Gratitude and unexpected moments

Today was one of those days.  You know those days.  The kind of day where you just want to scream.
So I have a co-teacher at my school.  If you teach English in Korea, you have a co-teacher.  Some co-teachers are wonderful.  And some are not.  My co-teacher is a wonderful person.  But as a teacher?  Not so much.  She's 24 and has only been teaching since March.  Yes, she was trained for teaching special education, but teacher training in Korea is um...uh...not very good to say the least, at least not compared to the training I've had in the states (and continue to have).

However, it's her classroom, and I am her "paraprofessional" and basically do what she tells me.  It is not my classroom, and therefore I cannot teach the way I want to teach.  This is definitely teaching me patience.  I've been teaching 15 years.  I know how to teach.  Nevertheless, she talks to me like I'm a child and has me teaching using methods that I do not agree with.  Today I wanted to scream.  She went over her plans for me for 10 minutes...reading and pointing and asking me, "Do you understand?"  It makes me want to scream.  It's been hard going from being a classroom teacher where I made all the decisions as to how I would teach my students to being a teacher where I have to do what she tells me.  "Angela, can you read this sentence?  Can you read it slower?  Like word by word?"  "Angela, can you ask them what is the day today?"  I've learned to just smile.  You know...nod and smile.  Nod and smile.

Teaching at my school is hard.  Challenging.  Very difficult.  My students are not only visually impaired or blind, but they also have moderate to severe learning disabilities AND they barely know any English.  I have brought picture books, music, songs, games, etc to the classroom, but there are some days that I feel like I'm so ineffective.  Some days I want to scream.  Some days I want to cry.  And then some days there are unexpected moments of happiness, laughter, and joy.

As hard as it is, I know God placed me at my school for a reason.  He knew exactly what He was doing.  And my job is to trust him.  So I trust him.  I trust him on those days where I want to scream.  I trust him on those days where I want to cry.  And I am grateful for this experience.  How many people can say that they have taught English to blind children in Korea?

I called a friend last night to ask her a question (she's a fellow English teacher in Korea), and we ended up talking almost 2 hours and 30 minutes.  We were sharing our experiences and talking about the way that God has worked in our lives.  It was a blessing.  Such a blessing.  Don't you love conversations like that?

One day, I will look back on this experience and be so incredibly grateful.  I will remember my students with fondness.  I will remember singing "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes".  I will remember hearing "nice to meet you" from my students in the hallway even though I have taught them for 4 months.  I will remember these moments, and I will smile.  I will be grateful for this amazing experience.  And I will know that I was absolutely where God wanted me.

Anybody else out there ever felt this way?  Where you've been in a difficult situation but you knew that God placed you there?  Sometimes we don't know why.  We don't see the big picture.  But he does.

Last week, I had those unexpected moments of happiness, laughter, and joy with my elementary classes in winter camp.  The co-teachers I was working with (different co-teachers) let me do whatever I wanted.  And we had a fabulous time!

We started off doing simple exercises to fun upbeat music from my iPod.  I brought my little speakers, and we had a blast.  They LOVED it!  And they learned simple words for movement.

This is my first class of 5th and 6th graders.

 Then we played Hot Potato.  When the music (again using my iPod and speaker) stopped, whoever had the ball had to say a sentence in English.  Some of the ones we've done are:
- I like to eat _____.
- I _____ at school.
- My name is _____.
- My favorite animal is _____.

This is my 2nd class of 3rd and 4th graders.  They barely know any English at all.  But they sure did love the exercises.  And by the way....I wondered why I was sore the next day.  Haha!

Both classes loved, loved, loved Hot Potato.  I have never seen them smile or laugh so much in the classroom.  It sure did make my heart smile.  I want more of this.

Christmas Time!

This past week I have been introducing Christmas to my students.  We read, It Is Christmas, my Christmas emergent reader, and sang the book as we read it.  My students tend to read better when it's put to music or rhythm.  I wonder if that's true for all ESL students.

After we read the book, we also matched the Christmas words to the pictures using my Christmas ESL vocabulary cards.  My students can't read, so what I usually do is read the word while showing the card.  Then I put out maybe 6-8 pictures and have them find the picture that matches the word.  

