선생님 이에요! (I am a teacher)

"Teacher, teacher, teacher!!!"

The word that I have always used to describe my future career now it's my whole identity.

Lets rewind.

I don't remember when I decided I would be a teacher when I grew up. I just always knew. I always had this love for teaching, for school, for helping others, and for kids.

One thing that I do love about the american education system, it that dispute being a teacher, you retain your identity. Here, it doesn't feel like you do.

I was explaining this to a friend back home when she asked about what my students call me. In Korean culture, your title is more important than your name. I don't know if this is because its so easy to have similar or the same name as others, or because of the need to have pride and save face by being successful, or some other reason I don't even know.

So if you are a teacher in Korea, you are often just called 선생님 (son-sang-nim) or if they need to be more specific then your name then 선생님. For example, in English my title is literally Kristy Teacher to the kids. To some students, I am just Teacher, others I am just Kristy, and some call me Kristy Teacher. Most of my students just call me teacher though. Especially if they are calling me over.

A few weeks ago another fulbrighter was teaching her students to say "My name is blah, his name is blah," etc. And she pointed to their homeroom teacher and said "her name is..." She was really surprised when none of her students could tell her their teacher's name. Some of them just said 선생님, because they didn't know. Now they are only third graders and I know the older students do know their student's names but it was just very surprising and really made me think about that.

In america, I know its a big deal if students know your first name, and some teachers try to keep it a secret, but it was even more surprising that 'teacher' becomes their entire identity.

And mine.

I walk through school, "hello teacher"

I walk through town, "Oh, Hi teacher!"

I'm in my house and host sibling's friends come over "Teacher!?!"

About a month into my stay with my homestay, I actually had to tell my host parents to tell the kids to just call me Kristy, because I felt weird about being called teacher at home. I love being a teacher but I don't want it to be my whole identity. But in a country where the biggest job market for foreigners is English teacher, my whole appearance makes people assume I am a teacher. I have literally been approached multiple times and within five minutes I would be offered a job as a private tutor or an academy teacher.

But it's who I am. I am a teacher. I can't change that. So as long as I am here, my name is teacher. Not Kristy. Not Ms. Sonberg. Just Teacher.

Wish me luck.