Traveling to Vietnam with a Friend

A furry friend that is!

Yesterday, the boyfriend took me to build-a-bear and he built me a friend to take with me to Vietnam. Why is he wearing scrubs you ask? Well, the boyfriend is studying to become a doctor one day. He is quiet a cutie. The boyfriend AND the bear that is. Ahaha.

For those of you who didn't know, I will be teaching English in Vietnam this summer!

SOME MORE INFO ON MY TRIP
-It is an internship through Queens College
-I am 1 out of 5 interns
-Typically, I will teach from 9-11AM Mondays~Thursdays.
-There are 3 different levels of students. They are leveled according to their English proficiency.
-Fridays are trip days where we accompany the students
-It has been decided that I will be in charge of teaching arts & crafts (which I am really looking forward to! I always wanted to be an art teacher!)

I'm excited to meet my Vietnamese students....
Kinda nervous because I haven't finished up my lesson plans yet (which I really should get done.. haha).

I will be leaving for Ho Chi Minh City on June 29th and will be in Vietnam until July 31st.

I also decided to extend my trip by going to Korea to visit family till mid August!
Therefore, this summer will definitely be jam packed with adventures and lots of exciting new things.

Can't wait!!! Especially to try some authentic PHO!

So, follow me on my Vietnamese adventures!
Till next time....

Ms. Kimpop
:)

3rd Graders

3rd Grade is a very interesting grade to teach.

When I tell people that I am a 3rd grade teacher, they are always curious to know how 3rd graders are.

3rd graders range from 7-8 years old.

At around this age, the kiddies are independent enough to take care of themselves... meaning they can go to the bathroom by themselves, think and act critically(most of the time, haha), and most importantly you are able to build a meaningful relationships with them.

Don't get me wrong, I think in every grade, you can build

a special relationship with each and every one of your students.

However, by the time students come to 3rd, something inside of them starts to mature and they start acting a little bit like big people. They understand consequences better, can sit and read independently, and most importantly can handle having some real responsibilities. Therefore, the relationships I come to form with my 3rd graders feel a bit deeper and more meaningful. I mean they start to read you and all your different moods. Sometimes, some of my students know just with a glance from me exactly what I want them to do.

Anyways, point of the post is that today I was reminded of just how much I enjoy this grade when one of our students randomly wrote us the following letters.

Background Info: Ms. Phantastic and I often share stories about our pets. My dog, Teddy and Ms. Phantastic's bunny, Snowball.