Of course, we also sang some Christmas songs like Jingle Bells, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

I am always thinking of how to best teach my students over here.  Not only are they blind or visually impaired, but they also have moderate to severe learning disabilities.  I have students at the middle school level who are learning their ABCs or early sight words.  Then on top of that they are learning a second language.  I have tried using TPR activities in the classroom, but I am struggling to come up with activities that truly work.  Some of the TPR activities I have found require them to stand up when they hear a word that starts with the "P" sound; however, my students have trouble deciphering words that start with certain sounds.

I would LOVE any ideas that you have.  The way that my co-teacher teaches is to say each word extremely slowly and with bad enunciation.  Then she has the students repeat each word after her.  Are they learning English?  No.  Have any great ideas that you could share with me?  Please?

Fall in Korea

Well, it is officially fall in Korea!  The leaves are changing and the weather is getting cooler.  Bring out the winter gear, which by the way I never really need in Texas.  I bought my first wool coat from a girl who had to move back home unexpectedly.  I will also be purchasing my very first pair of winter boots here shortly.  Is it sad that I'm kind of looking forward to the cold weather?  Well...then again, I'm also a little terrified of the cold weather.  It gets to negative 5 degrees.  I've never experienced weather that cold before.  Bring. It. On.

Last week, we had a Harvest Event at school.  The students harvested rice, and then used the rice to make rice cakes and popped rice.  They had a lot of fun.  Here are a couple of pictures:

With the fall weather, it's time for Halloween!  I am completely trying something new in my classroom.  I have been doing mostly ABC activities and early phonics, but it's been difficult.  My students are visually impaired, so I can't do some of the regular fun phonics activities that I have found on Pinterest.  I found one where they put phonics words around the room, and the students try to be the first student to find it.  I think that sounds really fun, but my students can't see that well.  I have tried doing something like with my small groups, but they just don't participate sometimes.

So...I decided to completely revamp things.  My co-teacher wants me to do phonics, so I will spend the first 15 minutes doing phonics and then the next 30 minutes doing thematic unit activities.  Each week will be a new thematic unit.  Some classes I see once a week, and some classes I see 2-3 times a week, so some classes will get more activities than others.

So far, the list of ideas I have are:

• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas
• New Years
• Olympics
• Musical instruments
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Soccer
• Football
• Butterflies
• Oceans
• Rainforests
• Winter
• Spring
• Summer
• Fall
• Solar system
• The sun
• Earth
• Bones
• Going to the doctor
• Going to the dentist
• Senses
• Washing hands
• Homes
• Transportation

My plan is to show a quick video on the topic, do a couple worksheets with new vocabulary, and do an activity where we act out gestures or sing a song.  I am starting to find some great videos on YouTube and have started playlists on each topic.  If you have any ideas, I would LOVE to hear them!

I have found some great Halloween videos that I wanted to share.  Maybe you can use some of these in your classroom.  I am always on the lookout for fun, catchy videos...especially if there is a fun song.

I have found some great visual ABC cards with actual photographs.  I don't have access to a color printer here in Korea, but I do really like the cards.  You can find them HERE.

This is a sample of the D flashcards.  Aren't they great?

Making up songs to teach

I sing a lot in my classes.  It doesn't matter if I am teaching English to blind students or 5th grade math in Texas.  I sing and dance...making up songs and actions for the songs to help my students remember and understand what they are learning.

My students this year need to use tactile as much as possible since they are blind.  I have been struggling this year with what exactly to teach my students and how to teach them.  Many of them are very low and are working on learning their ABCs and phonics.  However, they also need to learn basic English conversation.  So I made up some songs about some simple early English conversations.

The first song is sung to the tune of "London Bridge".

Hello, hello, how are you? - wave hello and then hand out gesturing "how are you"
How are you? How are you?
Hello, hello, how are you?
I'm fine thank you. - put hand on your chest

My name is Angela (they of course say their own name and not my name), - put hand on your chest
Angela, Angela, Angela,
My name is Angela,
Nice to meet you. - shake hands with your friend or partner

With my students, they didn't understand not to say my name and say their name instead.  So we went around the room and sang each student's name.  They loved it when it was time to sing their name.  They would smile really big and get to shake my hand.  It was so cute.


The next song I made up is sung to the tune of "Are You Sleeping".

How are you? How are you?
I am hungry. - rub stomach as if you're hungry
I am hungry.
I am hungry.

Repeat with:
I am cold. - shiver
I am hot. - fan yourself
I am tired. - sleepy hands next to face
I am happy. - happy face
I am sad. - sad face
I am good. - thumbs up
I am great. - hands up in the air
I am OK. - give the OK signal

I am hungry

I am cold.

