I cannot tell you how pleased, proud, happy and amazed I am with the outcome of my winter camp at school. A month ago, my co-teacher came to my desk and told me I would have two weeks of class during winter vacation, and that I would have roughly twenty students for two hours a day, every day.
The students that chose to attend my winter camp had no idea what the class would entail: they only knew that they would be studying English with Amanda-teacher for two weeks, and solely for that, they put their name on the list.
I had absolute freedom in the scheduling, planning and execution of winter camp. Two hours a day with nineteen students, and I got to make all the lesson plans, balance the difficulty of learning and speaking English between writing exercises, my own story- telling, speaking games and crossword puzzles. I got to see the same students day after day, meaning I could assign writings and grade them, hand them back and watch their writing improve over the duration of the two weeks…. amazing.
On the first day, I announced to my students that we would be doing Skype dates with my parents, my little sister and a handful of her friends. My Korean students are well aware that I have a sister who is very close to their age, and the news both excited and terrified them.
My two weeks of lessons consisted mainly of exercises which would allow my students to face the computer screen with confidence and carry on a five to ten minute conversation in English with an American high school student that is very close to their age.
They did stunningly well. Throughout the two weeks, my students wrote essays, scripted questions and practiced speaking with each other, revised essays and created self-bios that I sent on to their future conversation partners, practiced and practiced and finally, in too quickly, the end of the second week came.
Yesterday we spend the day doing “warm-up” Skype dates, chatting with my mother, my father, and three of my very best friends from home. It was a free-for-all conversation, in which my students ran up and crouched in front of the computer with questions, excited to meet my family and friends, excited to speak in English and be understood, proud to understand and answer the questions asked of them.
Today came, and the Korean students went in pairs to the computer to greet their new American friends and future pen-pals. I will let the pictures speak for the two hours of giddy conversation, but let me just say that I am unspeakably proud of my students, and incredibly grateful for the very many friends that eagerly sacrificed sleep in order to experience a small part of my Korean life.
It was really an incredible experience. I cannot express enough how proud of my students I am, and how grateful I am for their honesty and earnestness in welcoming me into their life with open hearts.
<3
"The very best thing you can be in life is a teacher, provided that you are crazy in love with what you teach, and that your classes consist of eighteen students or fewer. Classes of eighteen students or fewer are a family, and feel and act like one."
-Kurt Vonnegut, Speech at Clowes Hall, Indianapolis, April 27, 2007
[caption id="attachment_229" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="American high school students crowding in the screen to say hello."]
[/caption]
The first two students to go: excitement!
Two more students, Dayna and Jada.
Three of my most shy students. 🙂 Ava, Elly and Jane.
Students Jessie and Piona.
Students Leah and Emily, my bold and loud students.
The smiles are mirrored on both sides of the screen.
Two more students, shy but eager, Sophie and Jenna.
All of my Korean students wave goodbye!
Group photo with my whole winter camp class.
