryland who has been teaching in Taiwan for the last year. These last few months in Taipei has been his first living abroad experience.
Rainy days can be a drag no matter where in the world you are. They put a damper on fun outdoor plans, create havoc on frizz-prone locks (I look like that scary purple minion with frizzy hair during typhoon days in Taiwan). They drench you no matter how big your umbrella is; damn that sideways…
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As the pitch of the wind rushing past the window rises and the scenery whips by, there is a sense of motion unparalleled by most other modes of transportation. Indeed 300 km/h is not particularly fast for an airplane, and the flight from Seoul to Busan is much quicker, but gliding along the ground at these speeds is a new experience that amplifies the excitement of travel.
It’s hard to believe it’s already been a full week since I left Asia for the land of cheeseburgers, bald eagles, and freedom. Transitioning from the crowded, bustling streets of Taiwan to the white paved pedestrian sidewalks in America has been no easy feat.
It’s one thing to talk about establishing clear rules right from the start of class, but it’s another thing to implement them effectively. It’s crucial for classroom management, to have a simple set of rules that you enforce consistently and fairly.
Talk to just about anyone involved in South Korean education, and you quickly learn that the pupils of this rising Asian nation are tired. Not only because of the daily school grind, the fatigue also comes from the invasion of continued academics into what little break they have.
The Hanok Village near our host’s house shows the traditional peaked roofs and swooping eaves of pre-modern Korea, but this one looks somehow different. Its straight lines and clean roofs belie its recent renovations. Similarly, Jeonju presents a deep cultural heritage just beneath a surface of tourism and modernity.
As an ESL teacher, there is a good chance that you’ll find yourself teaching a class of total beginners. This doesn’t just mean that they will struggle with basic sentence patterns or pronunciation – it means that when you step into the classroom and say “Hello, what’s your name?” you’ll be greeted by blank stares and the sound of crickets chirping.