Desk Warming, Week 3, Day 5:

This afternoon I finally finished a real paperback novel! I spent the last two hours closing out The Tiger’s Wife which I had picked up used from an Aladin store months ago.

What I teach to the daycare kids In the morning hast to differ from what I teach in the afternoon. Since today was a morning class, I got away with more writing and relaxed games. We spent a hefty chunk of time playing alphabet bingo and I gave everyone a sticker once they eventually reach bingo. Of course there were kids who told me “one bingo two bingo three bingos teacher I have three bingos teacher three bingos teacherrrrrrrrr”. I later called them up by teams and gave each member a letter of a word to spell on my mini whiteboard. We also did our sped up “Head, shoulders, knees, toes” which they love.

I wish I could show you my class.

Since the school is under construction and students have been displaced in to the senior center which lacks computers but does have massage chairs, I am rocking with little to no materials. Luckily I snagged some crayons before I left last semester and the office has a printer so I’m doing my best.

During our spelling game I also told the teacher and the kids about my Fanta fiasco. Once upon a time I wanted to drink Fanta at a restaurant but I didn’t know the Korean word so I said “Panta” (Korean has no F). The waiter had no idea what I meant because it turns out that the word for Fanta is actually…. “Hwanta”. The kids and teacher all had a laugh and I’m happy our communication overlaps enough that I can talk with them this way.

This week they’ve learned how to count to 10, the letters of the alphabet, various body parts, how to ask and respond to “how are you”, “I see…”, and beginning phonics. They eat up material so fast that next week I plan to introduce colors and basic sentence structure maybe like “this is…”. Whatever I teach I want them to be comfortable saying it and understanding it. At the very least, I hope to have a crew of little students saying “hello, teacher!” in the hallways this semester.

Y’all. I REALLY like creating and teaching my own content. What a joy!