Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Love, cheating and politics

First of all, happy valentine's day.... NOT! :p Ok, i'm glad for all you lovebirds out there and I truly enjoy being single. Honnest. But when I saw Christal's boyfriend bringing her flowers and a teddy bear, I did want to join them hehe although it would have been weird!

John, one of my students, got me chocolate. Sally, an old student, also came to see me with a box of chocolates. I got a lovely "you hit the jackpot at the casino of love! Je t'aime!" apparently from James, a one-year-old kid of my co-worker.

The school gave us four bottles (each!) of rasberry wine. How generous!!!!! And I got an anonymous "be my valentine" card in my classroom.

Kyungah and I ended up having delicious Seolnong Tang (soup with meat, green onion, rice and radish kimchi)... my new obsession. It was freezing cold outside as it has been raining a lot yesterday.

Not a special day in itself. Although I did put on my pink shirt for the occasion (actually I had no idea it was Valentine's day until I saw the card!)

I spent the day grading final tests and giving speaking tests. Some were totally awful, others were just amazing (especially Sally - she's 10 and speaks English like a native!)

I was really pissed when I handed back some 59% to kids that didn't even review their tests even though I told them to. But I guess i'm mainly frustrated at myself for having been like this as a kid...............................................................!!

And then it happened. I knew it would happen some day. I just wasn't prepared.

Some people enjoy this. I really don't. REALLY don't.

I was grading tests in class during the break. I looked up and saw Sally and Katie writing answers on the table.

I laughed. "Are you writing down answers?"

Sally stared at me. She was scared. She silently shook her head. "Are you????"

"No...."

I went over. "I'm sure you're telling the truth, but I just need to check. You know... in case... " I said with a big smile.

There it was. Korean and English written down on the table. "Are you kidding???" I was really upset. No, not upset. Disappointed. She erased it. I told her to erase harder.

I looked over on Katie's side. Katie is the nicest (and tiniest) girl in the whole world. She's the smartest kid i've ever had. That's not like her to do that. I saw "optimistic" written down on the table. I guess she asked the others how to spell it. No big deal...?

"I'm taking 10% off your grade."

They looked like they were at a funeral. Lisa, the other student, didn't say a word. When the bell rang they left without saying a word.

Ashley, the sweetest staff at school talked to them. Apparently Katie was crying.

And now, it's up to me to decide if the school should call the parents. What a dilemma.

Of course they should. But Korea is not like America. Parents are a lot more strict than back home. You may recall my post about corporal punishment. I know that parents might hit their kids if they hear that they cheated. And I don't want that to happen.

On the other hand, if I don't do anything about it, I'll look like a very weak teacher and they may not respect my authority afterwards. What should I do?

I guess I'll talk to them on Friday and see how it goes. I told them that their homework is to write an essay - "what is wrong with cheating?"

Yes, I know. I should be a hard ass and not care so much. But... they're just kids!

You know, in Shining Star classes we discuss really grown-up topics like the Civil Rights Movement (Luther King and Park), World War I, the Balkans, etc. You can't blame me for seeing them as adults sometimes. They know about "balance of power"... which is something I learned during my last year at McGill!

They're about 10 years old. And today, Jenny bit on something and her tooth fell off. She went to the bathroom, put the tooth in her pochet and came back with a piece of tissue in her mouth. She sat down and wrote the test.

That's when it hit me: those students are still just... kids!!!!

It was weird. As I was walking down the stairs I looked at the younger ones, lining up, following each other. They're in school. They listen to us. They do their homework. They study. They go to regular school. Then academies at night.

They're so excited when they can play outside. And when you hear them laughing, it's priceless! It's so innocent. Liberating. For both them, and you because you realize they're still kids. But for how long...?

Education is necessary, I agree. I'm a teacher. But do we do it in an healthy way? Seems like the more we learn, the more we innovate and "progress", the worst off the earth is. I don't know. Being a teacher is such a HUGE responsibility! And some teachers are just on a power trip.

When I was looking at the kids, their tiny legs going down one step at a time, they looked like conditionned little beings. For a second, I couldn't see the difference between this and a dictatorship. People are free, yes. But to what extent?

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