Today was Cheongyu (3rd grade's) birthday, so I gave him a pack of cards, plus the last of the chocolate chips and a note card wishing him a happy birthday and thanking him for being such a good student. June has been a loaded month for birthdays--I've given out 7 small presents this month, and Computer Seonghyun(3) and BY are still left to go.
Today I didn't have to teach at all, but it was still a little tiring because I had to observe the 3rd-graders twice for 70-minute testing periods. Our poor boys had tests in Korean, English, and Math today and they'll have finals next week, to boot. I don't know why our 3rd-graders have so many tests, but it must be necessary for their high school prep.
In the morning, I observed with KBR and busied myself with standing in the back and reading TS Eliot's "4 Quartets". For observing with JY-Teacher, she and I walked to the outside building to see Chil-ban (class 7). When I walked in, they all cheered. BY told me that the boys had seen the (very strict) male Korean teacher and the (also very strict) male science teacher walk past and were afraid they were giving the test. It was apparently a big relief to see me after that scare.
Chil-ban is full of awesome kids. Yoontae, Face-Yoonjae, Sujin, Yeongjoon, BY, Heonmin, Kyeongtaek, Seongwonnie, Chocolate-Jinho, Boisterous-Jinbong, Puppy-Joonhyuk and Seung-Ah. I don't know how so many imminently likable kids got sorted into the same class, but it happened. If I didn't know that they all regularly get in trouble for gambling and that BY is something of a criminal mastermind, I wouldn't believe them capable of any shenanigans whatsoever.
My Minhwe distrusts Afro Jiwoong. When Jiwoong (2nd) left my desk, Minhwe (3rd) told me very seriously that Afro-Jiwoong is known for stealing. They go to the same hagwon and Jiwoong has been accused of stealing many things, most notably a Samsung GS4 phone, but the kids never have proof. Sad to sad, I'm inclined to believe Minhwe because Jiwoong is my boy, but he feels like he could get up to massive trouble.
Makes me wonder if I should take pains to hide my own phone or move my purse, but I don't know for sure. I'm certain that Minhwe truly believes what he told me. Minhwe's not the fibbing type, and he has no reason to ever interact with Jiwoong ever (I would find it hard to believe a similar tale if it was two kids in the same grade/same class involved. Jealousy and spite issues crop up with kids in close proximity, but Jiwoong and Minhwe are not.)
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3:40 PM Went outside to watch baby Chil-ban (class-7, 1st grade) play soccer. Sensitive-Jinhyuk, Donghyuk, and Team-Leader-Changhee are all on that team. Jinhyuk waved and called out to me while I sat on the shaded front porch, and Changhee smiled when I cheered for him. My boys are special and talented, yes they are.
Deokryong's been by 4 times today, messing with my computer, changing the background picture of my tablet to to a screenshot of him, me, and Hyunho. Cuuuute.
But I've got to stop the boys from getting into my real computer--it's only an issue for the 2nd-graders because the big guys are too mature, but I've got Hyo, Jeongmin, Deokryong, and Hyunseop all trying to do things on my computer while I'm talking to other kids and I have to remember to just close the laptop sometimes. They don't have the ability to order anything online, etc, but still.
Actually, since we had a super late lunch today and I couldn't play with the Sa-ban kids, an amry of 3rd-graders came by after lunch to ask me questions. While they did that, Jeongmin, Hyo, and Hyunseop sat around and played with my hair, since I wouldn't let them use the computer.
3rd-graders finally had to have a food limit set for them. I had to tell PonyFish-Minwoo that he can only get popcorn/trail mix etc twice a day. That's going to be the rule for everybody, too. Because if a couple well-fed kids come by 4 times a day, then I often run out of munchies for genuinely hungry kids by the end of the day, before I can restock. (And I do try hard to stay stocked up--currently I have popcorn and trail mix and I'll buy more chocolate tomorrow.)
But this might be good for the ones who just need to talk. Minwoo keeps coming by to chat--I think half of his seemingly endless hunger is actually a need for somebody to listen to him.
One of the older male teachers drove me home yesterday because it was raining exuberantly. I'm grateful to have so many people to look after me.
HH asked me what I think of SG1--I told him she was cute and awesome and I thought she was a great person. He looked stricken; surely I could not be fooled into thinking his cruel homeroom teacher was a nice girl. I told him that I liked her, no matter what he said.
Jaehyung came by for a while, and I read him part of "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut" by Dr. Seuss. I don't think he can read English letters..he wasn't able to sound out the word "red" by reading r-e-d.
The kids are teaching me so much Korean. All I have to do is take a half second to ask them what something means, then they'll tell me.
One of my friends sent this picture to me because he says that this is the exact way I sound when I encourage people:
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