9 AM: No classes today, but I have two classes tomorrow and the paper looks really confusing: 3-8 and 2-6. Erm. Does that mean 3-7, 3-8 B and 2-5, 2-6 A? Or what? Maybe they haven't assigned the levels yet? If so, that's going to be really weird teaching an entire homeroom, A-B-C and all.
I don't know why I'm so nervous about class. I always have grandiose visions of failure, but I will teach happily, regardless.
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10:45 AM: Yep, the classes aren't leveled until next week. KBR-Teacher told me that I've got her whole homeroom class, A, B and C. I'm planning which activities to alter/cut.
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1:30 PM About 20 3rd-grade kids, including my favorites Jinbong, Danhee, Seongsu, Grumpy Jaehee, Bitty-Baby Seongjik, were hauled out in front of the school and given a stern lecture (and other punishments, I'm presuming) for smoking. Yeesh. Smoking? I don't feel like Seongjik's even old enough to eat meat! And come on guys, how did 20 of you smoke together and think people wouldn't notice?
Still, it's so much better than serious violence or stealing. I don't feel too upset about this particular misdemeanor.
Got to use a little Korean with my Vice-Principal, who wanted to make sure to let me know that Oldest Teacher retired. VP was always so concerned that Oldest Teacher was offending me, but since I couldn't understand his more questionable jokes, I didn't mind too much.
We had lunch early today and I was able to ask MYeong Teacher "오늘은 왜 일찍 먹어요?" (oneureun, wae iljik meogeoyo?) or "why are we eating early today?" She said it was because the younger grades were taking tests.
I asked Inha how he liked 3rd grade and he said, "I don't understand you." I said, "알잖아!" (aljanha) or "you know exactly what I mean!" and he grinned.
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1:50 PM: Passed by one of the classes and there was one kid standing up, calling all the other kids to attention and getting them to bow formally to their teacher. It was Peter-Pan Taehoon. Seriously...who would have thought Taehoonie would be a class leader one day? Not I, said the Leigh-Sem.
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5 PM: Had a good end-of-day and we got to go a little early.
Chanyoung initiated conversation with me for the first time today! He never speaks much in the special needs room, but he came to the 2nd-floor office for something, he asked m "이거 뭐예요? 콜라?"(igeo mwoyeyo?) or "what is that? Cola?" while looking at my Coke Zero bottle. Evidently, Chanyoung has a thing for cola. I told him "correct" in Korean, which was enough to draw the attention of Junho, who was also in the office at the time.
Junho did the standard "hey there" finger-guns move, but when that only earned him a smile, he decided to try something else. He moved to the door and called my name just as I was taking a sip of my Coke. When I looked over, he winked and made a heart sign with his hands, which was just unexpected enough to make me nearly choke. Good times.
On the walk home, Hyo pedaled next to me for a while. He feels like he didn't do very well on his big test today--I think the test is the one that determines what level the kids are for the rest of the year. I told him we'd try some Monopoly tomorrow, as a way to take the sting out.
Once I got home, I went back out for a walk and the new 1st-graders were just getting out of school--guess they had a test too, or had some other special preparation. Anyhow, they were all walking on the opposite side of the river from me, in little groups. Each little group waved and cheered their hellos. Painfully darling. One group was on my side of the river, and they inhaled as one and prepared to say something truly epic when a train went over the bridge above their heads at that exact moment, startling them into silence.
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