내신 [naesin] literally seems to mean something like "school transcript" but it's a shorthand way of referring to the hagwon exam prep time. I suppose that's because the results of your four-times-yearly exams are what go on your transcript. The period is also called 시험대비 which more literally means "exam prep time." In the school year cycle here, there are 4 naesin periods – two in the spring semester and two in the fall.
It started today, the first of the two fall semester prep periods. It's an early start, because of the unusual early timing of the Chuseok holiday (Korean thanksgiving) – it follows the lunar calendar so it's different every year, and it will be next weekend this year, though normally Chuseok seems to be more of a late September or early October thing.
On the one hand, naesin is nice because I get a reduce teaching schedule since I don't teach middle-schoolers normally. This time, I'm doing some tutoring with middle-schoolers, however, so my schedule is not as reduced as in some past times.
On the other hand, naesin means a lot of extra time sitting in the staff room, which is probably the least-favorite aspect of my job. I found a lot to keep me busy today before and after my 3 classes, but over the next few days, as I plow through my backlog of grading and syllabus-making, I will have more free time and will have to find some "project" to work on, possibly. Or else… I could not work on some project, and then feel guilty for being unproductive – that often seems to be the option I choose for naesin. Also, although I once said I prefer teaching elementary kids to middle-schoolers, I have to admit that I end up missing my middle-schoolers quite a bit.
The rhythms of the Korean school calendar are quite different from what we're used to in the US. I still haven't fully gotten used to it – September should a starting time, not a "middle-of" time.
[daily log: walking, 5 km]