These four women were in "Class 1". Belle (she's in the back on the left) was a wonderful helper to me these past five months. We went shopping and got hair cuts together. She and her husband helped me buy my cell phone, which was a more complicated process than I'd anticipated, involving my bank account information and restrictions on which phones I could choose because I'm a foreigner. They also took me to a local restaurant that specializes in vegetarian noodle soup!
In her good-bye letter, Belle wrote, "You cannot imagine how much I like you....You are generous and kind, especially when you smile. It tells me you are a warm-hearted person....Thanks to your writing lesson, I came to feel free from the anxiety of writing. I used to be afraid of writing, but now I enjoy writing in English without worries....My husband and daughter feel happy when they meet you. I hope we can still keep in touch. Please feel free to let me know when you have questions or problems. I'm willing to help you. We are friends!"
How sweet is that?
Lois (sitting next to Belle) said, "It took almost 7 years for me to have a chance to talk with a native English speaker, so I had a very high anxiety to speak out in class....As time went by, I had many chances to have a conversation with you, and I could dispel my worries and anxiety gradually....I'm so impressed by your good model as a teacher....you gave me an excellent challenge to work on developing my weak points in English, which I wouldn't ever get if I didn't meet you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Promise me that you (will) recover from your coughing and (get) back on your feet soon."
I don't mean to blow my own horn by quoting these letters. Many of them express similar sentiments--gratitude, concern, affection. But a few stand out for different reasons.
What struck me about Lois' letter was her saying that she'd never had a chance to talk with a native English speaker before. Apparently, this isn't entirely unheard of, which is why there are now programs like the one I'm teaching in. Traditionally, Korean students have been learning the "receptive skills" of listening and reading, but not the "productive skills" of speaking and writing. So they're often able to understand but not communicate themselves. The big push now is to change this so they'll be able to function in the globalized world of English.
Kate (front left) wrote, "How can I thank you enough? No way!"
I thought this was cute because it's an example of how she and her classmates like using American colloquialisms.
Jennifer (front right) was so diligent that even in her good-bye letter she asked me for advice on how to correct her English because she wasn't sure if she'd written an answer in her writing test (which I created) correctly. She also added "I've met quite a few native teachers (who) teach English in Korea before....There was no one like you to make me feel comfortable to speak and write freely.... When you caught a bad cold, I guessed you had a hard time to adjust in Korea...."(She was right about that last part.)
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