Weekend and Me 12 Years Ago

This weekend was pretty busy, but fun nonetheless. On Saturday morning I got up at 8 and took the bus to Olympic Park so I could run. It was incredibly beautiful as the leaves are in the process of changing. There were many people on the walking/running paths, but it was still very peaceful. I didn't run as much as I would have liked, but then again I only started running three weeks ago. I am planning on running a 5K in December, but on Saturday I made it (running) about 1.5K and not all at the same time. I guess I'm more out of shape than I thought. However, I did walk the other 3.5K so I would know what this is going to entail. It's only 3 miles, I've never ran that much in my life, but I am very determined to do this 5K. I wasn't going to write about it until later, but with the cold I have, I haven't ran (or is it run...this is where English confuses me too) in 3 days and I need more motivation. What better way than telling the blog world about my intent.

After my "run" I came home and got ready to meet Kristin in Itaewon so we could go to the the travel agent. We booked our tickets to Japan! I am leaving Christmas Day for Osaka/Kyoto where I'll be until the 28th. Then its on to Tokyo, meeting up with a few Cottey girls and then spending the New Year in Tokyo. I'm pretty stoked. I've wanted to go to Japan since 8th grade where I learned a lot about the culture and I even did a Powerpoint (it was BRAND new then!) on Buddhism. Oh, and I also had my first and last sushi in 8th grade. However, I am planning on venturing down the sushi road while in Japan. It would be like coming to Korea and not trying kimchi.

After the travel agent, we went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant where I had the best margarita I've ever had. Yes, mom it was better than the ones at Papitos in Oxford! Then I headed to my first Korean class. It was the last class in the series so it was review, but I am excited to go again on Saturday. I meet some really awesome people and after class we all went to dinner and the bar. I called it an early evening, but promised to hang out more this coming weekend. It had been a long, rainy Saturday.

This week has already proved challenging. However, I am learning more and more everyday about how to deal with students. My main complaints/issues are my own lack of patience. In one of my classes I have to give directions about 10 times before one of them understands. Then it is a barrage of questions they would have the answer to if they had listened the first 10 times. It's incredibly frustrating to try to talk over these little monkeys. However they are improving from when I first started teaching them. I just need to practice more patience with them and I think they will start to listen/understand more. I think they can sense my frustration and they of course feed off of it. Not that I blame them, I'm almost certain I was the same way as a child.

I have a student, in grade 4 who reminds me so much of myself at age 11 so I can sympathize with her a little. I was not the best student, not in a sense of academics, but behavior wise. I'm sure mom and dad are laughing as they read this. This little girl is an outcast in her class. She is smart (she informed me that her IQ is 155 and I don't doubt it), but incredibly strange. She has major behavior problems, i.e. she doesn't listen, she is out of her chair constantly, etc. Today I had to put her in the hall for 1 minute (because she broke the first tier of my "no Korean" rule) and she came back and sat in her chair. When class had started, I told her to sit down 3 times and told her if she got out of her chair again I would stick her in the hall for the rest of class. We had a test today so she was in her chair for a good 20 minutes. However, she got out of her chair with about 15 minutes left in class. I gave her one more warning about being in the hall until class was over and she sat back down. Two minutes later, she was out of the chair. I told her to go stand in the hall. She was fine until the Korean teacher asked her what had happened. The rest of the class and I heard an uproar of crying and dry heaving and foot stomping. Typical behavior for this girl. Anyway, after class Ms. Grace (the principal) came in to talk to me and apparently the student told her that I had said she'd only have to be in the hall for 2 minutes (which is the punishment for the second tier of my "no Korean" rule.) When I explained to Ms. Grace what had really happened, with the student still present, she went insane. Stomping her feet, crying and dry heaving. Ahhh, it was a scene. I left shortly after Ms. Grace probably said something along the lines of "why did you lie to me?" and "stop crying, you are making a scene." I don't know if Ms. Grace wanted to talk to me more, but I had to get out of there.

So, I have to learn to deal with myself from 12 years ago. This of course goes right along with my "everything happens for a reason" theory. I was a horrible child so that I would have to face horrible children and feel really bad for the way I acted. Before this student, I did feel bad, but now I am appalled by my own behavior. If any of my elementary teachers happen upon this blog, this is my formal apology. I'm surprised that none of you were driven to drink. I was a pain in the ass. Many of the other teachers wish this student were removed from the school, but I kind of hope she sticks around. To teach me and to help me learn to deal with similar students. While she isn't a pleasure to teach and makes everyone uncomfortable, I still feel bad for her. I can identify with her. It has been yet another eventful week and it is only Tuesday.