ELT career

I came to Korea 10 years ago as a young, naive person looking to conquer the world. That didn't quite happen, but I did grow up in Korea, that's for sure. I was a huge decision for me to come here to teach and I pretty much learnt how to teach on my feet. I had no professional training whatsoever and i just "winged it". Slowly I became a better teacher throughout the years. One of the biggest decisions i have made since being here as a teacher is moving to teach at the university. I saw this as an opportunity to develop myself professionally. I had taught other younger age groups before hand and saw this change as a challenge. What this change did was to open my eyes about how young Koreans become adults and enter the working world. I have seen freshman turn into great young adults full of determination to greet the world. Seeing these changes in students makes me think about my own path chosen in life. I often give students advice to travel overseas, and even encourage it. By comparing my own life and the positive events that have come from my decision to come to Korea i can encourage other young adults at the University to try new things in life, and most of all that it is not too late to just accept that they will just get a job in their major and that there is no other choice for them. I guess I come into conflict with the values that the students have had drum into them from their parents, former teachers, and the education system. Most of my advice to get out and try new things has fallen on deaf ears and i understand that it could be because of lack of funds, but for the most part it seems that students feel it is more beneficial for them to just keep plodding along with what they are doing, and fair enough, who's to say what is right?

I feel that I am marginalized at work mainly in two areas. One is office space, and the second is curriculum and grading requirements. I do not see these as negative aspects of my job however, but see it as a challenge to overcome. I know how big the office spaces are upstairs, and I know what is required of me to get there (qualifications and dedication). So this can be achieved and also by working hard at making better curriculum and fairer grading I, as the coordinator, may have opportunities to convince the staff in charge to change their views. This is something that I have been working on this semester and will continue to do so as long as it takes.

What have my students taught me about myself...?

After thinking about this question over the last week, I have found that my students have taught me that I should have more confidence in them. I had been spoon feeding them over the past years, giving them information that they could have been discovering themselves. So I have now discovered that I should be more of a facilitator, not a preacher. Having the confidence that they can work it out themselves has been good for both me and my students. I can see how they feel after working it out for themselves, and it makes me feel good knowing that they can do this also.
A language class only works when students feel comfortable, and safe in the environment. There had been times in the past where i thought a strong approach would seem better, but after an understanding approach these days, it seems as though a mutual respect between us has been found. Students are approaching me with problems and my office hours actually are a lot busier than they once were. I see this as a positive sign that my students feel comfortable when approaching me more than before.
In saying that there were times when i was also a push over and corrected every little mistake in a students writing for them, these days, using my figure it out yourself approach, I merely point out the error and get them to figure out what is wrong by themselves.
I guess my students have taught me that there are times when understanding is needed and when a forceful approach is needed. In terms of the classroom atmosphere, getting the students to figure it out themselves installs a sense of belief that they can do it, and increase their confidence.