Thompson Deufel

Teaching Goals
June 4, 2015
My long-term goals that were made before departing for Seoul have had minimal to no changes
since arriving at the school, as my expectation for the educational experience I hope to have
remains high. The most significant long-term goal I have is to expand my knowledge in regards
to teaching in a TESOL environment and continue to develop my personal teaching strategies in
the classroom. Additional long-term goals include increasing my understanding of the Korean
culture and language, broadening my international awareness by visiting locations of cultural
importance in Korea, and establishing and cultivating meaningful relationships with the students
and faculty at the school.
In the few days we have spent on campus and observing in classrooms, I have felt a necessary
change take place from our conceptual ideas of our role here to the true reality of our
circumstances. My short-term goals have been altered in numerous ways in hopes of discovering
how to appropriately align them with the wishes of the school's administration. Some are
straightforward, such as finishing my beginner's Hangul book with guidance from Jon by the end
of next week, but others feature more complexity and depth. For example, one of these short
term goals includes both finding ways to better acclimate to the environment of the school and
also identifying methods for how to provide ample support to my classmates with their
adversities. Other short-term goals include becoming more of a part of the community at the
school, bettering my relationships with teachers and students, and raising my confidence
teaching in the classroom.