I am tired.

I am happy.

I am great.

I am good.

I am OK.

He loved the songs....much more than I thought he would.  Now I get to think of more songs to create!

Do you use songs in your classroom?  Do you even make up songs to use in your classroom?  I'd love for you to share them!

I have added several products to my TPT Store!  Check them out and let me know what you think!

My first product to share with you is my Math Choice Boards.  I used these last year when I taught 5th grade math.  It was so difficult to work with small groups when the rest of the class wasn't on task.  So I created some fun projects for them to work on, projects where they were able to show what they know in activities that they got to choose.  They LOVED being able to choose which project they would work on.  Some of them loved to create games, so they got to choose "create a game".  Some of them were really great at computer projects, so they were excited about being able to be creative using the computer.  My students stayed on task, they were into what they were doing, and they really were able to show what they learned about each objective.  It was a win-win.  Click HERE to download Math Choice Boards.

I also added the project, Costa's House of Questions.  I went to a workshop last year and learned about Costa's House of Questions.  It's another way to look at the Bloom's Taxonomy, and I absolutely loved it.  Bloom's has 6 levels and is sometimes hard to distinguish between the 6 levels.  If it's hard for me, then I know it must be hard for my students.  Costa's House of Questions only has 3 levels, with the 3rd level being the highest level.  It was SO much easier for my students to understand.  I created a huge bulletin board in my classroom for us to use in our lessons.  Click HERE to download.

The last product I added was my Collection of Checklists.  I'm one of those teachers who strives to be super organized.  Now it doesn't always turn out that way, but I do strive for it.  One of the things I use to stay organized is checklists.  I use a checklist for anything I can think of.  I included several checklists in the collection and even several blank ones for you to use however you want. Click HERE to download.

Tactile learning

Since my students are visually impaired, they need as much tactile learning as possible.  I've never had to think about this before, but I am enjoying the challenge.

I went to a big stationery store last week here in Daejeon and found these colorful balls.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, but I knew I should get them.  So I did.

Several of my students are working on their letters, so I thought it would be fun to make the letters using the balls.  They really enjoyed it.

We watched our favorite ABC song from YouTube.  Here is the link again: A is for Apple ABC song

I paused the video at each letter and had the students make that letter.

They enjoy anything tactile and anything they can actually make or create.  I will definitely be doing this again.  I'm thinking of creating some ready-made letters for my lower students to fill in with the balls.

I have also been revamping my products in my Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) store.  These are two products I just finished and added.  I used "Say Something" pretty much every single day when I was teaching in Texas.  My students loved it, and it really did help them to have the thinking sentence stems.

I used "Say Something" in reading, writing, science, and social studies.  I used it in whole class lessons, small groups, and with partner and individual work.  There are so many possibilities.  I would always model it first, and then let them practice.  After several practice sessions, they became pros at it!

Say Something

Last year, I taught 5th grade math, and I used "Say Something" but made it a little bit different.  It really did help my students to understand and verbalize what they were learning and doing in math.  It's so important for students to be able to explain it so that they internalize it.  It was invaluable in my classroom.

Say Something in Math

Fruit loops

Who knew that middle school boys would do anything for Fruit Loops?

I had tried to think of something to motivate my students.  Stickers weren't working for most of them because they can't see the sticker well.  I had brought some Fruit Loops for a snack to keep at my desk...just for me.  I hadn't planned on giving any to my students.  However, on a whim, I went and got them and gave them a Fruit Loop for getting an answer right.  They loved it!  I was shocked.  Surprised.  Flabbergasted.  Excited.  I found something that they liked!

So on this activity, I found some phonics flashcards online, printed them, and cut them out.

Have you ever used this website?  They have some great stuff on it, from flash cards to reading comprehension worksheets.
http://havefunteaching.com/

I gave them a card with a word and its picture on it.  Each student had their own set of magnetic letters.  The first student who spelled the word correctly got 2 Fruit Loops, and the other student got 1 Fruit Loop when he spelled it correctly.

Here are some of the words that we used.

I am constantly looking for new activities to use with my middle school students.  Although they are on a Kindergarten/1st grade level, they like to feel like they are in middle school.  Do you have any ideas?  I'd LOVE to hear them!

Karaoke in the classroom?

