After my class of 1st-graders was done, I came back to my desk and Co-Teacher asked if I would give speaking tests to 3 students who had missed the tests a month ago. She gave me a list of questions, then sent the three kids in.
The first was Sanghwa. I both love and dread this child. Mostly love, but whoo, we have had our moments. I asked him his questions and he did a lovely job, only faltering a little when asked why his mother was his hero. When asked what he was good at, he said sleeping and playing games, and I said he was good at Monopoly, which made him smile. He looked tired and fried and was rubbing his eyes. I patted his head and gave him a Reeses Cup before he left. He said thank you.
Then it was Redhair-Joonyoung who didn't do as well, but who is still my boy. Then it was Prince Woobin from 1st grade, who did pretty nicely. I'll miss him on Wednesday, because I teach his class on that day, but we have it off for Christmas.
My final class period of 1-7, 1-8 B went well. I asked them if they wanted to play a Christmas game or watch a movie, and they went with the movie option. I played Monopoly with Kibeom, Jangyeop, and Hyo, and everything was well.
After class, the A-level boys crowded in for treats, tossing out compliments like there was no tomorrow. One of the boys told me he'd seen me at my favorite coffee shop several times because he...lives in an apartment across from the shop? Maybe? But we had a really nice extended convo about it.
Saturday Jeongmin got a haircut! He came into class as I was packing up, and one of the kids threatened to murder him for encroaching on their classroom, since he's in Pal-ban, not Chil-ban. Mainly the kid just didn't want his own shot at chocolate lessened by the presence of an outside student.
Jaewon from Saturday class and Changyeon and Jongyoon all came up to chat and get snacks. I have made so many alliances with A-level 1st-graders I don't even teach. It'll come in handy around March, when those kids become A-level 2nd-graders that I do have to teach.
This morning Seongwonnie wouldn't stop messing with my hair. Then he discovered that the velcro on his coat could easily stick to the fabric of my sweater, so he kept sticking himself to me. He also tried to swipe my hairbrush, but I held tight to it, so we were just walking down the hall in joint possession of my hairbrush for a while.
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7:30 PM First chance to write! After my 4th period class, I had lunch, Monopoly time with the guys, then two classes of 2nd-graders, a big 45-minute school meeting, walking home to get supplies for a sick friend, dinner, visiting with sick friend, and now coffee shop.
For my last time with class 3-5, 3-6 B I made little Christmas notes with chocolate taped onto them for my 10 boys whose names I knew. I just decided to go with being nice to the kids I do know--ideally, I would know them all, but I had come down to the wire and had to do something for a few or do nothing for everybody.
Got notes to Confident Hyunjoon (who has always been a class leader and has always been forthright in talking to me), and Love-You-Sungjae (the first kid at school to say he loved me, and the one bright spot I remember on a day in those first few weeks when everything had gone wrong).
Also got notes to Yeonghyo (who has been my boy through thick and thin, playing countless games of UNO, Spoons, and Monopoly with me), Teacher's-Pet-Jeongmin (who is as spoiled as ever), Good-Voice-Kyeonghyun, Sooncheonnie (who thought it was awesome I had met his little brother), and Jangwon (who seemed deeply touched that I remembered him).
Jangwon was our banker last week, so this week I made sure he played while I was the banker. Jangwon has a sensitive heart and loves being cared for, and he stayed after class to help me clean up. When I told him this was our last English class, he seemed genuinely disappointed. There's another boy I never got enough time with.
Lunch was good. Got my high-five from HH, then walked down the hall to meet Saturday Jeongmin, who was skipping along to meet me. Jeongminnie showed me a Cat Mario video since he knows I like that game, and he told me he was really excited about the possibility of getting to do Saturday class next semester.
Then my 3rd-graders came to get me, and Yeonghyo, Jaehwan, Jinhwan, Eunho and Heonho played while Daesung was banker. I just observed. Jaehwan pointed out the Yeonghyo had gotten a "Merry Christmas" card and he, Jaehwan, had best be getting one too, or there would be no justice in the world. So I'll have to make cards even for my boys that I don't teach.
Wooseok came in, the only 2nd-grader among the big boys, as usual. I tried to get pictures of him, but he evaded me 5 times. Then I realized that I had gone too far--it was a game at the beginning, but now he was genuinely not wanting his picture taken and I wasn't being mindful of his feelings. I deleted the many shots I got of the back of his head and put my phone up, a bit upset to think that I had truly bothered him.
