I was surprised to overhear someone I passed on the street uttering 미국인 (migugin – American) in reference to me. How can they tell? Do people just assume I'm an American? There are many foreigners in Ilsan, but I have come to believe Americans are not the most common sort: there are Canadians, Brits, Ozzies and Kiwis, Indians, Vietnamese, and others. So does 미국인 stand for any kind of westerner? It very specifically means "U.S.A.-person."
In other news… RingGuAPoReomEoHagWon's administrators are showing their inexperience. The curriculum is adrift, as complaints from parents, frustrations with student satisfaction, etc., drive them to experiment and change things around. It's quite frustrating to have to be on the "receiving end" of this – it seems like not a week goes by when there isn't some change in what text I should use, or what method I should use, or even what group I should teach or what I should focus on. There is still a consensus that they seem to want to use me for the "speaking skills" teacher (as opposed to e.g. writing, reading, listening skills).
But now I'm looking at this book they want me to use that seems only marginally connected with actual communicative speaking ability, and I just don't know how to explain any more clearly than I already have that if we use this book, we won't be improving speaking skills – it's all about grammar, parts of speech, periphrastic verbs and vocabulary building. Speaking skills grow only through practice, practice, practice. You can know all the grammar in the world, but you won't speak well without that.