11 AM: Whew! Great day so far.
Yesterday was really busy, plus our office internet was out for a few hours, so I didn't get to write. But it was a great day--I got to play baseball with 3rd-grade Jiwoong!
Jiwoong ( my former afterschool boy whose curmudgeonly behavior earned him the nickname of "Grumpmaster" and who had been ignoring me for the first month of school) saw me come out to the path outside the soccer field. I was carrying my glove, so he asked to throw with me and we played catch. It was so sweet. I was incredibly happy to get to do anything with Jiwoong and the fact that he asked first was all the more wonderful.
Also, yesterday our educational supervisor for the city asked if I wanted to renew my contract for another year. I had already thought and prayed about this and there was no other choice for me--I said yes.
I haven't signed anything yet, but I know where my heart is. I complain and hurt and agonize over classes and over how to benefit the boys, but I know I want to stay here. Times are tough all over, and I have a right good job here. Co-workers I like, kids I love, the ability to try creative things even if they fall a bit flat at times. God carved out a safe place for me here, and I'm grateful for it. I'm staying for more, believing that I have more to do here and more to learn here.
Yesterday, my running hobby really kicked up a notch, too. I actually jogged for 30 minutes without stopping, which is really amazing when you consider that I could barely run for 2 minutes a few weeks ago. A combination of pointers from my friends (I was running way too hard and too fast, sprinting instead of going slow to preserve my energy) and daily training has brought me up to my current level.
Basically, I could run a 5K right now. And that is soooooo exciting! I'm going to keep up my running practice everyday, hoping to maintain some good endurance so I can run a real race with my buddies soon.
In my morning class of 2nd-graders, we had a grand time because H-Sol Teacher was so helpful. We did really well and the drawing-on-boards game that had failed so monstrously on Wednesday was a big hit. Also, English-Hyunseo excitedly told me that he loved last week's zombie game so much, he wanted to play it again.
That made me so happy. The Zombie Week stuff was fun for a few people, but overall it didn't go over big. Yet here was a kid so jazzed about the zombie game, he could barely get the words out in Korean or English. That made me so happy.
And my 3rd-grade boys were lovely. Sujin switched things around so he didn't have a partner, so I worked with him. And Byeonghyun, BY, Yoonjae, Yeongjoon and Kyeongtaek were all great.
Twin-Seungho told me through Minjoon that the snails died. Even pencil-case biomes aren't forever. And Minjoon told me he'd bring me deok (rice cake) on my birthday.
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1:40 PM Class was gooood! My last round of 2nd-graders did so well. I knew I couldn't scrap the idea of the marker-board game because it had worked in H-Sol's class. We did it in class with NG Teacher and it was the best game yet. We seriously had so much fun with it and all 4 teams participated.
Ah, it was splendid. I teased Daehwan and Yehoon so much in class and I finally saw Laryngitis Seonghoon participating like he used to--actively, loudly, and mostly-correctly. Yehoon asked what "dalpaengi" was in English and I said "snails" immediately because I learned the word this week, thanks to Twin-Seungho's snail farm. And I talked lots more with NG, which is getting fun. I think we're friends, now, or if not, it's really close.
Sat across from the new math teacher at lunch and accidentally said I was "American people" plural, because I'm used to introducing myself in conjunction with another person. I corrected myself quickly, but I got a big laugh out of that one.
:Lunchtime Games were great. I threw baseball outside with 3rd-graders Gyuchan and Yoonseong, then I went in for 2nd-grade games. Of course, when I got to the office there were 5 kids hovering around the Question Seat, waiting for their chance to answer, so I had to talk to them first.
I've instituted a whole policy for Question Time. I printed out a list of 7 frequently asked questions that the boys can't ask me because they're too easy. However, I break that rule for the C-ban boys because they honestly can't think of English questions other than "how old are you" and "where are you from".
In addition, I made a new rule that on Monday-Wednesday-Fridays, I ask the boys 2 questions, but on Tuesday-Thursday, they have to ask me two questions instead. So the responsibility's on me most often, to think of interesting yet simple questions.
Making the printed-out rules seems to thrill the boys, because now it's a for reals game with standard regulations. They can know exactly what to expect. More kids than ever have been by today, including Afro-Jiwoong who trotted down to the big office all by his lonesome just to see if I was there. He was thirsty after our spicy lunch, so I gave him some of my drink. Later, Jeongmin was thirsty from running and he had some too.
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3:30 PM Last class is over! I'm just at the office for a bit longer.
1st-grade babies got through class okay, though they were right lethargic. And I had to get Mr. B on the case of one of the kids--Hanwoong--because he wrote the f-word on his game paper at the end. Bad language doesn't affect me much, but youngun's have to learn what's classroom-appropriate and what's not. Hanwoong had to stand in the corner for a while, then come and apologize to me after class.
I think we're fine now--Hanwoong writing English obscenities on his paper didn't affect me one-tenth as much as Jiyoon drawing monkey pictures. Speaking of Jiyoon, today he was threatening his friend with a pencil-sharpening knife. The kids all have these tiny knives and it wouldn't be permitted in an American school, because they really could damage somebody.
Anyhoodle, I just told him to put the knife up, fairly blase about it by now. Yesterday in afterschool, Jiyoon did something else totally crazy/unacceptable and I just rolled my eyes, wrapped him in a hug to haul him away from the trouble he was causing, and led him to a desk where he could sit by me. We watched the final 20 minutes of our Thursday movie in relative silence. Jiyoon's nutsiness is just going to be part of my life now, since I'm one of his school-moms.
But today when he walked out of my classroom, I said "Bye, I love you," to Jiyoon for whatever reason, and he did a double take and pivoted back to say, "Love you, too." No clue if he really feels anything, but I know that I love him and I (usually) feel like it, as well.
Jeongmook spent as much of the class as possible holding my hand. And he tried to fix me up with his classmate Hanwoong because "Hanwoong tall, look good together!" Which makes me think that Jeongmook's sensitive about being so short. Not like he stands out among 1st-graders for his lack of stature, or anything. Jongmin has the best English of the lot and translated a great deal for me.
Piano-Jaehyung came by the office and I just did the English questions with him.Because I'd heard the other boys translate my English so often, I could ask Jaehyung the questions in English then Korean. His favorite season is fall, because then he can eat persimmons.
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