Report Card & New Class

The first term of my Korean language class ended on Tuesday (3/31), and I received a report card! It's been 25 years since I took a class for a grade and probably 40 years since I received an actual report card. I was pleased with the grades I received although felt the one for speaking (말하기) was a bit generous. The written comments noted that I should work on my writing (쓰기), probably a bit of an understatement. By the end of the class I was the only westerner (other students were Japanese or Chinese) and definitely felt inadequate in writing characters.



Thursday began the new term with a new teacher. Ji Yeong Kim is also very nice, extremely vivacious, and incredibly patient. But I am finding her more difficult to understand. It may be that is simply because the class is at a higher level so moves more quickly with fewer explanations provided in English and/or there is an expectation of more knowledge (particularly of vocabulary) than I have. In the two days of this term I have had many instances of "frozen brain," a situation where I am completely blank as Ms. Kim awaits a response when I have no idea of what is going on.

The class is larger, possibly up to 10 students (although 2 people there on Thursday were not in evidence on Friday). One of those "missing" is an American, a Korean adoptee who is teaching in a location more than an hour's subway ride away. I don't know how she will commute, be in class for three hours, commute, teach, and study for four days a week. She is young, but. . . . The other American in this class, also an adoptee who is from Iowa, has lived in Korea on and off for a number of years. She is taking this course on her month's "vacation" between teaching contracts. That seems more feasible. I am very glad I elected to come to Korea for a shorter period but NOT teach. I'm sure I would be totally exhausted were I trying to work.

We are now past the level of Korean study which I previously had in Minnesota, moving into totally new areas. Thus I have no knowledge on which to fall back but am learning everything for the first time. I am clearly going to have to spend more time on studying and looking ahead in the textbook so I can figure out the grammatical points which will be presented in order to have that all-important context I need to be able to learn. I suspect my grades with be lower for this term. Maybe I'll have to come back and retake the class!

Here are some pictures of Ms. Kim at work.