One of my co-teachers is amazing and we have a great rapport. We pick up each others’ cues without words- we can understand each other just by our facial expressions. She gives me a look, I know that she wants me to jump in, and vice versa. Teaching with her is a breeze.

My other three co-teachers… not as much. They are all very nice, but none of them speak English well, and I don’t think any of them have much experience teaching with a NSET. One of my coworkers has been working a year and a half less than me. So I’m attempting to train them to be good co-teachers. Letting them know early on that I expect them to run activities alongside me and that they should show up to class on time. I don’t want them to get into the habit of just standing in the back doing nothing while I teach like the co-teachers at my previous school, or not bothering to show up to my classes at all, like my friends’ co-teachers.

The contrast to the quality of teaching I do now compared to when I came to Korea (with absolutely no teaching experience whatsoever) really amazes me. Teaching is something I think I’ve become very good at (or so my co-workers tell me all the time,) although I don’t get much pleasure from the job and am usually left with a sore throat and a headache when it’s all over at the end of the day. However, I feel much more prepared to handle anything in the classroom and I’m much better at planning, speaking, and disciplining than I was even a month ago at my former school. I’ve really become quite skilled at something I don’t plan on doing ever again in my life after next year. I will just add this to my list of useless skills that will get me nowhere in life.^^