Fed Up

It's set. I just told my employer that I will not return for another year or just another month as they asked me to do. In three and a half months, I'm outta here. I don't want this to seem like I don't like Korea, but I can't wait till the end of July. I'll be on auto-pilot until then. There's light at the end of the tunnel. I'm a little upset, though, that I've come to feel this way. I really do wish I at least had bitter-sweet feelings about leaving. After the next few months, maybe I will. But as long as my work situation stays as it is, I don't see myself harboring any regret about leaving.

Things were completely different a few months ago. I wasn't working eight classes in a row three days a week, other teachers weren't working eleven classes a day, and none of us were teaching books way beyond the students' skill level. Morale was good, teachers were fresh, and breaks were common throughout the day. Now, my eight classes in a row seem like a treat compared to what some of the other teachers have to deal with. The owner of the school has gone crazy with adding classes, and has little to no concern for mental well-being or quality of teaching in his school. It's all about him paying off a loan he had to take out to keep the school going, and I'm all about getting out of his school.

It's really a shame because I was so happy at this school when I first got here. I've become so jaded, though, about the way education is handled. It seems as though providing students with any random, American text book is the answer to learning English. Even if the level of the book matches the ability of my students, the subjects and presentation are just too far beyond what they should be expected to know. In most places, presenting material in a context that is easily understood is, if not the norm, something to which teachers or anyone preparing curriculum pay special attention. Here, I'm teaching Korean third graders about Betsy Ross, asking fourth graders whether they live at home or have their own apartment (it was a question in the book), and fifth graders about either the hardships of slavery in America or about the angst that comes with being fourteen (they're 11 or 12). I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted me to teach my first graders with no English experience about The Great Depression. It just doesn't matter to them as long as the money is coming in and the parents are happy. The parents stay happy because a lot of them can't speak English and can only find comfort in the fact that their kids have troubles understanding why Frederick Douglas had a chip on his shoulder.

I wish I could just say 'fuck it' and handle my business without a care. That would make my life a lot easier, but I have the nasty disposition of taking pride in my work. It's too bad because caring about my work and showing a strong effort has just caused me more stress and headaches than I bargained for. Also, this frustration has robbed me of a lot of the comedy I used to find in life; thus, I write blogs like this one. Writing blogs like this just pisses me off even more. It's a vicious cycle. I'm sick of being so preoccupied with this crap that I complain about it. Arrgghh.

Enough of that. Here's what I'm listening to:

Getting Nasty- Ike Turner Ok, he beat Tina. I know. But this song is just a gem. A great funk nugget sampled on Jurassic 5's 'Concrete Streets.'

You Make Me Nervous- Ben McCormick It just came on my itunes while I was shuffling the other day. It had me weak. Funny stuff. Well done Ben.

I Want You- Marvin Gaye My favorite album from Marvin. The arrangements are spot on. The vocals are as good as anything else he did. The mood is set up with perfection.

Capricorn- Cannonball Adderley I love this tune. I'm assuming it's Joe Zawinul laying it down on the Rhodes. The rhythm section sets up a groove so sweet for a beautiful melody blown by Cannonball.