English camp: an unexcepted rewarding experience

A few weeks ago, I finished ‘English camp,’ essentially a school holiday programme for students during their summer vacation. Although we all have heard of summer camps and probably joined some holiday programmes while at school, I had no idea about the amount of effort it takes to create these programmes. Choosing a theme, devising lesson plans and activities related to that theme, as well as thinking of scheduling and materials needed for each activity was no easy task. I joke that I was basically a project manager for a few weeks, not only conceptualising the camp but also executing it and ensuring that the outcomes and objectives of the plan were achieved.

So, the main objectives of my camp were to ensure the students practised English and most importantly that they had fun while learning. Korean students study really hard. There is immense pressure for achievement in school and getting high grades (results). Many of them tell me there is no time for fun as they have to study (even on weekends). There are many English and Math academies (private tutoring schools) near where I stay and it is not abnormal to see students leaving there around 22:00 on a weekday or going in on the weekend (including Sundays) for extra lessons. I had one student share with me that she spent the whole summer vacation at an academy (also known as ‘hagwon’ in Korean), from 8:30 to 17:00 every day. While I can appreciate the effort to get good grades, I’m not convinced that all of this pressure is positive (or healthy) at such a young age (my students’ ages range from 14-16). Therefore, I knew I wanted my camp to be fun and that even though we’d be practising English, whether speaking, writing or reading, it was essential to me that they were relaxed and had an enjoyable time.

My favourite theme was 'Books and Movies'. Definitely going to expand on this theme and use it again for the next English Camp. I think my purpose is to encourage students to read more. :)

I was nervous before camp started as I had never done anything like this before, nor did I know how students would react to the content and activities I had planned for them. The great thing about English camp though is that you can prepare whatever you want; you decide on the content/topics. After doing much research on other teachers’ previous camps I started putting together my own programme. Many suggested using a theme, which you then use throughout the week, for instance, Harry Potter, Mystery Games, Book Club, Around the World, etc. I thought choosing one theme would be too hectic as you’d need to come up with activities just related to that specific topic. So, I opted for a different theme for each day, keeping it interesting for both the students and myself. I chose Pop Culture, Around the World, Books and Movies, Save the Earth and finally, South Africa vs South Korea. I planned various lessons and activities around each theme, some of them my own and other ideas taken from online resources.

'Design a sneaker' activity during the Pop Culture-themed day. I loved this theme and the creativity that the students showed. Definitely using this theme in my normal classes during the semester!

The night before my first week of camp my co-teacher messaged me to say she had COVID and would not be able to attend the whole week, and because it was summer vacation, there would be no other teacher joining me. You can imagine how I freaked out! Even though I do most of the preparation and teaching, having a Korean co-teacher in the classroom is welcomed as there’s backup if things go wrong, or if students need further explanation or guidance. I would have none of that so I freaked out for about 30 minutes but soon realised hey… this may be a great opportunity to get to know students better (as they won’t be as guarded because there isn’t a Korean teacher around), and I could run the camp with a bit more freedom. 

The first week’s students included all grades — 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade (Gr’s 7-9). This made things interesting as it was a mixture of different English-speaking abilities. Luckily, a few of my top students were at the camp, which was great as these students are indispensable in the classroom. At first, I wondered whether or not they’d be bored as the lesson content is aimed at all levels, making room for those who struggle too. However, all of them were incredibly supportive of their teammates and higher-level students were a blessing as they could translate and explain things in Korean when needed. They can explain things in a way that their classmates can understand so having them there is truly a gift. One of the students has the nickname, ‘Papago’ in her class, which is the name of a Korean translation app. So, when students don’t understand something, they’ll ask her to translate and explain whatever I’ve said instead of the Korean co-teacher. I found this hilarious in the beginning but I’ve come to appreciate it so much. I love how everyone goes quiet when she speaks. There’s respect and appreciation for her ability to do so.

So, I chose themes that I am familiar with and that I knew I could teach. For instance, I chose the Save the Earth topic because we do quite a bit about environmental protection and recycling in the school curriculum. But I decided to change it up and teach my students about endangered animals and wildlife poaching, which is something I did extensive research on in my previous work. This topic was especially a hit with my first graders in the second week. I also chose Books and Movies as I love reading and I’d like to instil that love in others. So, by mixing it up with movies they’re familiar with I got students to talk about the movies and then showed them the related book. I loved this theme and it was more successful than I anticipated. 

During the 'Save the Earth' theme students had to research endangered animals, make a drawing of them on a paper plate (like a mask) and then tell me one reason why that animal was considered endangered. These were some of the awesome creations.

