12 PM: Grr, so angry but getting over it.
I was told I'm having an open afterschool today. It's past the normal time for open classes, and me and B-Teacher were the only people who had two open classes last week, but I have another. Because one of the moms doesn't like the idea of the afterschool program in general and will be looking for things to criticize, so say both KBR and JY-Teacher.
Why. I'm tired. I spent 2 hours yesterday making stuff for my afterschool, then I went for an hour-long run, then got cleaned up just enough to go meet my best friend's mom and aunt who are visiting Korea for the first time. Then I got up an hour early today to work on more afterschool stuff, only to be told about the open class. I filled out a lesson plan, then added even more activities to today's list.
I'm not angry anymore, just explaining why I was upset. As a native teacher, it's harder to teach the little guys because the only means you have of teaching them the thing they don't know (English) is by using the thing they don't know (English). To keep order, explain tasks, and make learning stick while teaching in a foreign language is hard.
But my boys are excellent. They mind very well, Jiyoon included, and I love them to death. I have food for them, plus movie clips, and we're going to draw our favorite characters and then say why we like them. And I won't resent the mom who dislikes afterschool--I come from a family that doesn't even believe in public school, let alone multiple programs to make public school last as long as possible. I see her point, and I understand her feelings.
When I meet her, I want to be able to treat her with graciousness and thoughtfulness, like I'd want someone to treat my own mom.
Very belated, but HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my Daddy!
I think I'm sort of pretending I'm not away because that's the easiest way to deal with missing Dad and everyone else, but I can't wait to be back with my favorite man in the world (excepting Little Bro 1 and Little Bro 2).
It's Dad's grit and determination that I call onto get me through the hard days. Our family doesn't quit. You don't have to win, but you do have to give it everything, and I tried to take that lesson to heart. You and me, Daddy. We can get these things done, you over there and me over here. Thank you for always pushing me.
C-Jeongmin came by to give me gum. HH came by to chat, Minhwe asked me which of the 7 Wonders of the World I liked best (Pyramids), and Gyuchan told me that the Korean national soccer team's chances of beating Russia tomorrow are slim.
Pepper Dongmin came by. Always good to see him.
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2 PM: Quite sleepy, but I'm holding on okay. That said, I've got Big-Class next, then another 2nd-grade group and then open afterschool. But it's only another 3 hours! I can do it!
For lunchtime, I went outside and sat alone on a park bench, enjoying the cool breeze and praying a bit. One of the older male teachers came along after 10 minutes and gave me a cup of coffee. We sat together and talked about the World Cup, which I can now discuss to some degree because of my research.
(Last night, I got into a mild argument with my Irish friend about whether a certain questionable penalty kick for Brazil was the fault of the cheating player or the fault of the ref for not catching the fake-fall. Other friends were staring at us. And I realized--I have become Sports People. The type of person who argues about stats and calls and things you can't comprehend unless you too follow their exact branch of sport-related mania. I am that.)
This morning, I watched on B-Teacher's computer as the USA beat Ghana in the World Cup. Woot! Go us. One month ago, I would not have cared a lick. Yeonghan wants to know my favorite American player--I don't have one because I haven't researched them yet, but I will.
In class today, Yeonghyun tried really hard to answer all the questions (so proud of him), and Soonwoo and Hyunho really did answer everything. I did a variety of ridiculous things to get Gunwoo and Hwanghyuk smiling, and they worked beautifully. I love seeing the cool kids break down into grins and giggles. Donggu wanted chocolate, so I led him out of the classroom and we walked most of the way down the hall holding hands until he had to stop and kick Chaeho for teasing him about it.
Yesterday, I asked NG about his students and he told me that Sad-Minjong has been in computer programming competitions and knows more about computers than most adults. Today in class with SG2, I asked Minjong if he was good at programming, and he said "a little," but he smiled deeply like he was pleased to be acknowledged.
Went by the special needs room this morning. Said hi to Chanyeong and chatted with Dohyun a bit. Joonsung came to see me this morning and sat by me while I worked. I gave him raisins and banana chips, and he was content.
I didn't do Lunchtime Games--I just let Jeongmin and Deokryong come by and sit on either side of me, using my computer to play a 2-person flash animation game. They did pretty well. I noticed that Jeongmin speaks politely to Deokryong---he uses "yo". I wonder why? They're the same age. I haven't yet heard two kids of the same year speaking to each other formally. Maybe Jeongminnie's just extra polite?
