An important word of advice for the inexperienced teacher...

Any time when you ask younger students to use glue, you are potentially putting them into a cataclysmic situation from which only the craftiest minds can escape. Today, without even thinking, I asked my first grade students to create a popsicle-stick-attached school bus with which they could re-enact the thrilling lyrics of "The Wheels on the Bus". Little did I know that this would turn into a 20 minute debacle of glue-entrenched hands/fingers/cheeks/legs/etcetera etcetera. When an American kid gets glue on his/her hands, I'd imagine it becomes a badge of comedy, but in Korea, kids freak the fuck out-- cries of "TEACHER! TEACHER!" tore through my ears and as panic grew, I lost control of the situation. We ended up taking a mass trip to the boy's bathroom so that we could all rid ourselves of the glue, which seemed like it would have been more effective than sending them one at a time. A rousing rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus" awaited us when we arrived back in the classroom, and I sincerely believe that the bond that developed through this shared tragedy made our singing that much stronger. It wasn't quite Whitney-Houston-at-the-Super-Bowl good, but what ever could be?

Point of the story: don't trust young kids to be fully competent in the area of arts and crafts, and always be prepared for any chaos that might ensue when asking them to employ these skills. Also, "The Wheels on the Bus" is an effective tool for wasting time when you're only supposed to teach the words "Bus" and "Bus Driver" over a 40 minute period.

Other things of note today:

Mr. Lee (who I have taken to calling "General Lee") is often blasted for buying inedible pastries for the teachers at our hagwon, but I've developed a fondness for the cream puffs he selects. I actually made a dinner of them today, though I'm sure that will kill me if I choose to make it a habit.

Dongdongju is an amazing sleeping aid, far better than Nyquil or anything else you could find in the States. The combination of alcoholic content and rice make it a near-instant tranquilizer. I don't plan on making it a habit, but periodically it's nice to drink a little.

In one of my upper-level classes, I have a trio of students (Harry, Jane, and Sally) who help me carry all of my supplies back downstairs to the office. Today, one of them actually said, "Teacher is king!" and the other two smiled along. They hold doors for me. They erase the board for me. They chastise other students who are acting up for me. I'm really creeped out by all of this, but I'm not complaining.

That's all... it's a little late at this point.