HeeJae Chung | Online TEFL Course Instructor

• Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A) in Production Design, from Savannah College of Art and Design.

• Master of Arts (M.A.) in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), from Ewha Womans University in South Korea.

• Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Adult, Professional, and Community Education, from Texas State University - IN PROGRESS.

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I have taught both in the USA and South Korea and volunteered for two weeks teaching English in Nepal.

• China 

• Japan

• Nepal 

• England

• Scotland 

• Europe: Hungary, Austria, Italy, France, Poland, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Germany, Czech Republic, Portugal, etc. 

One of my favorite travel memories as an individual and as a teacher was my time in Nepal. I went on a 10-day Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) trekking with my husband, and every moment of the trip was an incredible experience. From seeing the beautiful nature to walking 8 hours a day with the local group, I saw the world from a different perspective since day 1. Once we were done with the trekking, we got back to the city and started volunteer-teaching English at a local elementary school for 2 weeks. This teaching experience changed my life as a teacher-- I had to work with very limited resources, no electricity, no chalk; what was more difficult was that the students barely had one working pencil, something to write on, and their own erasers. It made me appreciate all the resources I had back in my own classrooms in Korea, it really pushed me to be a creative thinker. Of all, through my experience traveling and teaching in Nepal, I started to be more appreciative of the power of the English language. My whole experience in Nepal was possible because we all communicated and connected using English.

Instead of thinking of the opportunity merely as a “job,” I think it is very important to be open-minded and start the international teaching journey as a cultural learner. Even if we have done sufficient research prior to our departure, we can only learn so much about it through text, words, or videos. All the learning will happen as soon as we arrive at the airport. Embrace every moment; reflect on how those experiences will help you improve your teaching approaches, engagement with students and colleagues, and most importantly, your experience living abroad. Starting your journey as a cultural learner will help you as a teacher to see the process of new language and culture learning through the student’s lens!