One of the most challenging aspects of my job has nothing to do with teaching in itself. The hardest part is the balancing act of dual roles: one as an authoritative teacher, the other as myself - a 20-something still enveloped in the working out the rights, wrongs, and grays of the world around me.
Last week I went into my second afternoon class of the day and immediately noticed a strange energy amongst the kids (five boys and two girls, about 8 years old). They were giggly but they weren't talking - peculiar, indeed. A few minutes into the lesson, it became obvious that something about my person was perturbing to the class. I tried to joke it out of them, but no success. The boys were literally cringing away from me if I got near their desk, and a few of them appeared to be holding their breath.
I finally lost it and essentially shut down all classroom operations until they explained what was going on. After about five minutes of prying (this turd Rex was the one who finally squealed), it came out that the two girls, Anna and Donna, had seen me coming out of the girls' bathroom before class and had identified me as the source of the devastating stench lingering around the stalls. I was therefore deemed smelly and THAT was why the whole class was worked up.
First off, I don't take my poos in the kids' bathroom. I use the teacher's bathroom for that. (The teacher's bathroom is in the hallway outside of SLP. It is freezing cold, has no running water for the sink, and you bring your own toliet paper. Used only as necessary, for the aforementioned reasons.)
But I still had to redeem myself in front of my class. My first instinct was to deny the allegations and provide credibility ("Yes, the bathroom did smell bad, I noticed the stench when I walked in."), but I wouldn't have believed myself if I had been the student.
Alternatively, I opted for shame. Shaming the children has proved effective on several occasions. I'm not proud of it, but sometimes it just nips the problem in the bud. I gave them a talk about how sometimes bathrooms are just smelly, and how SILLY their behavior was. ARE YOU KINDERGARTNERS? I asked, accusing immaturity.
I really hated myself that day. I felt like an asshole, and the kids were just being kids. I think part of me was simply reacting to being identified as different - as the teacher, not like "us". It's peculiar to be on the other side. Sometimes I remember instances in my childhood when my teacher really drove me nuts - the way he (mis)pronounced a word, failed to erase all of the writing on the whiteboard, or reeked of coffee. I know I'm guilty of all three.
* * *
A pretty nasty cough, body aches, and general fatigue have kept me under the weather for three or four weeks. The combination of exposure to new germs, pollution, and working in a school makes it hard to tell what's really going on. I finally went to the doctor this week because my vacation begins on Friday, and I certainly don't want to be sick during my play time.
I was amazed at how easy health care is here. Manager Clara (I would be so lost without her) walked with me to a clinic about a block from my work. We walked in, took a number, and 10 minutes later I was in a screening room. Manager Clara told the doctor my symptoms (persistent cough, fever at night, green snot, etc. Your welcome.). A nurse started grabbing at my shirt so I just kind of went with it while the doctor listened to my chest for a minute or two. She asked me a few clarifying questions and wrote me a prescription for two days of antibiotics. I was then sent into another room where I was given the instruction of "Hip," so I unbuttoned my jeans so the nurse could (slap my thigh a few times for circulation) and give me a shot. I have no idea what it was...
I paid the equivalent of $4 for my doctor's visit, and $5 at the pharmacy. I was back at work 40 minutes after I left. I feel significantly better, so I'd say it was a pretty positive experience.
* * *
This morning the kids performed their Christmas pageants for the parents. Thank God I'm not a kindergarten teacher - all of them have been in a tizzy since November about getting the kids rehearsed perfectly for the show. Each class has a separate performance of about 40 minutes, which included a play (e.g. Beauty and The Beast, Peter Pan) and a recital of Christmas speeches and songs. A sound/production crew was hired by the school for the performances. The kids wore nearly-invisible microphones that wrapped around their ears to project their voices (the gym is only about 250 sq. feet). On my way to school, I noticed a new street vendor standing outside my work building. I was surprised because the backside of the building is generally pretty quiet. I couldn't tell what was being sold - some brightly colored toy thing in pink, blue, green and purple.
When I got upstairs, I saw every parent holding some variation of a neon plastic bouquet filled with glittery flowers and lollipops. Someone had tipped off the sellers downstairs of the hoard of parents that would surely need some tangible way to show their pride for their child. It was sick.
My Christmas vacation begins after work tomorrow. I'm off to Malaysia and Thailand tomorrow night (can't believe it's Christmas Eve!!), then back to Korea next week to enjoy a visit from my Australian friend, Gemma.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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