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Beginning with an Ending

Eight years ago, I began an adventure without too many expectations of where it would lead. In five months, this particular chapter will close and the time feels ripe for reflection. 

When I landed in South Korea for the first time, I had instructions to board such-and-such bus, ride it through the city, and to get off at such-and-such stop. I felt relatively peaceful about the situation and sure enough, when I alighted at the designated road, there was a cheerful man there to welcome me and load my luggage into his car. After picking up a new colleague, also just-arrived, we were whisked away to a dinner of fried chicken and light beer--a meal that was soon a passing familiarity. The next year was a delightful blur of new faces, language, food, events, and work. I thrived in the total immersion and the experience of testing myself against unfamiliar and sometimes, uncomfortable situations.

Maseok, South Korea (2011)

Two years prior to moving out of the US, I had finished a grueling and extended undergraduate course. I had then floundered around in the depressed economy, flirted with the world of publication, and put in too many hours at a budget hotel. Certainly, there many push factors which played into my big decision to move abroad. However, when I learned that one could teach without committing to a full training course, my interest was piqued. I had many preconceptions about becoming an educator: paperwork, planning, and grading seemed like a dreadful way to spend time. And yet, I was passionate about knowledge and the sharing of it. I was genuinely curious to find out if the classroom was for me.

In retrospect, I did take a roundabout course of action. It turns out that working as a classroom teacher was a great match for my interests and I probably would have been fine diving into a licensing program. However, every practical experience I have had, from the first cram-school style hagwon where I cut my teeth to the aspiring IB-program where I currently work, has provided me with a multitude of fortifying and valuable opportunities to build my knowledge-base. When I did finally did enter graduate school, I was highly motivated to rifle through my rudimentary experiences and to refine my teaching practice.

Maseok, South Korea (2011)

Knowledge, Praxis, Reflection

Teachers and students alike recognize that some of the most powerful learning experiences happen outside of the classroom. While the classroom can be a wonderful place to gather knowledge and to try out new strategies, it's often not until we're ignited by real-life encounters and challenges that these abstractions make sense.

In "Role of reflection and praxis in community-based learning & social justice work", Toby Smith and Marie Eaton understand that

Reflective practice is a complex and rich way to open the door between theory and application in order to foster a deeper kind of learning.

It's the "deeper kind of learning" that interests me, as I'm sure it does every educator worth their salt and every bored-to-tears student. Knowledge is thrilling but somewhat hollow without meaningful praxis. Another unique aspect of the classroom lies in the opportunities to slow down patterns of processing information: we can parse the life lessons into building, practicing, and reflecting on knowledge and our understanding. While humans are naturally reflective through conversations, art, writing, and any number of expressions, is it possible that we could be more intentional?

As I move my teaching practice back home to the US, I am keen to reserve a space to reflect on my novice practices and to cultivate connections between the rich resources I've found so far and those I'm about to encounter. I'll explore aspects of knowledge, praxis, and reflection because I do believe these are key elements of that "deeper kind of learning" we're after.

The author in Seoul, South Korea (2011)