I have long since given you a tour of my apartment, so I guess it's only fair to get a tour of my school. Worwick is very different from the public school I used to work at, but still fairly common as far as Hagwons or private academies go. We are the 5th floor of a building not too far from my house.
This is my classroom! Home to Orion Class! All of the classes are constellation themed and so we are the hunters of the group? I guess - although I will say I don't think our sign really looks like a hunter, or even really a person.
So now that you've had a more than sufficient look at my classroom lets move on to the rest of the school.
To the left of the front desk are the possible uniform options for your little darling if you decide to have us run around and try to teach your kid English .
I have to say the uniforms are really freaking cute- especially the little girl bloomer/skort option.
This is where I do most of my Teachery business, except of course when random kids talk to me on the street and I correct their grammar (just kidding).
From Worwick with Teachery Love,
Jenna
This is my classroom! Home to Orion Class! All of the classes are constellation themed and so we are the hunters of the group? I guess - although I will say I don't think our sign really looks like a hunter, or even really a person.
I teach the oldest group of kindergartners/preschoolers- who will go on to 1st grade next March, and I also teach 2nd grade after school classes to some of the best behaved kids in the bunch.
Before we had our parent/teacher conferences I decided to step it up and decorate my class. I mean I'm one of the lucky classrooms with big windows that don't face the building next door, so I might as well take advantage of the sunshine and make the place even more cheerful.
I bought origami paper and embroidery thread (since it's thicker than regular thread, but not as thick as yarn) for a few bucks at Daiso and made what I think look a little like nautical flags or pendants by gluing two pieces of paper color side out with the thread in between.
I bought origami paper and embroidery thread (since it's thicker than regular thread, but not as thick as yarn) for a few bucks at Daiso and made what I think look a little like nautical flags or pendants by gluing two pieces of paper color side out with the thread in between.
I then continued that theme and made the same sort of 'flags' with my kindergarten kids' names on them.
Excuse me while I get all teacher-y for a moment:
Since I spend the majority of each day with my kindergarten kids a lot of the stuff in the room is dedicated to them. We have the Days and the Months Velcro-ed to the wall and whoever is Captain for the day gets to put them up on the board for us (they also get to be first in line, pick games if we have time, and read first if they want). Also if we have something big coming up in the month- like a day off of school or a field trip, I write them on the laminated numbers in dry-erase pen so they can count down how many 'sleeps' until the big day.
On the top corner of the white board next to the Captain crown, we have our star system. Stars are given for good behavior- I try not to take away stars, only give them for good things, but it has happened. Once a child gets 30 stars they get to pick a prize - I give out stars sparingly enough so they get a prize about once a quarter- and this is much easier to do with only 5 students. Prizes are usually cost about 2 dollars and range from stickers to pencil cases, to more stickers. My class really digs stickers.
Also we've started keeping a hangman on the board to see if our class is behaving well enough to play a game that day. Yes it is a game to see if we can play games, but the kids seem be more receptive to a tangible representation of their behavior. So instead of scolding them to pay attention or be on the correct page I can silently draw a part of the hangman and if he dies by the end of the day (or the first half of the day depending on how much time we have) then we can't play a game.
This has also been a great tool for my kindergartners (they're 7 in Korea, but still only 5 in the U.S.) the all powerful "What are we doing Today?" Before I put up our daily schedule I got so many questions of why we couldn't do Arts and Crafts or Cooking class whenever we felt like it. Now I still get questions, but usually the other kids provide the answer- I also think it's helping reinforce the Days of the Week for them.
Life on the 5th floor- My room faces a big apartment building, but at least it's not right next to it and we get tons of sunshine.
If I look at the left corner of my windows I can almost see the ocean- we're right by the start of the Gwangan Bridge. It's nice knowing that the ocean is almost close by.
And of course, I can't teach Kindergarten without the "Wall of Art" above my desk.
So now that you've had a more than sufficient look at my classroom lets move on to the rest of the school.
Right as you step off the elevators you are accosted, I mean inundated, or maybe 'welcomed' with the fact that you are at Worwick.
Student shoe shelves, and ones for us adults too- like you do.
To the left of the front desk are the possible uniform options for your little darling if you decide to have us run around and try to teach your kid English .I have to say the uniforms are really freaking cute- especially the little girl bloomer/skort option.
Then of course is the kids' favorite part of our Worwick Empire- the 'Fun House'. Literally the sign says 'Fun House' on it. I have to say it is pretty impressive, I'm not going to lie. I was shocked by the climbing structure my first day of work. This is also where we practice performances and hold our Birthday Parties- it even has a projection screen that comes down and we can use it to watch movies on. 
Our cutesy bathrooms- thankfully accidentally going into the wrong gender's bathroom happens way less than I initially thought it would with a bunch of little ones running around.
And from there is the rest of the astrologically themed classrooms and the glass encased "Staff Office", and of course the supply closet at the end of the hall that some of the old teachers convinced the kids is where the ghost "James White" lives.
The kitchen is to the left of the library (we eat our lunch and morning snack in our classrooms) and my class is on the other side of the library nook. I have since pilfered/read the BFG, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and the absolutely fantastic Phantom Tollbooth, from the school's library.
This is where I do most of my Teachery business, except of course when random kids talk to me on the street and I correct their grammar (just kidding).
From Worwick with Teachery Love,
Jenna
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