Everyday, day in and day out, I find myself dealing with a large variety of little monkeys.. ahem.. Korean children with a wide variety of personalities. I've got the keeners, the smarty-pantses, the kids who were probably accidentally dropped as babies, and the kids who seem to make it their mission in life to get me to say their name 100 times in 40 minutes.

Of all of these the most perplexing to deal with on a daily basis is the kid who tries really hard to be good, but because they are never quiet makes it really difficult to teach your class. You're trying to teach phonics, and they're trying to tell you about the really cool movie with dinosaurs in it that they saw over the weekend. On the one hand, its great that a kid is willing to prattle on in his or her second language, and you want to encourage speaking, so you really don't want to punish the kid. On the other hand... you just can teach under a constant barrage of noise, even if its well meaning noise, and somehow, it has just got to stop.

Sometimes my little monkeys are so ingenious that the figure out ways to battle their issues without any of my involvement. A perfect example of this behaviour is this kid, I'll call him Hector. He means so so well, and because of his zest for speaking he really is at the top of the class in terms of verbal ability. Sometimes, however, I need him to stop talking, and focus on his work.

Last week, he was one of the kids with an ingenious idea.

If I had done this, it would probably boarder on child abuse, but seeing as he did it to himself, it was actually pretty cute. His eyes lit right up once he realised that his lips were stuck together and he couldn't talk...

So, with nothing else to say, he got straight to work...

... and I was free to finish teaching our class all Tom, Tom's milk, and even English phonics!

Hi-Kids: 2

In spite of the low level of English speaking ability in SLP's Hi-Kids program, it is actually one of my favourite programs to teach.

By the time most kids hit the latter part of Hi-Kids 2 they have been at SLP for just over a year and are usually in Grade 2. They get frustrated with each other and bicker...

... but are very quick to make up, and if you play your cards right -- I try to, but I don't always succeed -- before you know it, everything is as right as rain.

The Hi-Kids program is one of the oldest, if not the oldest program at SLP and in terms of development and the resources that it offers you, its actually pretty terrible. There is a work book with photocopied pages from a mish-mash of other English programs and is riddled with sentences like:

Read the story in your Student Book again, and answer these questions.

For which there is no such story in their student book. If you don't mind a little extra work however, this kind of program is a gold mine for an ESL teacher. The curriculum is very easily personalized and as such I have really enjoyed making it my own, and I think my kids usually enjoy it too. We still cover all the material in the book, and I'll be honest, there's some days that I feel lazy, and I just give it to them without any embellishments, but usually we really enjoy going off on little tangents here and there.

I think the kids this age are actually my favourite. I always thought that if I was a teacher I would like to work with Grades 4-6, but I've changed my tune. The younger kids are wonderful. They don't have any of the social inhibitions that daunt the older kids and keep them from speaking and practicing their verbal expression. Classroom management can occasionally be a challenge, but if you're able to keep up your energy and stay ahead of the game, kids at this age are a lot like sheep. They get bored easily though, so keep on your toes. And remember, a little love and attention can go a long way.

Days that make teaching worthwhile...

Since I came to Korea and started teaching in November, there have been all sorts of different days. Days when I wondered why I had come here, days when I thought I might never want to leave, days when I was happy, days when I was sad and also days that were really just rather banal. There were days when my children made me want to tear my hair out, and then there are those good old days, that really make teaching worth while. I know I don't talk about those days very much, and they're not very tangible so I can't usually show you pictures, but one happened to me last week where pictures were available, and so here were are.

I actually have a number of really amazing classes. I also have a bunch of students who if I could teach only those students every day, I might never aspire to do anything else. All of the kids are sweet in their own ways of course, but some really stand out from others day in and day out.

One of those kids is a little girl named Iris. I call her Professor Iris after the old kids television show, and although she doesn't have any idea who that is, the name seems to please her quite well. She is such an adorably cute nine year old that I can't believe I don't actually have a picture of her on my computer. But I do have this picture of something she made for me!

Isn't it sweet? She looked so proud of herself when she handed it to me, and I was so touched. She is one of my best students, and it made me so happy to know that she cared enough to take the time and make me such a cute lily pad, with chocolates on the flowers. She must know how much I like chocolate!

