Kevin Bartz - Reflection #2

As we progress through this semester, I find myself feeling more and more excited about teaching English abroad.  I now have a broad understanding of the various teaching models and environments that I may encounter if I follow through with my plans to teach in South Korea.  Familiarizing myself with these general concepts is a huge leap forward to choosing the right kind of school that I want to teach at, be it private a Hagwon school or a public school.  Speaking with a recruiter in the spring will be much more insightful now that I have an abundance of detailed questions to ask about how to pick the right school.  My impression, which is based upon research and inquiring with a friend who has taught in Korea already, is that I would likely wind up in an immersion program.  This is comforting because I will only have to speak English in the classroom.  It is unnerving also though, because I will be almost entirely unable to communicate in Korean.  That could lead to problems while trying to, say, assert authority or check for understanding.  However, I would much prefer this than having to be in a classroom with split language use.  I would like to teach elementary students, perhaps 2nd or 3rd graders, and having a split language environment may encourage them to use their dominant language while I am trying to teach or communicate in English.  I assume that any lesson plans would be pre-made for me to simply follow, but having a background on how to create one and modify one as needed is comforting as well.