11 AM: School is back and we all goin' crazy.
It's lovely. I knew from B-Teacher that we wouldn't be teaching today--the schedules aren't even set, yet. But JY-Teacher says we'll teach tomorrow.
Good News: I DID get moved to the 2nd-floor office! Glorious, glorious. Toss some confetti in the air. The 2nd-floor office is bigger than it used to be because the desks got moved to a larger room, but it's still 1/3rd the size of the downstairs office.
I got to school and went down to the big office, wondering if I'd hear an announcement about moving. I did! Our Vice-Principal told me that I was to move to the upstairs office to be with the "young teachers" because it would be better for me to socialize with them. Isn't that kind? Oh, he's so nice.
So after 6 trips up the stairs with my stuff (man, teaching materials/candy/games/office supplies really do accumulate over time), I settled in to my new desk. The room is brighter, near a lot of windows, I sit by B-Teacher and in the same room as JY-Teacher, KBR-Teacher, YSR-Teacher, and SG-Teacher, some of my favorite ladies. My desk is near the door, so anyone coming in has to walk by me, which is nice for conversational purposes.
Annnnd...I thought all my 2nd-graders would be moving upstairs now that they're 3rd-graders, because last year the 2nd-graders were on the 2nd floor and the 3rd-graders were on the 3rd and 4th. Nope. They changed the class signs, and all the former 2nd-graders are still on the 2nd floor--where I am, now. Last year's 1st-graders are on the 3rd and 4th floors, and the new teeny-tiny-bitty-baby 1st graders are off in the side. I haven't even seen one of them yet.
The whole school's a big shuffle of moving desks, books and whatnot. Fully 1/3rd of the teachers are new--if not more! I'm trying to figure out who is gone. There were lots of people I knew by look but not by name, so it'll take me awhile to figure out who the new faces have replaced. Main Co-Teacher is gone, though. And I don't know who our new English department head is.
On the walk to school this morning, I heard boy-voices giggling "Leigh! Leigh.." And I knew that 2 or more kids were talking behind meand I was about to get ambushed by some form of cuteness.
It was Sanghwa, Redhair Joonyoung, and Afterschool Jeongmin, on bikes! Sanghwa shouted my name so I would turn around, then we exchanged our brightest, biggest smiles, and as he rode by he extended his hand toward me and sang:
Sanghwa: Do you want to build a snowmaaaan?
Me: *calling after them* Come on, let's go and play.
Joonyoung: *already past, singing back over his shoulder* Do you want to build a snowmaaaan?
Me: *singing* I never see you anymore...
Jeongmin: *Far in the distance, yelling* LET IT GO!
I could not wipe the grin from my face. That made my morning. Does Sanghwa intend to be this darling all year? Is it humanly possible? I can't live like this. It's too joyful.
When I got to school, I went straight to the special needs room to watch Chanyoung look at pictures of dumptrucks. My Seongwon was there, and he tried to play piano with me, by which I mean that he plays Heart and Soul until I finally come over and join him, then messes up on purpose so that we can't play together. Endless fun.
Then Inha came in and Seongwon announced to his friend that he was going to do "마술" (mah-sool) or "magic"...with my hair. I was sitting down, and Seongwon picked up some of my hair, divided it into 3 sections, and began to braid. Because braiding equals magic! Of course it does. I helped him figure out the pattern, and he did pretty well with it. Seongwon tried to explain to me that he'd seen somebody braiding hair on TV.
Saw Byeonghyun in the hall. He's got a new haircut and I told him "잘 어울려" (jal eo-ool-yeo) or "it looks good/ it suits you". I think that phrase is used more for outfits and hats, but I've been using it to compliment hairstyles.
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11:40 AM I'd been worried about Junho because I didn't see him the first two weeks of February. But he's here, and so is Danhee, who was missing in action in February. When I came back to the office, Junho leaned to block the door and said, "Ah. My girlfriend." I pushed him out of the way with a "비켜" (bikyeo) or "move, now!" but I was smiling. I'm glad he's well.
Byeonghyun's buddy Seohyung got a haircut, too. I didn't even recognize him! I thought he was a transfer.
Saw my pal Bossy Dongseok in the hall. He trotted after me with a "Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi!"
Vice Principal came by to see if me and B-Teacher were happy in our new office. We are.
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2 PM: Lunch was good. It was funny seeing the kids come in for lunch at all the "wrong" times. Last year, I'd eat while watching the 3rd-graders get their grub, then the 2nd-graders filed in, and I never once saw the 1st-graders eat because I was gone by then.
Today, my favorite boys were first to get food because they're the 3rd-graders now. And last year's little kids took the spot in the middle of lunch. I keep looking at last year's 1st-graders and trying to make myself see them as 2nd-graders halfway up the power ladder, not as infants.