I think Wooseok has "I'm ugly" issues, too, actually. I didn't think so before, but something in the set of his face made me think that he thinks he's not a handsome kid, and that's the issue. But regardless of what the issue is, I'm just going to have to settle for no pictures of my boy because that's how he wants things.
Wooseok sat by me for a while and poked my calf, announcing that I had "big legs". I agreed with him, saying yes, they're American legs. He pointed to himself and said he had Korean legs, then he poked my calf again. For a child who just insulted my legs, he was certainly very interested in them, but that's kind of how little boys operate. Maybe he felt like he had to say something detrimental because I had caused him some stress earlier over the picture-taking.
But Wooseok knows I adore him; that's the whole point of getting him commemorated on film. The other boys who I wasn't trying to get pictures of kept asking to see my phone so they could delete any unflattering shots of themselves, then looking disappointed when I didn't have any pictures of them at all. So I made one kid feel persecuted because I was trying to take his picture and made four other kids feel lousy because I wasn't trying to take theirs. Ugh. Another misstep.
The most disturbing moment of Lunchtime Monopoly happened when my baby Jeongminne stuck his head into the math room and stepped in to say hi to me. I waved to him to come sit with me but Wooseok turned to him and said something quiet and nasty, which I couldn't make out. I told Wooseok to be quiet and told Jeongmin to come on in, but to no avail.
Jeongmin stepped outside and I followed him into the hallway. Jeongmin is one year younger than Wooseok, but he is not physically smaller, and yet Jeongmin looked very shaken when I saw him in the hall. I asked what Wooseok had said, but Jeongmin would not translate. I asked if he was afraid of Wooseok and he didn't answer.
I told Jeongmin that it really was okay for him to come back into the room, but he said "That's okay, Teacher--I just wanted to see you. It's okay." Then he asked if we could play Monopoly together tomorrow, since "it's Christmas Eve". He wants to spend extra time together because we won't see each other on Christmas. I agreed, then went back to the math room to frown at Wooseok. "What did you say to him?" I asked, knowing Wooseok would get the tone of the question. In Korean, I tried to tell him that Jeongmin was one of my most-liked students, but I don't know if it registered. I hate it when one of my favorite boys is being mean to one of my other favorite boys.
I was very upset when I was packing up Monopoly to go to my next class. It was 2-9, 2-10 B and we played a movie and Monopoly. I met a new boy--Iyagi--who had great English for a B-class. His name is interesting because it's 3 syllables long, not 2, and it literally means "story" or "tale" in Korean.
I was banker while Cable-Jaehee, Dongwook, Iyagi, and Seulbin played. B-Seonwoo, Smart-Sangwoon and Strong-Taesu watched. We were all huddled pretty close around the Monopoly table, our knees bumping and coats overlapping, etc. Sangwoon, one of my favorites, decided that he would just cuddle up to me and rest his head on my elbow the whole time.
Next I had 2-7, 2-8 B, one of my favorite groups. Joonwoo, Sanghyeop, Danhee, and Changyo played and made sure that I was a part of their every little decision. It was soooo darling how even though they understood the game perfectly, they still double-checked everything with me. When class was over, Jiwoong came up for chocolate and said "Nice to meet you," and when I corrected him with a "nice to see you," he added, "so nice to see you again," which was charming.
Found out that little creamy-skinned Yeongbin from 2-8, 2-8 B is 3rd-grade Yeonghyo's little brother. Four months I've taught this kid and only made the brother connection on the last day of class!
Ran into HH at cleaning time and told him to say hi to his mom for me because she was the first mother who ever talked to me in English, and that was very sepcial.
Saw Junho in the hall. He asked me "where are you from?" Now that I've been his girl for a while, he's getting around to learning the pertinent information.
At the lunchtime Monopoly game, Heechan wasn't there but Byeongkeun told me "Heechan, love you, give heart." This was evidently a message he was told to pass along. Even in his absence, Heechan's passion makes itself known.
Piano-Jaehyung met me in the hall to ask me when I got off work so we could walk home together. After cleaning time, he even came to the office to pick me up, but I told him to walk on home because I had to stay for a meeting. But how precious that he planned it out and wanted to share the walk home!
Saw Hyo again on the stairs and he chirped, "Bye Leigh-Sem!" as he was leaving the school. Was greeted happily by Shotputter-Jinseong.
Tonight at dinner, I saw Joonseong at the kimbap restaurant. He seemed to be with his grandparents and he didn't see me until I greeted his mother when she came in to join them. She seemed happy to see me and she made Joonseong come over and say hi. It was a lovely moment, and when she left she said in Korean, "Enjoy the rest of your meal, Teacher!" I really love this place.
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