Log14: A Bit of Confidence Developing

So many of us often find recourse to, and find comfort in, relativity.  So relative to my first day of teaching yesterday after which I felt that I would rather have stepped in dog feces several times than to have felt as disappointed and discouraged as I had, naturally today would have had to have been a better day.  

But if one were to put aside relativity to the extent reasonable imagination could allow, today was a rather successful day along many fronts.


Though my first class was at 1:20PM, I had to be present to introduce myself to all the teachers at their weekly meeting at 8:00AM.  After my 20-second introduction, I had many hours to myself.  I still don't have my own computer at the desk, but I brought my laptop and luckily found wireless access.  And I still don't have a cell phone.

But let's just jump right in.

A friend of mine told me that perhaps I am high off of power right now.  Perhaps I shouldn't become a politician.  Let me know what you think:

Grade 1, Class 3

I abused this class pretty badly.  Once class started, I locked both doors.  One student came in late, and I asked him to stand in front of the class and repeat a humiliating dance move 10 times, saying "I'm a Star!"


Then another student made fun of me (by imitating the way I said something), and I asked him to do five "I'm a Star"s and 10 push-ups.  Later he would write a 2-truths-and-a-lie statement about a classmate, calling him a disabled person, after which I made him do 15 push-ups.  I told the class I would not tolerate such things.

I then saw two students hit each other, and I asked them to do the wall-sit with their arms stretched forward.  Afterward, I spoke to them personally and told them not to do it again.

Yeah, I taught...sort of.  The rest of the lesson stayed the same.

Grade 1, Class 4

 The class captain was late -- of all people -- so I made him do the ten stars.  The class as a whole was being very rowdy (I guess it's the time of day as well; last class before classes are done) so my disciplinary tone came at the expense of the entire class, rather than one student (i.e. after they quiet down, I would look at them and say, "We're not all stupid, right?  We can think, correct?...etc.)

This was the first class where I got volunteers (2!) for the beat-box challenge during my introduction (since I like to do it).  They were really good, in fact, and they enjoyed the show put on by their classmates.  I could tell I began building some rapport with the class as a whole, while still willing to call them out for their stupidities.

In any case, as we proceeded with 2-truths-and-a-lie, the critical revelation came during one of the student examples.*  [*Mind you, this entire week I had been saving facts about who I am until the last five minutes (i.e. name, where I was born, whether I'm Korean or not).]  One student's lie was that he had a Lamborghini.  The student writing this on the board didn't know how to write it in English, so he wrote it in Korean.  When I began reviewing the statements, I repeated the statement saying the word Lamborghini in normal American accent.  Now, I could have made the argument that non-fluent foreigner could still have deduced the word from the pronunciation of the word as well as student reactions.  But I just smiled because the students became so wildly passionate and enthusiastic at the prospect of my being Korean; it would be a secret revealed unto them.  Unfortunately, I let a genuine smile out, and these kids read me like a book.  They figured out I was a Korean, at least by blood.

This was the best class I had so far.  Everyone was engaged, everyone was attentive, and I had most everybody's enthusiasm and energies.  It felt great.  

At the end when the class bell rang and they figured out my name via hang man, I asked them to call me Mr. Kim, then began to walk out with the class captain to talk to him.  I expected all the students to rush to put their things away and want to book it, but they were just--and I'm going to sound so conceited and arrogant and I'm so sorry but this is just what I subjectively saw--so arrested in their seats, nearly mesmerized; they didn't move!  They acted as if they wanted more, and wanted class to go on, for the show to continue.  When I began to leave, the entire class exploded with "Good-bye Mr. Kim!" and "Bye bye!" as if I were to never see them again, as if I were a celebrity.



I knew I had their attention at least, and today was a great confidence booster.  


But what do you all think, high off of power?


In Other News...


After classes, I ironed my shirts at home then talked to one of the ETAs, who I think probably just had her worst day yet while in Korea.  Hearing about it made me cringe and suffer, and all I could do was sit there and be Skyping her.  Poor thing.


Afterward, I played basketball with the English teacher who isn't even a co-teacher but has really taken me under his wing.  He is the youngest male teacher there and, as I soon learned, has been yearning for some company: an young, energetic type who can roll with him.  He has had a difficult time adjusting and his experiences have made him more of an outcast than a prominent teacher.  He is a temporary teacher so already has less invested, but he has been very active teaching and his role at school.  


One of the advantages, I will say, about being somewhat fluent in Korean is the opportunity to learn from and about these other teachers in ways a greater language barrier would not permit.  After basketball, I learned a LOT about him.  He really opened up, telling me about his girl situation (broke up with ex in May), his personality, his greatest weaknesses, his dilemma at the school, how he got to the school, what he wants to do in the future...I mean, I probably said four sentences in the 45-minute conversation.  Just how comfortable he felt telling me all this was impressive, and the amount of information that actually registered in my head proved encouraging.  He has also been providing essential guidance and cultural to-do/not-to-dos with teachers and others, and I just feel really fortunate right now.


Argh, so many things I want to write about, so little time!


I should go to sleep.  I have an early morning tomorrow.  I still don't have a cell phone.


So what do you guys think, power-high?  And if so, how do I come down from it?