Week 8, Monday

Over the weekend YouTube suggested I watch a video about an American elementary school girl and Korean boy meeting for the first time. It was very cute and awkward and I sent it to my to co-teachers today. The new sub, G as she will now be dubbed, thought it would be good to watch in class so we showed it to our fifth graders. Strong Girl had actually already watched the video. She also knows the celebrities I put in presentations so I’m mildly shocked we have the same taste in entertainment.

The boy I ran into at the gym, who lived in Lynchburg Virginia for five years as he told me in perfect English, and two friends came willingly during break to clean up the classroom for volunteer points. Later Gym Boy got in trouble for talking in class but after, patiently helped one of his autistic classmates. My weaker students are doing well in the new reward/group system G has established and I’m so proud. I almost got a little teary eyed (and I think G did too).

One of the strongest students in 4-1 flagged me down. “Teacher, my mom says she saw you and you are pretty.” I’m mostly impressed by her compound sentence.

I’ve never met her mom but I assume she saw a white woman in the neighborhood and surmised it was me. Later in class I put on a student’s glasses for fun and the whole class went silent. “Wow teacher you look so cool!” Maybe it’s time to get my eyes checked?

During lunch I commented to S that the rice today was different. She said, yes, there are many types of rice in Korea. I noted that it was more western style and that I really prefer traditional sticky Korean type rice.

“Wow you are almost Korean. You can’t leave us!”

After school I saw two of my fourth grade girls playing in the field and snacking. We had a short little conversation: they were of course eating local neighborhood ddeokbokki stand from the place where you can apparently also buy slushees. Business props to the woman who is expanding her market.

“Wow, that looks delicious.”

Girl 1 turned to girl 2 to ask in Korean “what did she say” to which I answered:

“맛있겠네요.” They giggled like crazy but at least I was understood.

I’m understanding more classroom dialogue day by day which is incredibly helpful as well as convenient.