Sophia Quattrocchi

Dr. Cho

C&T 491

1 July 2019

Final Reflection

Going into this program I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I had only met the other KU

student teachers briefly, and while I knew the basics schedule of the practicum, I did not know

many details. While I was looking forward to the practicum, I was quite nervous considering my

lack of teaching experience. Luckily, since we all live together, I quickly grew close with the

other KU students. And from the first day the students were so welcoming which has made it

easier to transition into a busy schedule. My time at Kyunghwa has been unforgettable and

extremely rewarding. I have learned so much about English foreign language (EFL) teaching and

about myself. Though the past six weeks have been very busy and a bit overwhelming, the

students and my peers made the heavy workload well worth it.

Beginning the program I was not too worried about culture shock since I have been to

Korea last year and have studied the culture. However, on this program, I realized I did not know

much about Korean high school life. While I knew academics were important to East Asian

culture, I did not know the extent of it. I was very surprised to hear that most students go to one

or more private academies after school, and most get very few hours of sleep. Students are up

until late hours of the morning studying at the dorm. I have learned that at Kyunghwa teachers

teach to the college entrance exams. While American high schools are also guilty of teaching to

the test, it seems worse in Korean high school since college admittance is so competitive and

college entrance exams are highly valued. Choi states, “standardized testing influences and even
controls not only individual learning styles and future careers, but also teaching paradigms and

educational systems” (39). Both Korean culture and college competitiveness play a role in the

students’ long hours of studying and have a large impact on what teachers are allowed to teach in

the classroom.

Though I knew English was important for Korean students to learn for purposes of

international communication, I didn’t realize how important it was for Korean college entrance

exams. Students are forced to learn for purposes of a test, rather than for their own personal

reasons. Therefore it was important for us to give the students motivation in the classroom, and

make them realize that English is important for reasons other than exams. We focused on more

real-world uses of English that focused on communication. We also focused on motivating the

students and bring energy and enthusiasm to the classroom. When teaching we had to flexible.

Since Greg teaches 24 classes a week, each class has a distinct personality and what works in one

class may not work for another. As Guilloteaux states, “no single motivational strategy can

always motivate every learner in any situation, because of the dynamic character of the

classroom context (4). I learned that we had to be flexible when teaching and had to be prepared

to make changes to the lesson depending on the class’reaction. This was especially important

when teaching quieter classes or high energy classes. No matter the class we had to focus on

getting the students motivated and engaged, while also properly pacing our lesson for the allotted

50 minutes.

Since teachers often teach to the test, I have noticed in Greg’s classroom that students

may be very talented at English grammar but may still struggle with speaking skills. There is

little correlation between students’ written/grammar ability and the students’ speaking skills.

With my time in Korea I have realized that students are forced to memorize vocabulary and
grammar rules in their English class in order to prepare for college entrance exams. Because of

this, Jaylen and I tried to focus mainly on verbal communication skills when teaching in Greg’s

classroom. These skills are more helpful when having to communicate with other English

speakers, and it was a nice break from their other English classes taught by Korean teachers.

Despite the long hours of studying, the students were always so enthusiastic and happy to

talk to us. Their positive attitudes are what motivated to make the best lesson possible for the

classroom. Even on our first day, the students didn’t know us at all but were all so welcoming

from the beginning. During this program, I have realized the workload and preparation needed to

be a successful teacher. However, because of the Kyunghwa students, I have learned how

rewarding it is to be a teacher. I have learned so much about Korean culture, Korean high school

life, and about teaching from the girls at Kyunghwa. It was so much fun to teach them about my

experience growing up in the US and to learn from them about their experiences growing up in

Korea. Though I have experienced some xenophobic opinions from Koreans, usually older

people, while studying in Seoul last year, I loved that the students were so welcoming to all of

us. No matter our age, race, or gender they were always so happy to talk to us. This made me

realize that Korea is quickly changing as people, especially the younger generation, is more open

minded to foreigners and other social issues.

After my experience on the TESOL program, I feel much more knowledgeable about

EFL teaching. Now that I’ve had some experience in an EFL classroom, I can make a more

informed decision on my future career path. I would love to return to Korea and try teaching for

at least a couple years. From there, I may go back to graduate school or pursue another career.

But I loved my time on this TESOL practicum and since it was only six weeks, I would love to

teach for a longer period of time in the future. This program made me realize how much work
teachers put into the classroom. I’ve also discovered how rewarding it is to teach and form

relationships with the students.

 References

Choi, I. (2008). The impact of EFL testing on EFL education in Korea. Language Testing,25(1),

39-62.

Guilloteaux, M. (2013). Motivational strategies for the language classroom: Perceptions of

Korean secondary school English teachers. System,41(1), 3-14.