My First Last Day of Work

So, at the end of my first class today, my kids started crying and hugging me, which made me cry, which made them cry harder, and I couldn't stop.  I tried to go to the bathroom to calm down, but it was full of concerned students, and when I turned around, word had spread that I was crying, so there was a whole academy of students staring at me, which didn't help. By the time I got to the teacher's room (to 8 shocked and concerned teachers and my replacement, a nice introduction, I'd say *rolls eyes*), it was nearly time to get to the next class to show the new girl what I1 is like. Luckily, the rest of the day was far more composed...

ZERO?

Korean children have difficulties when pronouncing some English letters. "Z" sounds like a hard "J". "R" sounds like "L". I noticed today that when my youngest kids were saying their phone numbers in English, the word "ZERO" sounded much more like "JELLO"...and then I was hungry.

A good day back.

Work was actually quite good today. My kids were all thrilled to have me back. Even the middle schooler who usually runs me through the ringer was excited for my return. A couple of classes actually cheered. It made me feel good. And I have to thank my replacement, Caitlin, who was apparently very strict with them. In comparison, I'm a joy. :) And the super-organized state of my materials and attendance sheets was so fantastic to see. It looked just like I do it! It made my transition back so easy. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Caitlin!!!

Luckily, it's only a 1-day work week...

I'm actually nervous to go back to work today. Haven't been there in 3 weeks. Not sure what state my paperwork is in, and my kids might eat me alive. :(

Writing Assignment on the "If" Clause: Dong Jin

Today's assignment was writing "if" sentences.
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For example:

If I had more money, I would go on vacation.

-or-

I would go on vacation if I had more money.
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So, in this particular class, there's a very, um, vocal student named Dong Jin. He can be quite irritating with his nonstop banter, jokes, and jabs. I've tried everything to deter this over the last two months (short of beating him). A few weeks ago, when nothing was working, I decided to try something new. I told him that the next time he was disruptive and talking and playing, that he would stand up for 5minutes. Next, 10 minutes. Next, dancing for 10 minutes. Next, dancing and singing.

He didn't believe me.

So, when he pushed, I made him dance. He tried to not, but I told everyone to clap for him and watch him dance. He got very quiet (for maybe the first time ever), and said, "Teacher, please don't make me dance. I can't dance."

I asked, "Did you know you would have to dance if you kept talking in Korean?"

"Yes, teacher."

"Well, then, I think you should dance. (pause) Or you can promise to be quiet and let us finish our lesson."

"Okay, teacher. I'll be quiet."
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Since then, he's gotten rowdy a couple of times, and I've threatened dancing, to the point one day of turning on the radio, until again he conceded.

The other students have started helping by calling him DJ. He's not a fan, and they say is lovingly (they are his friends, after all), but it's often enough to calm him down. Last week, we were doing a lesson on vacations and where people wanted to visit. Someone mentioned Disney World, and a student said loudly, "I don't want to go to Disney World! I want to go to DJ World!"
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Back to today's lesson on "if" clauses. Most of the students took their final writing assignment of the day (topic: vacations, again) seriously, and wrote about going to France, North Korea, or the USA. But three (all best friends of Dong Jin) wrote about their adventures at DJ World. All of them made me laugh, but Chan Il's was by far the best. I laughed out loud, and with his permission read it to the whole class, and wrote it down to write here.

Here it is.
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*By Chan Il.

I would have a great adventure in DJ World. If I went on a Sunday, I'd go to DJ World. If I saw DJ, I'd hit DJ. If I saw a DJ doll, I'd throw it in the fire. If I rode a DJ, I'd hit DJ's head. If I had kimchi, I'd throw it at DJ. If I had lots of money, I'd buy DJ. It is so exciting.
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I can't say I much approve of the violence, but the sentence structure was good. And honestly, if you can get middle schoolers to speak to you, write an essay, and be creative, you've performed a miracle. They can deal with topic choice in high school when they're out of the kill/maim/dismember phase.

Lemon, the Pet Goldfish

One of my kids wrote a story about a pet goldfish named Lemon. The last line was "I love my pet Lemon." I had to laugh. Made me think of pet rocks.

(It always makes a sour face :))

Maybe the sharpest wit in the class...

Jack:
I don't like that teacher.

Me:
Why not?

Jack:
He's not nice. And he's short.

