I ♥ Thursdays,

for this is the only day of the week that I get some time off - 6 lessons opposed to the regular 7 or invariably 8 that I have to teach in the other weekdays. But the real blessing is only teaching 3 kindergarten classes rather than 4 - keeping a smile on your face while all you really want to do is scream, shout and tantrum in tune with the children is more of a challenge than actually teaching them any English. For I find that if you raise your voice enough and put enough sad faces on the board, they soon realise that they've done something wrong. A likely story! They dig the sticker rewards and understand that sitting still and singing well and colouring within the lines gives them happy faces, but there are just a few trouble makers that don't seem to understand why I've rubbed out their happy face when they insist on beating up their fellow playmates! "Justin, you don't hit!" "Annie, you know you don't take other people's things without asking." "Dean: will you PLEASE be quiet!" "Oh Jude...what's wrong? Elika, did you hit Jude? Oh Elika..."

Sigh...

Admittedly I've only been here, what? Three weeks? Or is it four? In some ways it feels as though I've only just moved in, and in others a day at school can feel like a lifetime. But either way, my perceptions of teaching children has changed dramatically. I initially thought that the really small kids - that's 5 and 6 year old Korean age (take the age that you will turn this year and add 1 - yep, that's right - you're already a year old when you're born) - were horrendously cute, well behaved, and practically fluent English speakers. They were quiet when they were colouring in, enthusiastic when playing games, and polite to the teacher. Oh how things have changed. Or how wrong I was. I realise now this first impression was a combination of my rose tinted specs and the children's fear/wariness of a new teacher.

Now that they are confident enough to jump on my back, sit on my lap, and openly tell on their friends to me at any opportunity just for their own satisfaction of seeing others being punished, crowd control is proving a lot more taxing. And suddenly, their angelic faces are not looking quite so cute. The six year olds at least have a firm understanding of the term 'tell-tale' and use this one against each constantly, to the extent that they themselves become tell-tales by reporting other tell-tale behaviour. But what were seemingly good English speakers in the five year olds are becoming increasingly less so as they continue to run around and are oblivious to the shouting, the coaxing, the threats, the promise of reward if they sit down, the group punishment...

But to an extent, I can deal with the naughty children. They're boisterous and excitable and they don't recognise their own strength when they 'accidently' run into their friends. A good "Jason, what do you say to Arthur?" in an overtly patronising voice tends to do the trick. It's the lack of developed motor and/or organisational skills that makes them believe it is essential to run to and from their seat several times because they forgot to get out their pencils. "Don't worry, I can give you a pencil!" Or they forgot to get both the workbook and activity book out. "Don't worry, you can get it later." Or they got out two books by mistake and they only needed one, so it is highly necessary to put the other one back. "Really, you can leave that one on the table, it's ok." Or so-and-so can't find their crayons so they need to get up to help them find them. "I'm sure so-and-so can find their own crayons." And the list continues. Admittedly, patience has never been my forte so what I'm doing teaching such small children is beyond me.

No, wait, it's not; I'm not a qualified teacher, I don't have any teaching experience, anyone with a real passion for teaching quickly realises all of the above, and thus: this is the job I'm allowed to do.