With the school year about to begin on March 2nd, I am going to be receiving a few new teachers. Like many native teachers, I am losing a few good teachers. For various reasons it's been fairly difficult to keep up with who is leaving and who is staying. Mainly, I am just out of the loop. I, finally, have a grip on who is leaving. But I don't have a good idea what my newest teachers are like. Tonight is the school dinner welcoming the new teachers. So, I will have a chance to meet them formally. But I am not excited. I am going to miss my co-teachers, especially Kim Mi Sun (김 미 선) and Pak Sun (박 선). Pak Sun looks like a doll. She is as sweet as one, too. She was originally suppose to stay to become the head of the English department. Unfortunately, my VP is overly controlling and denied that opportunity to her. Instead she is going to leave to do 6 months of vocational training. Mi Sun told us that she is going to miss us and all the laughs. And we are going to miss her. She is moving on to another, albeit better school. Instead of rehashing about who she is and how much we will miss her let me do a top 5 countdown about things we will miss about her.
5) The reader. She is always reading English novels. From The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to Kite Runner she is constantly reading. Now, Mrs. Gu can fill her shoes here. In fact she is already doing quite well in asking me for help with slang. Last night, when the English teachers were eating dinner at an expensive family restaurant (with Snoop Dogg playing on the speakers around us...only in Korea and maybe Compton), she asked me what 'booty call' meant. I could not control myself from laughing. Now, they know. And knowing is half the battle. G IIIIII JOOOOOEEEEE....sorry I get a little carried away with childhood cartoon references....TMNT is next...
4) The informer. Now, Mi Sun is a self proclaimed person of indifference. She doesn't care about gossip enough to seek it out nor spread it around. She doesn't give a damn about that. But she is always telling me what is going on. It's Ms. Yoo's job to notify me about the happenings around the school like tests, day offs, etc. Without her I would be coming to school on holidays and staying late after camp. Ms. Yoo is getting better.......
3) The leader. She is the well organized head teacher of the English department. She has made things run pretty efficiently around here during her tenure.
2) The translator and the only one who understands my jokes. If not for her, then it would be more difficult for me to tease Ms. Yoo. Who would laugh at my jokes then translate them for Ms. Yoo? Who would laugh with Ms. Gu after she says something revolving around her narcissism (known in Korea as the Princess Disease)?
1) The teacher. All of her kids love and respect her. She comes off very stern, calculated and somewhat indifferent. And it has rubbed off on them.....this really isn't a good thing all the time.....but she has helped me become a better teacher. I'm still not a good teacher. But she has helped me reform my lesson plans and guide me in the right direction. Often times she does it quite bluntly.
She has made my first 6 months at this school much easier and more comfortable than I thought it would be. But it's time to move on. Goodbye, Mi Sun....goodbye jokes...
From here on it's basically a new school year for me, too. Cowabunga dude.....
Notes:
Nothing could follow up on my last post. I think that is the most hits this blog will ever get. Just if I could manage to redeem myself on the Price is Right. At the very least find a few new videos.
It's almost been 6 months since I got to Korea. Starting March 2nd it will be downhill from there....
Here is your Korean Comic of the day
http://i.imgur.com/6IdQD.jpg
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