Fresh and Clean

In Korea kids brush their teeth and clean their classroom during lunch. Brushing teeth at school is an awesome example of how schools can champion public health. I also really like the sense of responsibility and ownership that is created by having the kids clean.

No Shoes!

Taking off shoes when entering a building is a really important cultural piece in Korea. At my dental office, at many restaurants, in anyone's home, and at school, I take off my shoes.

Floor cleanliness is historically important in Korea because people spent a lot of time sitting on the floor. Traditionally the heating system comes from below the house, so sitting on the floor was a great way to keep warm in the winter.

Even though all the kids sit in desks, and our schools have central heating the tradition of taking off shoes is is still very strong in Korea. Normally the everyone puts their shoes in a cubby, but it is not unusual to see shoes by the door at school. The kids are supposed to wear slip on sandals inside, but everyday I see kids running around school without any socks or sandals. I worry for them in the winter, because my feet are cold even with my two pairs of socks and slippers. I suppose they're used to it.

Helping

In early October the second grade teacher at Tosan went on medical leave, and my co-teacher was asked to take over the second grade class. The principal asked a meek and nervous woman from the school library to teach English. This poor lady hadn’t taught before, and she was given very little feedback from the previous English teacher about what to do with the kids or where they were at in the curriculum. She showed up to the first class without a plan despite having a few days notice.

On the first day I gave her some pointers about where the kids were at, and what the previous teacher did with them, but I didn’t jump in to help teach. I felt a mean inside because it was clear that this woman was struggling. I could have eased her burden, but I also knew she would become reliant on me. Her reliance would have doubled my work load for the rest of the semester and possibly the rest of my contract. In early October I was still going into school 2 hours early to keep up with the work load I was then carrying. So even though it felt bad watching the substitute’s exasperation I stood by my boundaries and chose not to help teach on her first day.

The next time I saw her teach she had improved tremendously, and by the end of a few weeks she hit her stride. All my guilty feelings about not helping on the first day were completely dissolved by the end of the second day. Teaching is a great learning opportunity, and if I had intervened on the first day, I could have potentially limited a valuable experience for my colleague. I want to continue developing my understanding of when it is appropriate to help, and when “helping” is just interference that doesn’t serve me or others.