Week 11, Tuesday

I found out that 4-2 is very good in G’s ethics class which came as a shock to me. They are by far my…. rowdiest English class. I want to ask G for advice, but I don’t know how it will reflect on others or what she’ll pass along to the other teachers.

3-2 acted out when G left. She came back and deducted their class point. I asked her if other schools are like this, and she said it’s this area that needs this level of discipline (discipline as in: constantly watching, giving rewards and taking them away, gamifiying everything so students are motivated).

I work at what is essentially an “inner city school” but the kids are good-hearted, and I can’t imagine having a 40 kid class. Sometimes I think some teachers are waiting until they are reassigned to a better area and let the kids do whatever in class in the meantime. G said “if you stay another year you should teach in a different area”.

4-2 made the silly rule posters today and there were a lot of feelings about couples: be a couple, don’t be a couple, break up the couples, be solo.

There was another tea time today but S left early and I was tuckered out from 3-2 and 4-2. G said “you don’t have to go, it’s okay” so I declined. I made props for fifth grade’s Willy Wonka presentation next week. G stopped by after and gave me the leftover pizza. “I told them you would like it”.

My cleverest grade 4 girl, who in 4-2 talked to me about a famous Kpop song (we both knew the dance), saw me walking from school and joined after a very deep hello bow. She lost her wallet and a part of me thought she was running a scam to every adult to ask for money. We chatted in English or Korean whenever the other failed.

She never did ask for money as we both walked towards the train station.

She did another deep bow goodbye as she headed to boxing practice and she’s either extremely polite or extremely sarcastic.

I didn’t know the metro could be bumpy but the driver shook us along like a bat out of hell. There was a man in an electric wheelchair jostling dangerously from side to side.

But to my extreme delight a slew of songs dropped today. Plus: WayV released the English version of Love Talk so now you have no excuse. Take a listen. If you’re over 18.