It's madness I tell you!!!

I can't decide who is better behaved...

American students or Korean students?

I have to say, on an individual basis, Korean kids are hands down better students. You don't have the problem children with severe or even minor behavior problems. Out of the 800 students I see a week, I have maybe 3 or 4 that are a pain... and they mostly just want attention.

Oh, but when it comes to the group dynamic... holy crap, Korean kids are nuts! The students run a muck! The school is just plain chaotic. It's like trying to teach a herd of cattle! Most of the time you are just trying to keep from getting trampled!

There are always clusters of kids just running down the hallways, unsupervised, and the teachers don't seem to mind. Kids are punching each other, dragging their friends down the halls... it's madness I tell you!

Tid bits

-I could get used to kids bowing at me. Makes me feel special. Actually, I am special here.

-There are still a handful of little girls that will come up to me after class just to stare at my eyes. It's weird and sweet all at the same time.

-I will never master the Korean way of eating. Chopsticks I can do, but using a spoon for my soup in my right hand while twirling wet noodles with chopsticks in my left.... no. I don't have that kind of coordination. My left hand is merely decorative.

-When I'm feeling a little rebellious, I walk around my apartment with shoes on!

-Who knew there were so many Jehovah's Witnesses in Korea??? If I leave the protection of my apartment or school, I am immediately pounced on! Grocery store, train station, walking down the street... everywhere. Basically if someone comes up to you and actually speaks English... They are a Jehovah's Witness. Though they give you gifts sometimes! They gave me Jesus toilet paper! How thoughtful... and practical!

-I've lived here 2 months now. I still haven't taken the trash out. At least not all of it. It's complicated here. There are 30,000 ways to separate your trash and I've yet to figure all of them out!

-My fourth grade students think I'm saying "Fuck you" when I say "Vacuum" they start to giggle and they all flick me off!!!

-If son saeng nim (teacher) likes you, I'll cheat so you can win at bingo... But shhhhh, don't tell!

-Every time I travel I make a mental list of children I would someday like to adopt.

As far as babies go, there are none in the entire world cuter than African baby boys. With their shiny bald heads and their infectious chubby cheeked grins.

But when it comes to toddlers, hands down Asian (Korean specifically) little girls. Their round porcelain faces and their jet black little pigtails that bop around as they play are mesmerizing. There is a sweetness to the little girls here, and the older ones and hell adults too, that is unparalleled.

I've come close to asking women if I can have their kids. I see them giggling and playing around town or in my elevator and I just want to keep them. Though, It's probably considered rude to ask to take someone's child... okay, it's probably more creepy and freakish than rude, but you have no idea how cute these kids are! Thank goodness Korea doesn't allow singles to adopt, because if they did, I would, without a doubt, spend the money I'm saving this year on bringing one back to the US.

This is my new BFF in Y'cheon. She wandered up to me at a festival and held out her hand and said, "Hi." My students won't even do that and this little girl was about 2 years old! We "talked" for a few minutes... mostly repeating the word "hi"... then when I got my camera out she immediately stopped and struck a pose! (I think she was trying to give the, ever popular in Korea, peace sign... but got confused and gave me the "L.... loser" sign)

After I took the picture she walked up to me and gestured at my camera. I turned it back on and showed her the picture, she nodded at it in approval and then skipped away. Her mom and I laughing the whole time. How cute is she!?

Yackity Yack.... Don't talk back!

I had to discipline my first student today.   Well, sort of.  

I do find the whole situation sort of hypocritical and amusing.  I was a pain in the ass as a student and a child for that matter.  Disobeying, being obnoxious, and talking back were sort of my forte as a kid.  I was even paddled by my second grade teacher and it's actually a fond memory of mine from elementary school.   So to be in the position of disciplinarian feels slightly ironic to me...

In the last, and worst, class of my middle school day, a student refused to do any work, no matter how hard I tried to get him to participate. This happens with several students so after doing my best I finally went to help another student who was calling for me.

Later I noticed that the student who refused to participate was being loud and showing his paper to the students around him. I looked at his worksheet and there was a very obvious phallic drawing. He didn't even try to hide it. I took the paper away from him and he kept giving me a hard time.

My middle school co-teachers no longer come to class with me. They just let me fly solo and teach class on my own. I prefer this and honestly, I think the kids are easier to deal with because they have to pay attention when there is no one to translate for them. The only drawback is, since I am alone, I have to maintain constant control. A lot of the time my classes teeter on the brink of chaos so I have to do my damnedest to maintain control. If these kids ever realize how easy it is to take control over me, I'm screwed!

So, even though what this kid did, I hardly consider bad, I couldn't just let him slide. I told him to stand up. Then I pointed to the back of class and told him to go. He said, and shook his head, "no". We went back and forth a few times, my expression and voice getting louder with each subsequent time. I wanted to just let it go. Other kids were calling for me and I could have easily walked away again but that would have put me in a very vulnerable place and I'd never get this kid to do what I said ever again. So I kept on him.

Finally, I took him by the arm, without being aggressive, just assertive, to guide him to the back of class. He jerked his arm away. I tried again with the same result only now he turned his back to me. In my mind I was thinking "GGGrrrr you little ass! You are not going to win this game! You have no idea how stubborn I am and now you're going down!"

I put my hands on his shoulders and turned him towards the back and marched him to the back of class. There is a small little alcove that is about 4" off the ground. I tried to make him stand in the alcove but he absolutely wouldn't budge. I figured this was a losing battle so as long as he stands in the back, that's good enough. I went back to helping the other students.

A few minutes later I noticed him messing with the computers in the back of the room. I walked over to him with a scowl on my face, one hand on my hip and the other pointing to the alcove.  I stomped my foot while I pointed. He refused. I asked him if I should get Humphrey (my co-teacher). He just looked away. I took his arm again. He pulled it away.  I tried again. Still no luck. At this point a few students in the back of the room were trying to coax him to just get into the alcove.  I tried to lead him by the arm again and this time he shoved my arm towards me pushing me with it. Ah crap.   Now he's in for it.

I walked to one of the students who was trying to convince him to listen to me. I told the student, "go to the teacher's room. Get Humphrey." He looked at me with a puzzled expression at first, not understanding what I was saying, then his eyes got big.  All their eyes got big.  The obnoxious  student got into the alcove.  I was tempted to just let it go, but now that other students saw what was going on, I had to follow through.  

Humphrey is my co-teacher.  Every day, multiple times a day, he comes to me and says, "If you have problems with students, come get me.  Any problems, get me."  I've seen him in the hallways disciplining students.  Actually, he's the only person I've ever seen disciplining them.  

Humphrey came into class and escorted the student out.   And that was that.  Class continued as normal... except more quietly.  After class I went to my office and the unruly student was on his hands and knees in the middle of the office.  (it's a common punishment here.  I'm not really sure why.)  I went to my desk and the other teachers hovered over the student and shoved him towards my desk while whispering in his ear.   

Tears began streaming out of his eyes and the boy, who only comes up to my chin and is about 12 years old, muttered in broken English, "Bbbbiiiitnne, I sorry."   I felt horrible.   I'm sure the kid was whipped when taken from class, and I'm sure he was going to get it at home as well.  Another teacher was wiping the tears from his cheeks as he recited his apology. 

Though, I'm pretty sure the tears were due to embarrassment, not punishment, but either way... I doubt I'll have trouble with him again.   At least, I hope not.

A picture I snuck of Humphrey with a different 

student during my first week.