So I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I've made it through my first week and I do still like this whole teaching thing. The majority of my classes are pretty good and it is getting easier. But I have come to the realization that I don't care for older kids. Any definition of a teenager that immediately comes to mind...I'm dealing with it on a regular basis. Not paying attention, not doing homework, the attitudes, the "I'm too cool for you and this school" persona. But then I just have to think of all my other students. The 7-12 year olds who look up to me and want so badly to have the right answers when they raise their hand in class. The ones who volunteer to read out loud and who PARTICIPATE. Which brings me back to my older students. I literally sit and talk out loud with myself (not that its much different than before). Just now, it's for a 2 or 3 hour time period. I find days where I just stand at the board and talk about anything that comes to mind so when I'm being watched on camera, it looks as though I'm providing a wealth of knowledge to the youth of Korea.
But there is one boy on my Tuesday/Thursday class who I have come to adore. His name is Denny - I think he is 9 years old (He is 11 in Korean because they are already 1 year old when they're born - it's really just so confusing). But he has moved from the last desk on my class on the first day to now front row and center. I may or may not have a crush on Denny but he does happen to be my most prized pupil. I hold a very special place in my heart for him. For example, in our first class, I tried to teach the students about the concept of "love at first sight" as the phrase arose in our daily reading assignment. So I begin giving all of these examples and then the last one I gave went something like, "So really, I could be walking down the street in Bundang and see a young man and think he was really cute and it COULD be love at first sight." Well then little Denny rose his hand ever so shyly and said, "Teacher! Can you have love at first sight with a little boy?!?" Ohhhh Denny...all I could do was laugh and shake my head yes.
Well today, as Denny and I grow closer, he asked me a new series of questions. He was asking me what tended to means. The book stated something about a farmer tending to his crops. So I respond, "It's like to care for or look after. I could also say that I tend to the children - my students, I care for them. I help answer questions and make sure they do their homework."
Denny: "Cassandra Teacher! Do you have children?"
Me: "No Denny, I do not have children, just many students."
Denny: "Teacher, are you married?"
Me: "No Denny, I am not married."
Denny: "Ohhh...hmm", with a puzzled look on his face.
Ahhhh....I do just love our time together. And he does help me with my Korean. All I have to do now is wait 15 years or so for him to be old enough to marry....(sigh)
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