Camp Fulbright!

A month in, it has become apparent to me that the goal of orientation is threefold: To develop language and culture skills, to learn the art of teaching within the Korean context, and to create a support network among the fellow ETAs. We take intensive Korean classes for 20 hours a week, have seminars on teaching, and go on social trips to bond with the other kids on the program. But the most enriching experience thus far has been Camp Fulbright.

Every year, the Fulbright Korea Commission in conjunction with the State Department organize a two week intensive English summer camp for Korean students. The camp is organized and run through the Fulbright office in Seoul, and staffed by current ETAs who have already competed their grant year. There are a few moving parts to the program that work in unison with each other to make the whole event happen. The current ETAs serve as the camp instructors (CI's), responsible for teaching classes that abide by a set curriculum. There are Korean camp counselors that serve as liaisons between the students and the CIs. There are also American Junior Camp Counselors that range between the ages of 14 and 18. They serve as a direct contact point with the campers themselves; the idea is that since they are of similar age, they can help to facilitate more organic conversation in English. It's also a really cool opportunity for American High schoolers to go abroad for a month as a camp counselor in Korea. If anybody you know is interested in doing this next summer, contact me and I will email you the application. The only fee is the airplane ticket. Everything else is subsidized.

Meanwhile, our orientation is staffed by a separate group of Orientation Coordinators, known as OCs. They are also current ETAs that chose to work this summer. This is where we come in: The Camp Fulbright schedule is formatted so the ETAs (i.e. me, and the other kids that are going through orientation) teach three classes during the two week period. We are all assigned to a CI with whom we meet to construct our lesson plan. Afterwards, we meet with them again for feedback. Not only does camp Fulbright give us a practical, hands on opportunity to teach within the Korean context, but we apply everything we learned during the last month in regards to teaching.

The first lesson I taught was geography. The students were between the ages of 9 and 12, and they were high intermediate English speakers. Although I've been in the classroom many times before, both as an observer and a teacher, I quickly realized that teaching overseas is a completely different ballgame. I made the analogy that teaching in the US and applying those skills and ideologies to Korea is like a baseball player trying to golf: both sports consist of hitting a ball with a club, but the similarities end there. I have been trying to disenfranchise myself from almost everything my American education classes have taught me and try to be more culturally relative in my approach to classroom pedagogy. One palpable example is that in Korea, calling a teacher "sonseignim" (literally translated as "teacher") is the ultimate sign of respect. So, korean students say "teacher," instead of Mr. Brown, for example. In the United States, that would be one of the rudest things you could do as a student, but here, it is a sign of utmost respect. At first, having twenty korean students say "teacher" was a bit jarring, but I had to step back and realize that its their way of showing respect.

Outside of teaching, we were also in charge of planning weekend events for the campers. One weekend, I helped run an event called "Mad Scientist." The event revolved around science themed activities, featured a competition to build a machine out of trash, and fashions show where the kids decorated their CI as a Mad Scientist:

My students creating "Octobot," a female chicken robot that carries humans through space

Octobot, the final product: During construction, a contingent of boys decided that Octobot needed plasma ray cannons. The girls disagreed, insisting that a skirt was a more practical addition. The girls ultimately won.

The Camp Instructors at the end of their transformation into Mad Scientists

Overall, Camp Fulbright was extremely stressful, but very enriching. We still had korean classes, and had to lesson plan and teach as well. But I gained invaluable insight into what I will be doing for the next year. I learned about the areas in which I need to improve as a teacher, I gained insight into the culture of Korean education, and I met more members of the Fulbright family.

One of the most enlightening parts of Camp Fulbright was the opportunity to meet other ETAs who have completed their grant years. Since you can extend up to 3 years, there are many different ETA classes that were represented at Camp Fulbright. Some ETAs have been here a year, and others are going on their third. Still others have been hired into permanent positions at the central Fulbright Office in Seoul and have been here for 5 or 6 years. Nonetheless, it was a very reassuring feeling being welcomed into a large support network of current and former ETAs who are willing to "show me the ropes" over my grant year.

Next weekend: Fulbright goes to Seoul. I have no idea what to expect. I'm thinking skyscrapers that reach the clouds, hover cars, and floating neon signs. Stay tuned!