Paige Meholick ’21

Meet Paige Meholick ’21, an ESL instructor at the Chungdahm April Academy in Seoul, South Korea. Ms. Meholick holds a bachelor’s degree in PreK-4 general education and PreK-12 special education.

What led you to become an ESL instructor in South Korea?

During my time at La Roche, I had the chance to study abroad in Rome for a semester. While I was in Rome, I taught at an international school. I was then able to meet students from all over the world, and I was able to experience a different education system. After my time in Rome, I knew that I had a passion for teaching abroad and making a difference in the world.

What or who had the greatest impact on you as a student?

I was impacted by many people and events at La Roche. I was impacted most by all of the international opportunities that La Roche offered. I was able to make friends from different parts of the world and travel during my time at La Roche. Those experiences are the reason that I am in South Korea teaching today. 

How did your time at La Roche, inside and outside of the classroom, prepare you for your role?

I have had the opportunity to work with children from different school settings and other parts of the world. I gained experience in creating engaging lesson plans, managing child behaviors and meeting students’ individualized needs.

Education faculty constantly challenged me inside and outside of the classroom to ensure that I would reach my full potential. The Education Department, as well as the Study Abroad Office, played a huge role in helping me achieve my dreams.

What was your biggest takeaway from the education program at La Roche?

The education program at La Roche really helped me find my passion and to become the confident teacher I am today. During my education career, I was able to take a lot of challenging courses and teach in wonderful schools. Furthermore, every day I was surrounded by professors that constantly inspired and challenged me.

Describe a typical workday.

Typically I start my work day around 12:30 p.m. When I arrive at work, I prep for two hours before I start teaching classes. During this time I eat lunch, grade student work and prepare my lessons for the rest of the day. I then teach six different classes that are 40 minutes each.

I teach four different levels of students. For younger levels, I primarily teach phonics and reading instruction. As for the older levels, I teach writing and speaking. I am done teaching every day around 7 p.m., and then I continue to prep and grade until 8:30 p.m.

What advice would you give to students who want to work abroad?

My advice to students who want to work abroad is to absolutely do it! It can seem scary at first to live somewhere new and to make this commitment on your own. However, as long as you’re passionate about what you do, and you’re willing to put in the hard work, the experiences you gain will all be worth it. I couldn’t be happier that I went through with this decision.

Every day I overcome new challenges living here in Korea, and I have grown so much as a person and as an educator.