On Friday I couldn't walk to a classroom at the end of the 3rd grade corridor because dozens of seemingly small and cute minions were clinging to me and pulling me apart, all while chanting "가지마", Korean for "Don't go".
On Friday after my 20th or so shot of soju with another random teacher at our staff dinner I found my eyes flooded with tears I couldn't say why were coming, so while laughing, I assured the concerned stares that my red, wet face "그냥 취해서" "It's just because I'm drunk".
I have so many stories from the past week that I never want to forget. So I want to share them with you here now. Yes, I am strapping myself in this chair and finally writing more blog entries (lolz I'm actually in bed because I'm lazy and this is my house and nobody can see me or know that I'm... wait. Oops)
Yes, this post will be slighty sappy and full of feels. I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea (except for maybe you, Mom) so I will as usual include gifs (especially crying Jonghyun gif because he cries all the time and is adorable) along with my misplaced humor. Let's go!
When I think back to this month two years ago, when I planned and taught my first classes ever for Camp Fulbright, an English sumer camp progam we provide to both help young students, train new teacher, and give experienced teachers even more experience~ well I wasn't very confident I could be a teacher back then. Even now, though lesson planning doesn't give me stress dreams every night anymore, I still doubt if I actually am (was?) a good teacher.
I do know that I loved each and every one of my little monsters. From the ones with bright eyes eager to share what they learned in private academies to the ones who fight and ignore me until I work with them one on one, forcing them to keep their head up or stay in their seat long enough to do the activity. I love them so much that when I heard that this girl and that boy suddenly had to change schools because a parent is in the military and they have to move again, I cry for those lost last few days were could've had together until summer vacation.
My emotions are very jumbled, as I am not heading home right away, I can't really convince myself that this is goodbye. I didn't really cry in my last classes (though I got misty eyed when I taught one of my final fourth grade classes and Byeong Jun, the sweetest, chubby-cheeked, retainer-induced lisping boy shouted at the top of his lungs like he does to start every class, "Hello Sunny Teacher! Hello Gabby Teacher!" for his last 인사 ever... that did get me like:
Since there is still this final week ahead when I will deskwarm and clean up (no English classes) but the students will still be around for their final homeroom classes, I will be able to play with everyone then, and I'll be in Hwacheon even longer (and I always see my students around town, though they feel more awkward about running up for hugs and playing together outside of school). So I don't really have a definite "goodbye everyone" time in my head, well not beyond when I actually board the plane to head home in September.
Okay okay. We get it. Gabby is an emotionally confused blob. Let's get on with funny anecdotes!
Stories from my final weeks of teaching:
After I missed a final 3rd grade class due to schedule changes, my co-teacher ended up telling the students while I was teaching a different class that they won't get to see Gabby Teacher anymore. That started the flood. From the break time after that class until now, students have been writing me letters. That first day I would have 20 students at a time around my desk. Giving hugs and scribbled words on scrap pieces of paper. Even the ones that just say "Goodbye" in Korean "안녕히가세요" I treasure them all. Even the ones that don't spell my name correctly or even close, like the one that says "바비 선생님" or "Babee Teacher", even then I love it.
There is one letter that wins the "I will never forget you" competition. One third grader, who I'm proud has matured beyond simply screaming at the top of her lungs while I try to teach class, gifted me with this:
Inside was this:
This gooey monster is all the rage (apart from Pokemon cards, 딱지 a game where you slap things on the ground really hard to try and flip them over, Pokemon 딱지, and 공기 a game where you throw little pebble things in patterns and if you drop one you're out). But unlike all the other little things that my students use to play with, this gooey thing doesn't clean up very nicely. And since you can't just throw it in your backpack to play with later, students leave it on their desks and continue to poke and play with it during class. So yes, I have some history with this blobby thing. I slid as much as I could off of the ruined paper and into a very thick plastic cup, then ripped off the soaked paper so I could save what was left of her letter. This girl and her crazy antics will never ever be forgotten.
Finally, last week had another challenge beyond holding back tears, Sunny Teacher and I had to present and open class. There are two types of open classes in Korea. One is "open" in the sense that student's parents can come and watch the class their student is in. Another is a class where any teacher/administrator can come and watch your class along with filing out forms that critique your teaching. Yeah, the second one is a lot more nerve-wracking, because even if parents can complain and critique just as much if not more, it's the other teachers who actually know what their talking about and whose opinions I greatly value.
We had the second kind of open class last week.
Yay.
To keep things short, the first two forth grade classes that we tried the lesson on (before the official big open class) were awful with children fighting and crying and not focusing at all. We were sure we were doomed. But these angels can surprise us in so many ways. IT WAS PERFECT. THE STUDENTS WERE ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS. We reviewed a lesson on weather and what to wear (clothing) then added on suggestions (ie. Let's~) then had the students prepare a skit. The skits were hilarious, with students surprising me with their bravery and humor. I was laughing with tears and the 10 teachers and principal who came to watch laughed too.
To celebrate the great success of our open class and say goodbye, Sunny teacher invited me to "have dinner" in Chuncheon with her along with the old English head of the department Sujin Teacher. As I live in Hwacheon, and am a foreigner, I have never been invited to "have dinner" with my seniors. And it is something I've always wanted to do. As a frequet Kdrama viewer and Korean culture scholar, the comradery of getting absolutely drunk with your co-workers is a pretty essential part of Korean culture, and even though I worked in Korea the past two years, I was left out of it.
The dream
We got really drunk. I slept on Sunny Teacher's floor that night and wore the same clothes the next day (The same day we had company dinner when I had a billion shots with everyone...) We got hangover soup early in the morning, got to school before everyone, and blasted Kpop in the classroom that morning screaming like fan girls.
Dreams do come true.
I hope I can write more soon! Wish me luck containing the feels.
Buhbye
바비 선생님