During the 'Books and Movies' themed day, we covered a chapter in the book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where Wolly Wonka introduces some of the weird candy he makes. So I asked students to design their own candy (an idea from online) and it could be as weird and interesting as they wanted it to be. The stranger the better. :) My favourite was the 'Diabetes candy chocolate'! :)

There were a few highlights during camp. For instance, seeing the support and encouragement from higher-level students towards others, essentially not leaving anyone behind, was really heartening. When it was someone’s turn to stand and speak, they’d shout ‘fighting!’, which is a slogan used to encourage others. They’d also quietly translate something if their teammate couldn’t understand or remember what to say. Secondly, competition is fierce and Korean students, both boys and girls, are super competitive. We had a stickers system to encourage this, where students could win stickers for answering questions correctly, participating in activities, or just trying their best to speak English. Without this competitive tactic, it can be difficult to motivate students to participate. Winning is important. However, when they don’t win or know something, there is a huge disappointment.

I’ve seen the competitive spirit in my classes but to see it upfront, especially when they have negative self-talk, was a little worrying. I had to constantly reinforce that it’s okay not to know something or not know the right answer. It’s also okay if another team wins. For some of the activities, I had us vote for the best picture or creation, instead of me choosing a winner. I also told them it’s important that they vote for who they think is the best and not just someone from their team. Eventually, they did and we got some great winners. I especially loved it when it was the very quiet, shy student who won and you could see the surprise – mixed with pride – in their eyes. 

The winning design during the 'create your own candy bar' task by one of the quietest students. She was so surprised when she won by class vote; she ended up winning another creative challenge the next day!

It was also interesting to observe the differences between students of different grades, especially in confidence and willingness to do activities. In the first week, dance activities were a no-go for most of the students, with only two willing to stand up and learn the Jerusalema dance with me. In the second week, almost all of the 16 first graders got up to dance. The first graders were also very quiet and needed lots of coaxing to try and answer questions, whereas, in the first week, students were loud, shouting all the time and basically racing to answer questions. 

Another highlight was the last day of the camp, where I had the South Africa vs South Korea theme. During the lesson part, I taught them about school and teen culture in SA and had them tell me what it's like in Korea. They were shocked at how 'early' the school day ends in SA and that most SA students don't go to private academies after school. They were also surprised that in SA young men don't have to go to the army, unlike in Korea where male citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 are required to perform compulsory military service. In the first week, Mbali also joined me for this day of camp, which was really cool, for both the students and our friendship (another experience to add to our list!). I had students teach us Korean traditional games such as Yunnori and Ddakji (a game made famous on the show Squid Game); we taught them the Jerusalema dance, and lastly, I provided a taste of South African snacks. This was the ultimate hit with the students. They love to eat so this day and theme were definitely the most successful!

Students teaching Mbali and me how to play Ddakji, where the game is won by flipping the other player's card. Only one or two students were able to get this right!

Definitely the most popular part of the whole week of camp... trying South African snacks! I introduced Salt n Vinegar Lays chips, Rooibos tea, biltong and Nandos sauce. Some students absolutely loved it and asked for more (and to take home)! :)

All in all, I had a fantastic time running camp. It was exhausting at times but well worth it. I had fun preparing the topics, lessons and activities, and even more fun executing them. The key thing is choosing what you enjoy doing or learning about so that it isn’t a schlep preparing. Also, when students see your enthusiasm and passion for something, they’re generally keener to try something new. I also learned more about my students as there was a lot more one-on-one time than I’d normally get in class, which is a great privilege. When we’re in class I am faced with 30 students, of different levels/abilities, so I don’t always have the time to give each one attention. Through this experience, I got to know them a bit better and also understand a bit more about school and teen culture in the Korean context. A final highlight at the end of the first day of camp (in the first week) was a student shouting, ‘I love this class!’ If ever I needed a confidence booster, that was it!

Yet again, teaching English in Korea has helped me discover hidden creative talents I did not know I have. It’s also shown me that I can plan and run a project, successfully, if I put my mind to it. Lastly, because I care so much about the students and their well-being, I make choices that I believe will be good for them. Though I got praise from both students and my co-teacher for how I planned the camp, my belief in myself and what I was doing was ultimately the biggest gift I gave myself during this process. And so, it is not surprising that I have already (kind of, maybe) started planning the Winter English camp for January 2023. :)

Till next time!

Meryl Joy Burgess

Ps. There are no pictures in this blog with students in them as Korea has very serious laws when it comes to posting pictures of other people without their consent. So, I chose not to include any photos with students in them, regardless if they had masks on or their backs were to the camera.