It's the Little Things
It's...
- a student coming to my office to give me a tangerine
- another student telling me that tomorrow's lunch "is chicken. You eat lots!" (Everyone seems to know what I do and don't eat - except my co-teacher, of course.) because she heard my stomach growling during class
- my worst group of kids being totally awesome
- one of my "cleaning girls" (the students clean the school - oh yes, just imagine how clean a 15 year old is going to make a bathroom...) telling me about her new job at a cinema, giving me coupons for free drinks and making me promise to go see The Devil Wears Prada on Sunday
- my best group of kids all showing up 5 minutes early for class
- a student that I don't even teach stopping to chat with me in the hallway...
It's really the small things that make or break your day as a teacher. Even if it seems that all I do is fling around on my scooter and kick around at TaeKwonDo and go out and travel and have fun, the majority of my time is really taken up with being at school. It is, after all, the reason that I am here.
This week, for some reason, I felt like I was a "real" teacher again. The students were good, or bad, as per usual. My classes went well, and I found myself excited about planning new learning situations, my agenda open in front of me, as I figured out which activities to do for Christmas. Yes, I am a teacher-nerd....
I've been thinking a lot about my time in La Pocatiere these days. I never really realized just how good I had it there. It wasn't always a walk in the park, hell no, but I don't think I'll ever find that perfect mix of students, colleagues, experimental teaching etc again.
I should be writing more about the school, about my students, about the funny things that happen, about passing candy surreptitiously to kids who are kneeling in the hallway, waiting to be hit with a stick, about the girl who picked one of my hairs off my shirt and studied it, quizzing me on if I have a perm or not, about the boy (Melissa calls him my boyfriend) who must say Hi to me every time I see him, whether or not he's in class....
This has been on my mind all day... the little things that students do to trick us into thinking that they may actually be human beings, hiding out under all that adolescence... and I had to write it down before it disappeared. These moments come all too seldom, but when they come, it makes it all worth while.
- a student coming to my office to give me a tangerine
- another student telling me that tomorrow's lunch "is chicken. You eat lots!" (Everyone seems to know what I do and don't eat - except my co-teacher, of course.) because she heard my stomach growling during class
- my worst group of kids being totally awesome
- one of my "cleaning girls" (the students clean the school - oh yes, just imagine how clean a 15 year old is going to make a bathroom...) telling me about her new job at a cinema, giving me coupons for free drinks and making me promise to go see The Devil Wears Prada on Sunday
- my best group of kids all showing up 5 minutes early for class
- a student that I don't even teach stopping to chat with me in the hallway...
It's really the small things that make or break your day as a teacher. Even if it seems that all I do is fling around on my scooter and kick around at TaeKwonDo and go out and travel and have fun, the majority of my time is really taken up with being at school. It is, after all, the reason that I am here.
This week, for some reason, I felt like I was a "real" teacher again. The students were good, or bad, as per usual. My classes went well, and I found myself excited about planning new learning situations, my agenda open in front of me, as I figured out which activities to do for Christmas. Yes, I am a teacher-nerd....
I've been thinking a lot about my time in La Pocatiere these days. I never really realized just how good I had it there. It wasn't always a walk in the park, hell no, but I don't think I'll ever find that perfect mix of students, colleagues, experimental teaching etc again.
I should be writing more about the school, about my students, about the funny things that happen, about passing candy surreptitiously to kids who are kneeling in the hallway, waiting to be hit with a stick, about the girl who picked one of my hairs off my shirt and studied it, quizzing me on if I have a perm or not, about the boy (Melissa calls him my boyfriend) who must say Hi to me every time I see him, whether or not he's in class....
This has been on my mind all day... the little things that students do to trick us into thinking that they may actually be human beings, hiding out under all that adolescence... and I had to write it down before it disappeared. These moments come all too seldom, but when they come, it makes it all worth while.
posted by Ms Parker at
7:52 PM
6 Comments:
Isn't it neat when you suddenly pause, look around and say I'm happy! Not for any particular reason, you just are. I'm glad for you that you had one of those days. It is kind of like when your nincompoop (Dave) brings home flowers just because he wants to see a smile.
By
Anonymous, at 10:06 PM
Hi Its MOM Awh, shucks, that was nice & you actually teach. I must get Domenica to read your blog & see that for herself.
Love MOM
PS Since my relatives thought I should take a scouting trip to Korea to see if Virginia really taught shcool or not
By
Anonymous, at 8:18 AM
Don't forget about all the teachers you had growing up. I can remember the teachers who really made a difference in my life, and those who tried, but miserably failed.
I bet you're more than "real" to many of your students... you'll become thing memory of youth. You'll have some kids inspired to take a chance and try new things. Some who will understand that there's a completely different world out there because of you. And some who don't realise their teacher, the person they honour and respect is really a rebel who has tattoo, drives without a license, and pierced her labia with a swizzle stick.
... too far?
;)
By
Anonymous, at 12:49 PM
Oh my God... I'd forgotten about the swizzle stick... that was hilarious. (We were at Foufounes Electroniques in Montreal, and feeling like we weren't cool enough because we weren't dressed like total punk freaks, so Kat exclaimed something about not piercing her labia with a swizzle stick just to be cool enough to stay....)
I usually try to steer clear of the whole "I'm a teacher so I can change the world" thing... but if there is a real reason for us foreigners to be here in Korea, it's so these kids will grow up learning that there are great countries out there and a whole world to explore, outside of Korea.
By
Ms Parker, at 3:11 PM
So true...
I keep forgetting that they are human beings!
By
Brent, at 7:10 PM
Hi Its MOM A SWIZZLE STICK?
PIERCED WHAT????????
YOI !!!!!!!!!!!!!! MOM
By
Anonymous, at 11:20 PM
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