I was so impressed and rejuvenated by her thoughtfulness and kindness that I took a whole bunch of pictures of that little lily pad, although I'll only burden you with three of them. I thought that her parents had been doing a pretty fantastic job of raising her up all along, but I hope that one day I also teach my own children to be this thoughtful and kind.

Congratulations!

Although there is a Korean version of the Birthday Song with Korean words to the familiar melody, whenever we go out to a restaurant or somewhere at night, or even in class if someone does something silly this is the song that you hear. It's a new twist on an old favourite that I admittedly didn't even know existed before I looked it up. First listen to the video of the Korean children singing their little hearts out, and see if you can recognize the original song.

Next, listen to this original. Pretty fabulous metamorphosis isn't it?

Finally, shake your head in wonder at those silly Koreans... :) Who would have know that Cliff Richard's Eurovision song, could become what those Korean children were singing in class? It's pretty fabulous. Wherever we are, the lights will go down and everyone else stops what their doing and claps while the Birthday Boy or the Birthday girl stands up -- usually on a chair, or even a table -- and dances along.

There is a recorded version of this song somewhere between the original and the mutilated version these Korean kids are singing, but I haven't been able to find it yet. When I do, you'll be the first to know.

Comedy sensation that's sweeping the nation...

This comedy sketch is so pervasive in Korea right now, that I have automatic punishments for referencing it in the majority of my classes. Watch the sketch, think about pre-pubescent children, and you`ll understand why.

Lotus Lantern Festival

Please attain Buddhism in your next lifetime by lighting a lantern in this life.

As predicted, the Lotus Lantern Festival in celebration of Buddha's birthday was amazing. There had been traditional Korean festivities, lantern making, and more Korean food than you can shake a stick at all day long in downtown Seoul.

By the time we arrived the day time festivities were winding down, the sun was setting, the rain was starting and the evening festivities were gearing up in spite of the cold and wet weather. We wandered around for a little while and explored the temple and what was left of the day time festivities and the settled in to watch what I consider to be the main attraction... the parade!

This is a picture of some of the pillars at the temple, as well as some of the lanterns that were hanging in the immediate area surrounding a the temple. The lanterns actually have Korean writing in the pattern. Cool!

After a full day of festivities the parade kicked off at 7:00pm and was everything that you'd ever imagine such a parade would be. There were millions of people watching, thousands of people marching, colourful displays of everything from fire-breathing dragons to Buddha riding in Thomas the Tank Engine. Marching bands, drummers and traditional musicians provided musical entertainment while dancers, high school students, people dressed as Buddha, monks, soldiers, small children, people from a hospital being pushed in wheel chairs walked, danced and rolled by while waving and smiling at the crowd. I was particularly impressed by a group of ladies wearing traditional Korean hanbok who all danced very gracefully while walking in the parade, as well as a troupe of men preforming stick-taekwondo with flag poles.

Having been plenty excited about the Christmas Parade in St. John's for the majority of my life, I was pretty much beside myself with glee as the parade wore on. It went on and on for a full two hours, and I was jumping up and down, clapping my hands, and I'm somewhat ashamed to admit, occasionally shrieking with excitement. I felt more like someone about to turn four, not twenty-four, but I digress.

What I've been trying to avoid admitting all along, is that I couldn't bring my camera to the parade, and all the other pictures? Yeah.. they're not mine either... are you mad? Please don't be mad... Ah.. I knew you weren't!

My camera was left in school over the weekend because I had brought it to class on Friday to take this video for one of the other teachers that was sick. It's completely adorable so I'll show it to you to make up for it, and I'll continue to steal my friends pictures of the festival to put on a future post. So, without further ado, I present you, Kiwi class:

Anna Teacher:

Please don't be sick.

We miss you.

I love you x 11.

Korean Children <3

Just like real people, some Korean children don't like to have their pictures taken.

Others? They don't mind quite so much...

Now that I've been getting to know my new classes a little better, I am really enjoying interacting with all the different personalities I teach. Most of my classes and children are a lot of fun. Others can be very serious and studious.

Some of the kids can be pretty goofy from time to time... :)

... but I have a lot of fun teaching all of them.

I've been bringing my camera to school for the past few days so I could get some picture of my kids to show all of you out there in blogland. They really are an amazing bunch of awesomeness!

Off to the cherry blossom festival now! More pictures to come!