What?  Karaoke in the classroom?  You might be saying, "I don't have a karaoke machine."  Just wait, my friends, just wait.

I have been trying to find different ways to teach English to my visually impaired students.  It needs to have music or rhythm to keep them entertained...and for me not to fall asleep in the boring textbook lessons.

Look what I found on YouTube today?! A whole channel on karaoke songs!  I'm so excited I just can't hide it!  There are songs from Lady Gaga to Neil Diamond to Kenny Rogers to The Beatles.

I cannot contain my excitement, and I just had to share it with you.  You all know that I will find any excuse to sing in the classroom.  Here is a great reason!

Here is the channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYi9TC1HC_U2kaRAK6I4FSQ

And here are a couple of my favorites:

I'm sure you could even use it to build up your students' reading speeds.  How else can you think of using karaoke in the classroom?

Happy singing!

Where have I been?

The big question is...."Where have I been?"  Why haven't I posted in several months?

Well, I have a good reason.  A really good reason.  I resigned from my teaching job in Texas to follow a dream I've had for the past 10 years.  I am teaching English in Daejeon, Korea.  I have wanted to teach overseas for a long time, and I just decided to do it.  I am absolutely loving it, and I don't regret it at all.

I actually started another blog that details my whole experience, and I share my pictures, stories, and experiences on it. I'd love for you to check it out! elephanthat.blogspot.com 

I am teaching at Daejeon Public School for the Blind.  I have taught for 15 years, but I have never taught blind students.  This is a new experience for me.  My students are either completely blind or have low vision.  Most of my students have intellectual disabilities as well, so I am learning to embrace Pre-K and Kinder activities, songs, books, and chants.

I hope to create some fun activities for them in the classroom.  We've been singing a lot of songs, which they love.  I bought some musical instruments from the store here in Daejeon, and it is so much fun to watch them.  I also bought some magnetic letters and a magnetic board to practice learning the alphabet and beginning phonics.  I have never taught kindergarten, so this is totally new to me.  I have worked in day care for years and Backyard Bible Clubs and Vacation Bible School, so at least I have worked with younger kiddos.  I have been searching and searching the internet for songs, videos, picture books, poems, chants, rhymes....basically anything that can help me.

Here are some great videos that I found to practice the alphabet and the alphabet sounds.  I have the students move their chairs right up to the screen so they can see the letters and hear the sounds.

On this first video, we play it through once so we can listen and sing.  Then I play it again, stopping at each letter and have the students find the magnetic letter that it goes to and repeat the chant for that letter.  They are getting really good at the letters and the sounds.  Sometimes, students in Korea have difficulty sounding out certain letters, and this video is helping.

Since I'm in Korea, I do not have "home court advantage".  I can't run right out to Wal-Mart and pick up supplies.  I can't go to Half Price Books to build up my classroom library and buy books.  So you know what I did?  I went on YouTube and found picture books being read aloud.  I never knew they did this!  Did you?  Well, when I found it, it just made my day.  I now have playlists on my YouTube channel: picture books, Dr Seuss, phonics, nursery rhymes, ABCs, music videos, etc.  I am a happy girl in Korea!

Here are a couple of my favorites so far.  I just discovered this a couple of days ago, so I haven't had a chance to show all the books:

Here are a couple of awesome phonics videos that I found for sight words.  I will be adding these in to my plans this next week.  What's awesome is that this particular YouTube channel has tons of videos for sight words.  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1jhiDqp-jIYR07Ini8Jamw  Score!

Last but not least are my nursery rhymes.  I have two girls in my high school class that I just adore.  They both have low vision and intellectual disabilities, but they are always happy to come to class and see me.  They often walk in and immediately ask if we can sing and dance.  My co-teacher had originally planned for me to work with them only one day a week, but the girls loved my singing so much that I now get the privilege of working with them three days a week.  I quickly discovered that they already knew several songs, so I used that and then expanded on it.  They LOVE to do the motions to any song and use the musical instruments.  I found this channel on YouTube where the colors are vivid, and the characters are super cute.  The channel is called Little Baby Bum.
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKAqou7V9FAWXpZd9xtOg3Q
Here are our favorite nursery rhymes:

And their absolute favorite....which gets the "Saturday Night Fever" moves from one of the girls...

I am learning so much teaching and living in Korea.  If you have ever thought about it, do it!  If you have any questions about teaching in Korea, I'd be more than happy to answer them!