I am now in my third week of teaching, and I have had some time to get on some of the kids' good sides. I have also had time to make some of the children really dislike me, which in Korean culture generally means that they have to try extra hard to impress me. Korea is a shamed society, but I will explain more in a minute. This brings me to my first story.
1. I teach 3 kinds of classes: reading, listening, and novel study/writing. Reading and listening classes are the two easiest classes to teach and involve the least amount of prep work and grading. Novel/writing classes are a different matter all together. In these classes the students are reading a novel. There is a workbook that corresponds to this novel. The students must answer 10 questions, write a summary, write a paragraph about what they think will happen in the next chapter, define 10 words from the chapter, and use 5 of these words in a sentence. For EACH chapter! On top of that, there are journal books. It is my duty to assign a new journal topic (English level appropriate of course) and the students must write an outline, a first draft, and a second draft. You think that is a lot? The students are also assigned a speech topic every month, which also includes an outline, a first draft, and a second draft. I am exhausted just telling you about it, and I am the one who has to grade all this stuff!
Now, in my advanced novel/writing class, I have a lot of students with 'tude. But none as bad as Lucy H. Lucy H. is in a class all on her own. Part "brown-noser" part "know-it-all," she is a mixture of vanity and narcism with a schotsche of pretentious anxst and loves to hear the sound of her own voice. Yesterday a boy asked a question about a character in the book, and she turned in her seat to haughtily ask him: "Did you even read the book?" Whoa down girlfriend. For our latest journal topic, I gave them the prompt "Would you rather win 1,000,000won today or 5,000,000won in one year?" Little did I know what dire consequences this would have. The following is a note I receieved in the blank section where Lucy H.'s outline was supposed to have been, and her actual journal entry. Do enjoy.
"*Note to teacher: I don't like this topic and it did not make me think or write a lot. Please make sure you think before giving us a topic.*
Though many people prefer more money, I don't care. But last thing I'd like to do is wait. But to get money from someone for no reason is not a good thing unless they are your grandparents. If it's someone that you don't know, it just makes me feel like a foolish freak who doesn't have any money.
I personally won't get any money unless I've won a lottery. So if this thing is about lottery, I would get it right away.
You must notice that I might be dead next year due to a *deases or something. Then that money goes straight back to the lottery company.
But if it were a stranger asking me "Do you want 1,000,000won today, or 5,000,000won in an year?" I'd probably yell at him "Do I look like I don't have any money? I don't need any money from YOU!"
In conclusion, I will never wait and get 1,000,000won or none. I think this is making people be obsessed with money."
This has to be one of the funniest and most infuriating things I have read in a long time. Needless to say I pulled her into the hall at the end of class and gave her the smack down! Later I expressed my concern that her mother could be angry with me for scolding her and call the school to complain. My friend Erin told me that Korea is a shamed society, and that if her mother did call, it would be to apologize profusely for Lucy's behavior. I could get used to this.
2. I have had the challenge of learning over 100 students' English names over the past few weeks, and I think that I know mostly everyone by now. Learning names will always be a challenge for teachers the world over, but I must say that I am presented with the extra task of keeping up with the names these students have chosen. For example, when I tired of the name Amanda, I chose to go by Mandy, a relatively close variation of my given name. When my Korean students tire of their names, they can pick a new one all together, and no one says boo. In one class alone, I had a Grace change to Lou, a Lucy change to Clara, and an Ally change to Amy because "Ally was too boring." So now I am constantly struggling to stay on top of all the names, new and old, that I am asked to remember.
3. In one of my novel/writing classes, we are reading Pippi Longstocking. In the book, one character curls her hair in preparation for Pippi Longstocking's birthday party. I asked the class if their mothers have curling irons and curl their hair...to which they replied no, but lots of boys do. One girls' brother frequently curls his hair. Another has a father with a curled coif. So if I have told any of you that I am not going to be dating a Korean male because they are too effeminate for my taste, this should explain why. I have been observing the male hairstyle trend since that class period and I do think that men spend more time on their hair in this country than women do. Just an interesting observation.
4. In a reading class, we were reading an exerpt of Little House on the Prairie, and one of the men in the story had a moustache. I asked the class if they knew what a moustache was, and it was clearly obvious that they didn't understand the concept when they replied "nose hair." After explaining that moustache hair does not grow out of the nose, but slightly under it, I told the class that in America, many men grow moustaches. One boy asked "Does your dad have a moustache?" and I replied "Yes, yes my father did have a moustache for many years." I would like to take a moment to remember that moustache......
Then the light bulb in my head went off. Not only do Korean men not grow moustaches, they do not grow any facial hair whatsoever. Then I began to miss the bearded mountain men of my former life. I think I am going through mountain man withdrawal. I would love to see some plaid, or boots that aren't Uggs, or even Carhart's for god sake! The men in this country wear the most stylish jeans I think I have ever seen in my life. Eat your heart out Beverly Hills.
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