I was in the lunch line with Seongsu and Junho, who had to tell me they loved me, and I added to Seongsu, "You're 삼학년 (samhanyeon) now--you're grown up!" He nodded and stood straighter, showing he understood my meaning,
The other effect of having the kids all age upward at lunchtime is that it technically allows Saturday Jeongmin to eat lunch with me. I was close to finished with my lunch when he walked up and plopped down across from me and started up a conversation. All the teachers were giving him the side-eye for his boldness, but Jeongmin ain't even phased by that. Tiny Hyo came and sat down, too.
The lunch coordinator made Jeongmin leave because the table was "just for teachers" but Hyo was gone and didn't hear her, so he came back and suddenly I was sitting with Hyo but no Jeongmin. I didn't really have food left, but I scooted down to sit in front of Hyo and sip the last of my soup. He and I talked a bit and when he said something I couldn't hear because of the noise, I said "나중에 다시 말해" (najunge dashi malhae) "tell me again later". I also told him to come find me in my new office and we'd play Monopoly. He visibly brightened at that suggestion.
When I was done eating, Jeongmin came and found me. One of the male teachers told him we couldn't play cards in this office, so he should take me to the 4th-floor art room. I didn't really feel like playing, but I went with Jeongmin to the art room so he could teach me One Card. Wooseok once tried to teach me, but Jeongmin is better at setting down the English rules.
The door was open of course and different 2nd-graders kept spilling in then spilling right back out because I'm scary, I guess. It's like they don't remember that I taught them last year and they're seeing an American stranger for the first time. One of the kids (C-ban? I never taught him) came in to ask Jeongmin questions about me but the kid steadfastly refused to look at me.
I asked his name in Korean and he didn't respond. Finally I said "나를 봐" (nareul bwa) or "look at me" and he finally made eye contact. He said his name was Jitae.
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7:30 PM
When he left, I told Jeongmin that the kid had been very rude. I said it was rude not to look at a person and also rude not to answer when they talked to you. Jeongmin said the kid was just shy and that all the boys are shy around me because "they are boys". But. But. I've been at the school for 6 months, surely we should have gotten past the awkward 'girls have cooties' avoidance? I think as a foreigner, I'm just too sensitive to being overlooked, even by kids.
Soon, Myeongchun joined our card game and we three had fun playing it together. I was hoping to take a walk after lunch, but I get the feeling that Jeongmin's going to hunt me down every single day and take up most of the lunch hour. And that's okay. I'm sure he needs the extra time.
Okay, so I'm figuring out who teaches what ban in grade 3: JY-Teacher has Il-Ban (1), KBR-Teacher (who is also the new head of our English department) has Pal-Ban (8). Pepper-Dongmin and Chansu are in Gu-Ban(9).
We had a big teacher dinner tonight and it was great. I could keep up a surprising amount of Korean conversation with the new women at my table, and they said I had a good personality. We have at least 20 new teachers, mostly younger men and women, and I met SG2-Teacher, one of the new female English teachers tonight. She's sweet.
Classes start tomorrow. I'm having to pray to calm my nerves; I know these kids and I love these kids. There's nothing to get worked up over. I'm going to try some fun things, and if those things don't go beautifully, at least the Lord's plan for our lives is still going swimmingly.
The 3rd-grade teachers are all a bit depressed. YSR-Teacher is all but ready to cry over missing her kids from last year who graduated, KBR-Teacher's new kids are hellions compared to her homeroom class from last year and she doesn't feel the same affection for them, and JY-Teacher is fairly unimpressed and nonplussed by her new batch of young'uns, too. I'm in the unique position of not having been disappointed by the students yet, so tried to encourage them.
I mean to pray for my lovely co-workers, too. We're getting in some serious bonding at last, and I want to support them.
When I went by the special needs room, Junghyun was playing the piano and I showed him some new notes. Junghyun is an interesting kid--he's one of the few children I've gotten outright furious at (for hurting Seongwon badly), yet he's one of the only kids who bows low every time he sees me, like clockwork. He smiled while I taught him the notes, so I was glad we got to have a moment of kindness.
At the same time, Seongwon wanted to detach my necklace, the silver one with an "L" on it, which I got from my Aunt for Christmas. He walked around with it, telling the other kids it was his before returning it. He feels 100% comfortable with taking my stuff, but unless it happens to be edible he does always give it back.
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Also: today, my former 3rd-graders Jjang-Donghwi, Playground Youngjin, A-Ban Ingu, and Model Seokho came by the office! They go to the high school next door and they took the time to come by and see their former teachers. I gave them chocolate and told them how sharp their new uniforms looked. They gossiped with JY-Teacher then shot some "heart" signs to us before they left. Dawww. My heart cracks from the cute.
