Johnson Reading Reflection

June 6, 2014

4. I had no plans on becoming a teacher.  As soon as I quit my job in Canada, I originally came to Korea for vacation.  While I was here, my cousin asked me if I wanted to help out for a summer program.  She runs a hakwon and it was only supposed to be for a month.  But it just so happened that I started to like being a teacher, more than I had ever imagined.  I quit my job, thinking I was going to back to school in Toronto.  But in the back of my mind, it wasn’t something I was totally interested in.  I didn’t really like what I was studying in University so I thought that I should take my time in making a decision before I regret it. So I ended up staying longer and now it’s been nearly 2 years.  I had taught at Sunday school for a number of years, and I had tutored students for many years as well, so teaching was not 100% new to me. 

As I was teaching here, I felt that I had an advantage over other teachers because not only was I a native speaker, but I was Korean by blood as well.  Although I was raised in Canada, I was raised under traditional rules.  So I felt I could be a better teacher because I could relate to them more.  However, the main problem I was having was, as Johnson puts it, hypocrisy.  I was expecting my students to learn and I thought I was trying hard in teaching them.  But I realized, especially after taking this course, that I was expecting them to learn, but I wasn’t trying to learn myself.  I was trying to teach the materials that were in front of me, while trying to satisfy my co-workers ideas and feelings.  It was hard at first when my co-worker had so many expectations but could not express his emotions and feelings properly. 

I am enjoying life as a teacher and I enjoy seeing the children learn and change right in front of me.  I worked on a farm for many years so I got to see animals being born, and seeing them grow up.  But it was interesting to see students grow.  They were growing with my influence.  With that in mind, I couldn’t just do whatever I wanted.  I need to learn how to be a good teacher for all types of students, and I hope to do so, whatever language or subject it may be. 

I just turned 30 so I don’t know if I want to be a teacher for the next 20-30 years, but I feel like I am at the age where I can try things out.  Maybe things could change once I get married and settle down.  Perhaps stay here or maybe go back to Canada.  But one thing for sure is that I enjoy being a teacher and I want to be one wherever I am in the world. 

5. I understand the stories in Johnsons reading, and I understand how they might have marginalized but I don’t think I have felt marginalized yet during my years of teaching.  I think the main reasons are that I haven’t been teaching for a long time and also that I teach at my cousin’s hakwon.  So she’s been helping me in every way.  However, one thing I could think of is my relationship with my co-worker.  He felt that he needed to control everything.  I was appreciative of the fact that he wanted to help and he wanted me to go back his ideas and lessons.  But as time progressed, I wanted to do things differently and I tried to make small adjustments, but my co-worker would get extremely upset.  However, things got better as time progressed and now I do have more leniency.  For now with my problem, I think time and experience will help solve my situation.