?Thanks, Ellie!? Yea Eun, who is the one of my students in Fresno Korean Language School, said. Her words touched my heart. She and I hugged each other and celebrated the 1st place prize that Yea Eun got in the competition which was held by Fresno Korean Presbyterian Church to measure improvement and Korean language ability of elementary students.
Even though the class which I took care of was about beginners? level, Yea Eun worked so hard along a year and finally won the competition. Her success gave me strength all the time when I struggled with teaching other kids in the class. However, her award was just the tip of the iceberg.
Two years ago, when I was sophomore, I decided to volunteer for teaching Korean after I saw American-born kids struggling with Korean-speaking parents. Because I also struggled at school due to language difficulty, I understood how they felt at home and it made me want to help the kids. Unaware of hardness, I signed to become a Korean Language School teacher.
Full of excitement, I began my first class on Sunday afternoon. Using both English and Korean, I tried hard to help the kids understand what they were learning. However, teaching little kids was harder than I expected. Sometimes they played around with their toys and did not want to face letters that they had never seen before. They brought dolls, robots and game players instead homework and I did not have an idea how to draw their attention.
Passing many nights with anxiety and distress, I realized I had to make class enjoyable for the elementary students. I developed educational games of Korean and made up songs. I began to teach them using the new forms; the kids got back to work and found pleasure from learning unfamiliar language.
The class entertained me and all of the students and I was so happy to see the kids were studying so hard. The kids were getting improved through the semesters, and their hard work marked big success. They started to communicate using another language and understood their parents.
After I spent two years as a teacher, I could look back myself and I also could think about how teachers work so hard. I appreciate all the teachers who helped me and thank my kids who followed me well.
Maddie Yee • Aug 18, 2010 at 6:57 am
I think that Breakaway is such a neat idea! It is so cool to hear that local churches come together to serve our community. I hope that everyone involved has a great experience. Whenever there is a chance to serve God, He uses people in unique ways.
Robert Foshee • Aug 18, 2010 at 6:57 am
Pastor Matt and the Breakaway group are following Jesus’ example and reaching people where there needs are. Be praying for doors to open and opportunities for these students and leaders to display and speak the gospel.