Vote!

It is November and this year almost reached the end. There are several things you can see in the end of a year in campus. One of them is balloting.
Everywhere in the campus, it is easy to see candidates for the representatives of students and their fellows ask students to cast votes for them. Some of them wants to be the representatives in their departments and some wants to represent their college. They also put their photos on the walls and boards with their profile the promises for the next two semesters. Sometimes, they intrude classrooms before the class starts and promote their idea passionately.
People who are working hard are beautiful. If they don't play a fair game, however, they don't deserve to be praised. Lately, there was a heated discussion of the qualification of the candidate for the chief of the students' association. He was not eligible for the candidate because he was not registered in the university this semester. To make him as a candidate, the chief of election administration, who is the current chief of the students' association, changed regulation five days before candidates registration. After that was known to students, they were blame for trying to maintain their authority. The previous candidate resigned now and there is no one who registered as a candidate.
I don't know how it is going to be later and what is going to go on.
Even though I am going to graduate after this winter, I have a right for voting. I will have a look on the situation and make a right decision for my junior students.

Class Outing

Last Saturday was the outing day of Ryan's Advanced English Conversation Class.
We went to Children's Park. This was not a place I voted, when we voted to decide a place. So, I didn't expect that I would have a lot fun here. As I enter this park, however, my mind has changed. Fresh air made from nature refreshed me. Since I took the teacher appointment test, I have met many friends and got drunk, but have never enjoyed something in nature.
We took a walk to a lakeside and had a lunch there. After we finished our lunch, we were divided into two groups. My group rode a bumper car and a roller coaster. I enjoyed riding a bumper car, but while the others riding roller coaster, I took pictures of them.
After about an hour, we got together, took group pictures, and went home.
Not as I expected, this place was really good for me to refresh. I may visit this place again with my friends in the near future.

Someone was late.

I looked like a beginner driver

My favorite photo of the day

Group photo

Plan B

Sometimes, when they plan something, people set a plan B, which means the secondary plan in case of failure of the primary plan.
Plan B helps people to be relieved because they think that they have another chance even if they fail. However, it, sometimes, deprive them of the opportunities to concentrate on the primary plan. If their will is not strong enough, they will easily give up because they have alternatives.
Even so, having a plan B is important for positive mind.
The worst situation is that they don't know whether it's time for plan B or not. People really get confused and stressed when they don't know what to do.

The Cribs was in Korea

The Cribs, one of my favorite British rock band, visited Korea to attend Grand Mint Festival about ten days ago. The festival was held in Seoul, and I wasn't able to go because I was busy studying recently. If I have been there, people would have told me that I was crazy. I could be crazy, but I chose not to be.

Anyway, it is really bad timing for me that they came just 2 weeks before the teacher appointment test. It was their first visit to Korea, and it was also the first visit of Johnny Marr, the legendary guitarist who used to play in The Smiths, Modest Mouse, etc.

I was a bit depressed that I missed a chance to see them playing. But I know that there's priority in one's life. Someday, I will be able to see them in other places unless they don't break up like Oasis. At the moment, focusing on the test is my No.1 priority.

I met Ben Folds!

It was one fine day in Adelaide, 2007. I was working at the fast food restaurant in the airport, and my friend came to see me. I should have finished when my friend arrived, but the manager asked me to work a bit more. I could have denied his request because my shift was over. But I knew that there were not enough workers at that moment. So I worked more. I felt sorry to my friend who was waiting outside.
After I really finished, we took a bus to the city. Looking for a place to eat something, we took a walk along the Rundle Mall. Suddenly, I recognized a familiar looking person passed me. He was not a friend of mine, but I thought I knew him. I was thinking for a while, and I remembered the face of my favorite singer. It seemed to be Ben Folds! But I hesitated because I wasn’t so sure. Then, my friend coaxed me into trying asking. He entered a book store and I followed him. He was looking around the inside of the book store with his children. I approached him, asked him whether he was Ben Folds, and he said yes.
I became extremely excited. He was one of my favorite musicians. His song ‘Adelaide’ was the motivation which led me to that city. But I never expected that I would meet him in person. I asked him to take a photo with me. I also asked him for an autograph. He signed on my iPod because I had no paper at that time. He was nice and kind.
I thought I was lucky. If I rejected to work more when the manager asked me, I wouldn’t have met him.
I hope that I will be able to see him in Korea someday.

Making a wish

A full moon of the Chu-sok
(an image from : http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2009100321064516924)

Yesterday was Chu-sok holiday (the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar). In Korea, there's a tradition making a wish before a full moon. A long time ago, people believed that something which looked grand have some great power. A full moon might have been one of them and people might have worshipped it in that reason. Last night, when I walked out of the library, I made a wish to a full moon as well.

People also believed that their ancestors have supernatural power. That's why Korean people have worship ceremories every year on the dates when their ancestors died. In the morning of Chu-sok holiday, they also have that kinds of ceremonies. During the ceremonies, they also make wishes while bowing. Yesterday, I made wishes three times, one was for my grand-grandparents, another one was for my grandparents, and the last one was for my late father. It seems that I made a lot of wishes but I just repeated the same one.:P

I don't believe in superstitious things; specifically, I think that they might happen and affect some events of the world, but I don't want my life to depend on things like them. The reason why I still make wishes to them, even though I don't believe, is to think positive. And it also mean that I appreciate the existence of those things; nature is the place I live in and my ancestors gave a life for me.

Public Secondary School Teacher Appointment Cadidates Selection Competition Test

I don't know how to call it in English, so I translate it literally. I will call it just Teacher Appointment Test.

Anyway, Public Secondary School Teacher Appointment Cadidates Selection Competition Test is the test to choose candidates who are eligible for appointment in the public secondary schools in the South Korea. To pass the test is one of the ways to become a school teacher in S.Korea and it is the supreme one of them. Even though there are others ways such as teaching in private schools or getting jobs as substitue teachers, those who has teacher certificates want to be public school teachers because it is much more stable and it provides them with a better working environment. (some private schools have an unreasonable authority system.)

Teacher Appointment Test is divided into 3 phases.

In the 1st phase, testees take test of 2 subjects. One is Pedagogy and the other is their major subject. On the whole, it seems to be 2 subjects. But once you look at it closely, there are far more subjects. The Pedagogy test include all the sub categories of Pedagogy such as Educational Philosophy, Sociology of Education, Education Administration, Education Psychology, History of Korean Education, History of Western Education, and so on. Major subjects also cover various areas of each subject, for instance, Engslih major testees have to study English literature, Linguistics, Second Language Teaching Pedagogy, etc. It is not a simple test. The pedagogy test consists of 40 multiple questions and major subject test 40 as well.

The 2nd phase is the essay test. Once the testees pass the first phase, they take essay tests. There are total 4 questions which they have to answer. The test starts from the morning and finished around lunch time. Testees are allowed to use 2 hours for 2 questions, so it takes total 4 hours. They have 30 minute break between them. In this test, only major subject questions are given.

The 3rd phase is the most complex one. On the test day, testees gather at the test place. They are given the material to teach. They have to complete a teaching plan for one hour class. Only a pen, a paper and a ruler are given to them. After they finish, they have to demonstrate the teaching plans they made in front of interviewers. 2 days later, they are called upon again for further interviews. The individual interview is the final stage of the whole test.

As you see, it is not an easy test and competitive rate is really high. (last year in Busan, only 20 passed the test and more than 400 people applied for)