Summer Camp

I'm currently running an English Camp at my school.  It has nothing to do with camping, just English classes that run during the Korean summer holidays.  I had the luck of only having to do it for 3 weeks. Kristin gets to do it for 4, but others that we know have not had to do the camp at all or just done one week of it. 

Koreans think highly of education.  In addition to attending public school for 5 or 6 days a week, parents pay a lot of money, and enrole their children in various private acadamies that include English, Math, Science, Music and even Art.  Many students don't get home until around 9pm, and then have to work on homework all night.  In my opinion, it's an awful way to spend your childhood.  However, their society believes that since they don't have any natural resources, they need to educate themselves to the fullest.  I believe that a lot of them actually just send their children to these academies to either keep up with the Jones' or to get the children off their hands. I'm sure there's not much need to send your kids to Math and Science acamadies during elementary school.  Your not exactly working on Calculus or Quantum Physics when your 10.

Back to discussing summer camp.  Many public schools offer English summer and winter camps.  They run for much of the duration of the vacation period.  Thus, many students actually have to go to school during their summer and winter vacations.  It is the choice of the students and parents whether or not to attend these camps.  Since they are free, I'm sure that the parents view this as quite the opportunity for free time during the summer break. Well, since I'm the native English speaker at my school, that also means that, with the exception of about a week during both vacation periods, I get the priveledge of working.  Quite a bit different from Canadian schools. Although it sounds like I'm just rambling on end about having to work all year round like most others in the world, there are some bright points about the summer camps.  I was allowed to make my own lessons, and not have to follow an incredibly boring curriculum which I do the remainder of the year.  I'm also allowed to leave early many of the days, rather then sit in my office and do "Internet Research".  Furthermore, the other Korean teachers, of which there are generally only two in the school during the vacation period because they don't work the summer camps (they get around 35-40 days off per period), will always buy me lunch.  Everyday I offer to pay, but they will never let me.  Even if I try and say that I'll buy the meal for everyone, they tell me no.  I was going to continue about the summer camps and talk about rodents and exploding TVs but that'll have to wait because I'm hungry and was bored of this meaningless post long ago.