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Kuwentong ESL #9: Types of ESL Students

Disclaimer: I'm not endorsing any ESL Schools. I made this blog to share unforgettable things that only ESL teachers can relate.😝 I do not intend to harm anybody. ✌ *** ESL world is such a vast place but the four corners of a classroom makes it small. As they say, every person is unique, which makes life more intriguing. In this blog, I'll be sharing the different types of students I encountered in ESL world that made my ESL journey very colorful.  Ikimasho!!👊  1. OMG They are either Smarty-pants or feeling Smarty-pants. They will shower you with questions in each and every class, so you have to prepare all the time. Even a simple comma in a sentence is a big deal for them. They always join 'The Public Speaking Contest' to show what they have got.  2. Ocean Deep (Opposite of OMG) They are difficult to understand as their level is below the sea. You always need to breathe before going to your class to prepare yourself for a laborious 50-minute class with their electron...
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Kuwentong ESL #8: Stay-in Teachers

Disclaimer: I do not endorse any ESL schools. "Where do you sleep?" "So, teachers can stay here?" "You live next to Smoking Area?" "You have A/C in your room?" "Teacher!! Is that you?!" someone would shout at the smoking area while you were brushing your teeth at night at the sink next to it. These are just some of the typical questions I hear from my new students.  As I've mentioned in my previous blog, being a stay-in-teacher is one of many perks of being a full-time teacher at the school I used to work in. Actually, this is another reason why I applied for a Full-time teaching job aside from the fact that full-time teaching position could give me stability at work. When I was a part-timer, I used to be a bed spacer in one boarding house since I could not afford to pay my own apartment.  (Note: It takes an hour and a half from my hometown to my workplace, so I had no choice but to rent) When I became a stay-in-teacher, I didn'...
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Kuwentong ESL #7: ESL RULES

Rules are Rules Every home has its own rules that people who live there have to follow. So do companies. When I was a newbie teacher at school, I was overwhelmed with a lot of rules that they mentioned during the orientation. There were many Do's and Don'ts which I basically thought were O.A. Too much. Toxic. I even wondered if I could abide by them. "Anyway, I'm not planning to teach here for a long time, so it doesn't matter." That's what I thought.  In this blog, I will share some unforgettable experiences I had regarding ESL rules. Writer's note: All the information that you will read is just according to what I know/ remember.  Free Talking class.  If you are an ESL teacher, you definitely are familiar with it. Who wouldn't like it? But actually, in our institution, FREE-TALKING CLASS is not allowed because we had to follow the books. However, there were some students who asked questions out of the blue that would bring you both to some certai...
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Kuwentong ESL #6: The Four Times I Cried

What is good in "Goodbye"?   Who would have thought that I would hear that question from a ten-year old korean student. It also seems to be one of the most difficult words to say.  It could be nice to hear it  if you have assurance to meet that person again anytime. However, that is not the case for ESL teachers. Tik toc tic toc. Time flies so fast. You always have to say to goodbye to someone every month.  In our institution, some students stay for 6 months or more. These are usually adult students (the old or those who study English for their future career in Western Countries. Some of them go to the U.S., Canada, Australia or New Zealand for their working holidays after their stay.) We also have University or Junior students who stay for a month or two during winter or summer vacation. This is the busiest time of the year for us,full-time teachers, and also the time where I could get higher salary for handling special classes and being a guardian to junior student...
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Kuwentong ESL #5: My Korean Mom

I am writing this blog again to tell myself not to forget one special woman who influenced my thoughts and decisions. Her English name is Suzan.  Perhaps she was already in early fifty's when I met her.  Note: Age is a very sensitive topic in ESL world, so we do not normally ask students age specially when they are quite old). Suzan is a Korean but she migrated in Japan when she was a University student and stayed there for many years. She even had her own restaurant and building in Japan. However, she decided to go back home after staying there for a long time.  (As far as I remember, she also lived in other European country, though I don't remember its name). After that, she decided to go to the Philippines to learn how to play Golf. Yes. You would not believe it, right? TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY GOLF.  And since our school also offers that course where students have a 4 hour- Golf class and a 4 hour-  English class, she chose our institution.  My first impres...
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Kuwentong ESL #4: "T.G..I.F.!"

 Hanaking for the japanese. Bulgem for koreans.  Literally means "Fire Friday". I will never forget how happy my students' face were whenever I said those phrases. T.G.I.F. as we, ESL Teachers, say to our students or even to each other every Friday. However, some crazy party goers change TGIF to D.B.I.F. which stands for Drink Beer, It's Friday. I personally love Fridays because Mondays to Thursdays are quite exhausting. In our school before, Mondays to Thursdays were my busy days because I needed to teach from 8am to 5pm. If I had special classes, it would take me until 8pm to finish. However, every Friday, it seemed like the atmosphere was not too heavy. Even if I had to teach for eight hours, it was not that exhausting at all.. Maybe because I was looking forward to Friday nights or weekends, as much as I look forward to Pay Day. Koreans and Japanese university students love having a party every Friday night. If you have seen in kdramas or in jdramas how their part...
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Kuwentong ESL #3: "Jalmukesumneda!"

"People who love to eat are always the best people."  I do not know if it is just a mere coincidence, but most restaurants that I have been to where I read this quote on the wall often serve good food.   Aside from the diverse culture and traditions that I have learnt from teaching ESL learners, their love for food will always be notable for me. Korean food is loved by many filipinos as much as we love korean dramas. In this blog, I would like to share my journey in discovering korean food. While many people meet korean food through watching kdramas, I met them as I teach korean students. First was Kimchi. I had only seen it in kdramas and judging by its look, I did not like it at first.  One day, we went to a Diner just near the school we used to teach to have dinner. My friend who was also my co-teacher could not contain happiness when he saw this red colour radish with strange smell for me and smiled like a child after having a bite, but I, who found the taste str...
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