Our question to answer this week is:
What have you learned about yourself and being an American that you did not know before?

My first reaction to this question (for at least a few seconds) was, "I'm thirty years old.  I'm pretty aware of myself.  I don't think there is anything I don't know about me."   I instintually knew that wasn't true.  What would the point of coming all the way across the world to learn nothing about myself have been?  While I do think that I have a good idea of who I am as a person, the new experiences here in South Korea has introduced new perspectives on what I believe and what I would like to teach to future students. 

 Instead of the stead fast opponent of anything new or different I have always considered myself, I have found myself to be quite adaptable here.  I have traveled for school in the past and was sadened at how badly I adapted, or in fact, did not adapt at all.  There are a lot of things like home here in Seoul (food, people, attitudes, etc.) and I owe a good deal to those comforts.  I made more of an effort to try new things, accept invitations for dinners and other events, and push my homesickness back so that I could get the full experience out of this trip.  At home I hate going out more than once a week...here I have dinner with different people 3-4 times a week.  At home I hate straying from a routine...here I only have small routines that involve getting ready for school or winding down to go to bed.  When I felt homesick I wrote an email or skulked around on Facebook until it passed. 

But, my adaptability, I have noticed, also has it's limits.  This past weekend I joined our group from America, two Korean buddies and a bus load of annoying children to a city called Gyeongju for a sightseeing tour on the Silla Dynasty.  I noticed this weekend, more than ever, how much I despise the way in which Korean children are raised.  As though they can do no wrong, I watched children run through museums and touch things, talk back to their parents, hit their parents, fight and argue with each other, play loud hand held video games on a bus full of other people, run into people without apologizing, etc., all without being told to do otherwise. In America, I would never dare tell a stranger's child what to do in front of their parents.  It is far and few between that I have seen an American child act so poorly in public but, also, if a parent has an ill behaved child, that's his or her business, really.  However, this weekend, when I was almost pushed over by a portly child trying to sqeeze between me and the wall that was holding me up as I put on my shoes, I finally had enough and scolded him.  He was stunned by the look on his face and I was a little worried his parents would come yell something in Korean at me.  It didn't happen.  It amazes me that Korean parents are not embarassed by the way thier children act in public and their complete lack of manners.  "Face," protecting one's image, is so important here, it says it in all the travel guides, but apparently, children are the exception to that rule.  And I have learned that badly behaving children are the exception to my widening tolerance for all things different.

Before I left for South Korea I was so excited to meet new people once here.  And there were a lot of people to meet from Korea University, the CJ International House where we live, our school, Seoul Global, and families and friends of people we've already met.  It seems we meet new people so often it's a struggle to remember a name or what they have told me about themselves.  I found myself enjoying meeting new people but had no idea how utterly exhausting it is.  I found myself wishing in the third week, "I hope I don't meet anyone else new tomorrow..." which almost never happens.  It was so nice to make good friends with a couple of people here and have established people to turn to.  I did not realize how tiring meeting new people and establishing bonds can be.  I have the same friends for years back home, some still since high school, and I rarely make new friends except if I switch jobs.  I forgot how hard it is.

The last thing, and biggest element, that I am taking away with me is my growing pride in our freedom in the U.S.  It sounds so generic and trite but after seeing what the students at this high school go through, the stress they endure as mere teenagers, believing wholeheartedly their life will get easier when they get older, it's almost unbearable to watch knowing that life only gets more difficult as you get older.  I know most Americans cannot help but to take for granted the fact that we can do what we want with our lives as long as it is not hurting others.  We can buy a car that we love that wasn't made in America without being labeled a "traitor," we can marry outside our ethnicity without severe family tensions, we can study what we want in college, we can even skip college if we want.  We can pursue hobbies as a child, more importantly, we have a childhood worth living.
 There are always exceptions to those things listed, but for most Americans, we are able to pursue goals and ambitions with a "go for it!" attitude from our loved ones, even our teachers.  Our parents, while more strict bringing us up, are more laid back where it counts--what we want from our lives.  We rarely fret and stress over matriculating from only ivy league schools and we find occupations that, hopefully, fit our personalities and lifestyles.  I am really leaving with a sense of pride that America values individualism and that our own personality, and cultivating our own personality,  is important to those who care about us.

