Nosewiper

Welcome back, all, to the fabulous life of an English teacher in Korea. We had a rough couple of months back there, but now I'm better than ever. New job, new apartment, additional friends. It's great.

I mostly want to talk about the new job here today, as my title suggests. I was teaching TOEFL (the most ridiculous English test in the WORLD) to middle/high school students for about 3 months for a small hagwon in which I was the only foreign teacher. I did not like it. We will not go into details exactly how much.

I've rung in the new year with a new job at a kindergarten in Jeongja, one subway stop from where I've always lived, Sunae. It's called Worwick and the kids pay an arm and a leg to go here. As you know, I had a relapsing dislike for children. Then it came back...but now it's pretty much gone again. I have 6 kids that I teach almost all day everyday, from 9-2:30. We learn subjects such as phonics, drama, reading, writing, and math. I am also the "social studies" teacher, where I go teach other classes while my students learn art, cooking, PE, and science.

So far, so good. Why I especially wanted to write this blog is to show pictures of the kids I see day in and day out. My students are 7 in Korean age, so about 5 or 6 in Western age. And let me tell you, people, they are almost edible they're so cute. Behold:

This is John L. Every day he tells me new words in Korean. He is actually really smart - the kid's a whiz with math.

This is John C., known as "Taco John." Without sounding racist, he is called such for his latino features. When I first started, he was the most depressed little 7-year-old ever, but now with his fascination of kissing me on the hand every 5 seconds, he seems to be a bit happier.

This is Clara. She was described by the former teacher as having a "princess syndrome." She seems more mature than the others, and her table manners are great. Other than that, she is one of the sweetest students at our school, and also a very clever girl. I love Clara.

Careful folks. He may look cute, but he will throw a tantrum, roll around in rice, or scream at any moment. This is William. He is overall a sweetie, but he has a really hard time following directions. Out of all of the students, his name is most often heard. Maybe I'll give him an award for that.

This is Taco John again and John K. He is the tiniest, and the third addition to our "John" family. He is obsessed with running into things and flopping down on the floor in a slapstick fashion. His favorite phrase? "Don't liiiiiie!" Thanks, Jason teacher.

This is Amy. She and Clara are the only girls. Amy is a little quiet most of the time and from day to day flits around with each student in my class. Meaning, I guess, that every day she has a new best friend. Overall, I like Amy but she hasn't really stuck out yet.

So that's my class. I'm one of the lucky teachers that has under 10 students. Honestly, I couldn't imagine any more. I suppose this job really is like a babysitting job. Everyday I help them take off their jackets and put away their stuff. I serve their lunch and snacks and make sure they eat them. I give them water. If one of them cries, I console them. I make sure their coats are all buttoned up before they leave.

My classroom, Taurus.

Of course there's playtime!

I can't believe I get paid to do this.