In other news, I have started wearing cutoff leggings under my dresses, for added protection against wardrobe malfunctions (one doesn't spend an entire lifetime wearing pants or floor-length skirts and then adjust easily to fluffy one-piece above-the-knee dresses). For the last two months, I was trying to look like KBR but thanks to genetics, the same outfit looks different on KBR than on me; she doesn't need the leggings, and I do.
So I had to modify my new goals for what I was trying to do with my clothes. It wasn't enough to but outfits that looked prettier and more in line with what the Korean girl-teachers wear--I needed to allow for what is best for me personally to wear.
If you cut gray or black or brown leggings to stop just under the kneecap, they look perfect and match grandly with your dress. Also, you don't have to fuss with a hem when you sit down or stand up, and don't have to worry about where kids are looking when they walk up the staircase behind you. Best of all worlds! Cute girly dresses (like KBR wears) paired with leggings that allow for maximum coolness in the summer. Score, score, and score.
But the kids were bound to notice eventually. Jeongmook was the first. Today, my little guy caught up with me outside, pointed to my leggings and said "what...what is THIS?" in a tone of accusation and betrayal. Further proof that this was the right choice. Jeongmook is not happy about this, and any wardrobe choice that makes the little ones unhappy is undoubtedly right.
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6:30 PM: Open afterschool went fine! I was a bundle of firecracker-nerves, but it all went okay. I met the one mom in the back of the class and I asked her in Korean to please have a seat. And I introduced myself in Korean, which is usually medium-disarming for most folks I've met.
I ran the boys through all the stuff I had prepared--the quiz on the vocabulary we learned yesterday, a presentation of the PPT game I'm not finished with, and an introduction of the idea "Who is your favorite character?"
Then we ate chocopies while watching 10 minutes of our movie, then I showed them a slide of 8 characters and they each got colors and got the chance to draw their favorite. After that, they came up to the front of the class and told us all why they liked that character.
We closed out with 5 very exciting minutes of our movie and that worked great. I was packing up the class and babies were returning ink pens to me and asking me what happened next in the movie, and the one mom came to speak to me.
She looked quite friendly and said in nice English, "Thank you for letting me watch your class!" It turns out, she's Junho's mom. Junho is a smart-smart kid, but a bit grumpy, though I've been thawing him lately. I think he's only just now having fun in afterschool because he's been sorted into a District group with none of his friends, and with two low-levels and Jinhyuk who is rather apathetic.
But Junho was smiling sheepishly when I told his mom he was good at art and that he'd drawn a really killer invention the first week of class. She looked happy at the news and her only suggestion for me was that it would be better for the boys to watch a movie with sound. I told her the computer was broken and she said she hoped the sound would be fixed soon. I told her I'd talk to the technology teacher.
Hey, that's not bad, is it? Not bad at all. I feel better about everything. Jiyoon was great, Dohyun was good and Wonhye, too. You go, kidlets, you go.
My little 1st-grade Sunwoo walked me home again. Yesterday after afterschool, Coffee-Sunwoo wanted to walk home with me so we went together the whole 15 minutes, and it was lovely. Coffee-Sunwoo is quite a good companion and he's so quiet and gentle, I never get to chat with him in class.
Today, Sunwoo stepped right up and asked for us to walk together again. On the walk home, he told me that he felt really sensitive about his English because he just barely made it into English A-ban. He doesn't feel like he belongs. I told him not to worry; that he would get better in time. I told him he doesn't have to speak English to me if Korean is easier, but he barely uses any Korean, even if it means being silent until he can think of the English.
He also told me of his own accord that he's often scared of the big 2nd and 3rd-grade boys at our school. I told him that if anyone is mean to him, he should come to me. I want to protect him, I said. I bought him a raspberry ice-drink at a 7-11, and then I gave him the option of continuing on to his home, or detouring to grocery shop with me (the grocery mart is right on the way home for both of us).
Sunwoo decided to hold my shopping container for me, so I put in all the fruits and veggies I wanted and he toted it after me as we chatted. The clerk thought we were the cutest thing ever and asked if he was my student. yep! I answered an affirmative and said that he was very smart. He looked quite happy to get that kind of public acknowledgement, and he's officially the first kid I've grocery-shopped with.
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