Me:
You're short.

Jack:
But I can grow.

The Moment of Realization was Awesome

Conversation with a student today:

Luigi:
(seeing my Harvard t-shirt) Teacher, did you go to Harvard?

Me:
Yes, I went to Harvard.

Luigi:
Really? (pause) Lie! Lie!

Me:
No, it's true. I really went to Harvard.

Luigi:
(long pause) Did you STUDY at Harvard?

Me:
No, I didn’t.

Luigi:
Haha! So you went to VISIT Harvard? Haha..


The moment of realization put a great look on his face. It was awesome. I love when they learn that literal meanings can be different than what they think they're asking. (Native Speakers too!)

Goodbye Tina!

Today was 8/9/10 and I didn't even know it. Boo. And I saw one of my kids at Emart tonight, where she told me that she's moving to Canada TOMORROW for A YEAR. I had no idea. I met her mom, who thanked me for teaching her daughter. It was really sweet, and really sad.

Teaching Review

Guess my boss doesn't hate me as much as previously thought, since I got a combined score on my review of 94% (from her survey and the students' surveys)...bonus. 5 more days of summer session! Woohoo! One more hell day until the weekend! Double woohoo!!!

Story Presentation Questions

This brief exchange took place after a female student finished her presentation. The inflection she used made me smile.

Boy:
Why do you get ready with a hat?

Girl:
Because my face is important.

Forrest Gump Day

One day during our summer camp class, a boy named Doo Young said he was hungry. He said I should bring some food for him the next day. But he couldn’t decide what sounds the best. He started thinking:

Chicken. Or pizza. Or chocolate. Or kimbap. Or kimchi. Or mandu. Or kimchi mandu. Or kimchi-jjigye. Or dwinjeon-jjigye. Or…

For literally TWENTY MINUTES he went on and on. The whole times I way having a serious Forrest Gump moment. (Shrimp pasta, and shrimp salad, and…) It was hilarious. He even continued through the following classes that day, and the next.

Teaching Evaluation

My teaching evaluation went exceptionally well, especially considering how exhausted I was at the time. She was very impressed with how well I'd trained the kids to repeat ad nauseum, and how well everyone in the I3 (3rd level) class used complete sentences all the time. I was very proud of the kids for performing well in front of an audience, even the one kid who usually is well-beyond ADD. It's nice to be recognized for the hard work I'm trying to do!

Almost the weekend...

One more day... 7-1 Intensives. Nap. Shower. Work 4-10 with added bonus of being observed by the HQ woman. Counting the hours until it's all over.

Magic Stick

Do Hoon: Teacher, he touched my magic stick!
Me: Really…?
DH: Teacher, do you know what a magic stick is?
Me: Yeeesss. Do YOU know what a magic stick is?
DH: (long pause) Um, yeah…
Me: Um, where did you learn about “magic sticks”?
DH: Aiden teacher was laughing at a story in a book, and he told us what was funny.
Me: Really? Fantastic.

Now, every day he talks about who does and doesn’t have a magic stick.

Christy, Christine, and Chrystal

I have three girls who have decided to change their English names. I knew their previous names, but now I have to take a few seconds to remember which is which before I say their new names: Christy, Christine, and Chrystal. I think they just wanted to give me a tongue twister to say during attendance.

Cake FAIL and New Korean Partner Teacher

Even though the kids liked the "cake" I brought, I think it was a huge FAIL. Looked totally undercooked, was gooey, and I thought it tasted terrible. Eww. New Korean teacher rocks. I got so lucky.

My Beautiful Drawings for Students

I can't draw. But I can make stick figures. Since arriving in Korea, I've become fairly proficient in making stick figures to describe, well, pretty much anything. :)









Couch potato.


Potato couch.

When the Saints Go Marching In

I have a few students who started singing “me-me-me-me” to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In” a few weeks ago. Every class several times they will start singing, and sometimes it’s very difficult to stop them. I told them I’d find out the actual words, but decided against encouraging it. It’s not a great song to get stuck in your head three days a week.

Thunder vs. the Bomb

During class tonight when the thunder struck, for a minute my kids and I all thought it was a bomb, missile, or something else unwanted. It was awful. I reassured them, and we discussed why NK is angry with SK. Not exactly the lesson plan, but warranted and requested.