Renee and Bonnie outside a palace.

People make wishes by balancing a rock on another rock or object.

These mounds are actually tombs.

People buy these slates and write prayers or well wishes on them at the Buddhist temples.

Our other point of emphasis is: Share ideas about how to apply your cultural, international expereinces to your teaching in a US classroom.

That sense of freedom will probably color everything I do in my teaching career.  (As will discipline which I find so important within a classroom...and in public.) This trip, and the recognition of the difference between the freedom of Korean students and the freedom of American students, has stregnthened my adhereance to helping students find what they love about life, what they are passionate about and what type of education they will need in order to pursue it.  I want my students to see that hard work does have its rewards, some tangible, some intanglible.  But, I also want my students to understand that seeking only high powered careers and weilding great work success is only part of life, not life itself, and by only following the path your parents want you to can be disappointing in the end.  I want to be a motivator for success in the classroom, of course, but also a motivator to find other interests as well.  In history, civics and contemporary issues, especially, I think I can create and include examples of what students may find meaningful, interesting and, hopefully, inspiring. 

I also very much enjoyed having the counseling sessions and was better able to assess how teenagers think.  While the teenagers in America will be different in their values and priorities, the exercise of getting them to talk to me meaningfully has been invaluable.  I think this will be very helpful as a teacher, especially if I am having issues with a student and I want to know where they are coming from in order to reach a state of understanding.  I read a book called Urban Teaching: The Essentials, by Lois Weiner, once and she was an advocate of talking to the student to find out why they are behaving certain ways (such as always coming to class late or bringing coats to class when it is against the rules, etc...).  She maintains that by asking the student their reasoning behind their misbehavior, a teacher can see that the misbehavior is not personal and they sometimes have very good reasons for breaking the rules.  By counseling or speaking one on one with the student, the student will be more receptive to understanding your position and more likely to begin following the rules.  So the counseling sessions for me here was great practice.

As obvious as it sounds, this trip has really emphasized cultural differences within the classroom for me.  I think I wanted to believe, in the beginning, that the students understood me and I them.  I don't know if that was necessarily true.  Few teachers will be exempt from having cultural differences in the classroom--which is great as it gives the opportunity for more perspective and awareness for the students.  But, it can be difficult for a teacher who is not used to thinking in culturally diverse ways.  This experience has made me more aware of differences between myself and the students and how to work with them.  I ask the students many more questions now regarding their lives and culture rather than assuming it is the same as my own.  I invite them to tell me stories or give examples of how the material intersects with their own lives.  I am much more open to students who want to come and talk with me and ask me questions--before this experience I would not have talked with my students so easily.  It would have made me uncomfortable and anxious.  I think these were the perfect first students for me because they are so genuinely kind and curious.  It will help me with future students, not be so standoffish, and perhaps my new attitude will show the students they can come to me with issues in class.   
 
The last and probably most important cultural aspect I am taking away is I do not want my classroom run like a factory like many of them here are.  I do not like some of the classes that simply lecture while students sit and listen, maybe taking notes.  I do not want stuent robots.  I want the students more involved.  I would like my lessons more student centered than what I have been able to do here.  I want them to learn how to teach themselves and each other, to put more emphasis on cooperative learning, and understand how critical thinking is more important than memorization.  I have not had a lot of freedom in lesson planning here at Seoul Global, and that has been frustrating, but it has shown me what I would rather do when I have my own class.  I think by even seeing what I don't want to do has assisted me with teaching. 

I am so grateful for this opportunity as I feel it has forced me to think about my own personally held stereotypes and persepctives in a much more meaningful way.  Some were correct in ways, some were incorrect and I have adjusted, adapted and grown since being here.  I will come out of this a more mature teacher than having stayed in St. Louis, with a more global outlook on teaching and lessons, and a greater appreciation for the profession itself.