Jeong-Sang Language School

At the beginning of May 2000, I was back in Korea ready to start my latest incarnation as an English teacher. The school was Jeong-sang Language School -- JLS.

The first week introduced me to life at JLS, and I sensed this school was different right away. First of all, my first two days (May 3-4) were spent meeting the man who hired me, Baker Huh, and observing other teachers. This was different from my other schools where they simply put me in a class on the first day to sink or swim. Apparently, JLS cared how their teachers did just a bit more than these other schools. The first teacher I observed was my friend Sara. She looked very comfortable with the little kids, and seemed to have the class under full control. It made me think that teaching children wouldn't be a big problem at JLS.

The following day, I observed two classes at the Bundang school where I would be working. The teachers were Gord and Daniel. I found Daniel's class interesting, as Daniel seemed like an incredibly mellow guy who could not be affected by whatever the kids did. I admired his attitude, but I knew I would never be like him in a class of kids.

Later that day, I met with the teacher (Joy) whom I would eventually be replacing. She gave a lesson on classroom discipline that seemed helpful at the time. However, I've long since forgotten what she had to say, and in any event I have developed my own approach to discipline. Let's just say my approach is more to the point and less 'warm and fuzzy' than was Joy's.

On May 5th, Children's Day, I attended my first official JLS function -- Sports Day. Held on the grounds of East Seoul University, all the teachers and staff of the four JLS schools attended this day-long event of sports, a magic show, and gift giving by the president of the school, Mr. Huh. I remember being stunned by the display of generosity, as seemingly hundreds of presents ranging from small to expensive were dispensed. It was on this day, only my third as an official member of the JLS family, that I remarked to other teachers that working for JLS felt like working for The Firm (as in the Tom Cruise movie of the same name). Incidentally, seven years later, I still believe the comparison to The Firm holds true -- for both good and bad reasons.

The following Monday, I finally entered the classroom for the first time as the teacher. And in an ominous sign of things to come, I was greeted by a class of grade six students who glared at me with evil intent. After about ten minutes of earnestly trying to apply the classroom discipline techniques taught me by Joy, I had had enough of the kids' attitude. Out came my first "honest" response: "You don't have to be jerks!"

Yep, it didn't take long to see how things were going to be in the classroom. But working for JLS would be much more than just what was happening in the classroom. It was going to be about opportunities to develop curriculum, and it would be about meeting some of my closest friends. And, finally, it would be about making gobs of money. For sure, the devil had his hooks in me.