funny moments

• scenario: while in a whole group activity, a boy whispers into his friend's ear that he's in love with one of the girls in our class. the friend impulsively yells out while pointing his finger, "He's in love with you!" The girl reacts saying, "Disgusting." The boy in love buries his head in his hands in embarrassment and rejection. Then the girl feeling a little guilty for her strong reaction, places her hand on her chest and says very earnestly, "I mean...it's just that I'm so young."
• I mentioned my mom in class one day and nearly all of my students' heads cocked to the side with bewilderment. Then four or five of them yelled out, "silly mrs. watt, we know you don't have a mom!" my students believe i live in my classroom, orphaned, and do math worksheets in my free time for fun. love it.
• each morning the kids have a "mystery number" to guess. I give them lots of hints, such as "this number has 5 tens, it is greater than 56 but less than 58". the other day i gave a hint for a mystery number (the first hint): "this is how old my sister is..." immediately, hands shot up in the air to guess (with much enthusiasm and certainty might I add) "65!" I responded, "not that old..." another kid guessed "61!" now, my students have never seen a photo of susan, but only have me as a reference. my last class guessed i was still a teenager...i guess i've aged 40 years since... ha!

mr. announcer guy

Each apartment complex has a management office where they dilligently help any/all residents with their various needs. once we had a clogged drain and within 10 minutes 2 repairmen were at our door ready to unclog. great, speedy, and helpful service.

another interesting thing about korean apartments is they have a built in PA system. every few days we hear an anouncement bell go off (do-so-do, for you musicians out there) with a voice following. the announcer is an older gentlement, usually the same guy each time. he has this same pattern of words and tone every time. in fact, i usually say it along with him when the announcement begins: (all in korean, of course) "excuse me & hello. this is the management office..." his sounds like a tired, college professor trying to explain something to his thick-headed students for the fourth time. when we first arrived in korea i hoped they weren't making any critically important announcements since i couldn't really understand them...like "don't take the elevator. it's broken and you may plunge to your death" or "be sure to avoid the front door because of snakes". i know, my imagination runs wild sometimes...

it turns out the announcements are often reminders or gentle admonishments to the residents. something like "don't forget to drain your food trash before you pour it in the compost" or "please don't smoke in the public restrooms." or "did anyone leave a crying 4-year old child on the fourth floor? please come claim him"

as my korean improves, the more i understand. the more i understand, the more i realize these announcements/interactions with people are usually not so serious. i have yet to translate an announcement about plunging elevators or snakes (knock on wood). i'm improving day by day and i feel really proud of myself when i understand something that i didn't understand last week. i'm becoming more independent and trying to handle some of my "business" on my own without relying on others. it feels good.

first graders are...

• happy, excited, and eager to embrace all the world has to offer
• messy. snot and boogers don't seem to bother them. in fact, some of them seem to really enjoy having that stuff on their fingers.
• cuddly. i couldn't count the number of hugs i get each day. 1st graders are not at all passive aggressive about their need for affection, they just get up, walk toward me and give me a big, massive bear hug. even in the middle of a math lesson : )
• not always interested in sharing. i've heard my share of arguments about "my crayon!" "no, my crayon"... it's not like they're made of gold, kids. arguing about not sharing has been outlawed in our classroom
• not shy to revel in their glory. one of my favorite things to tell my kids after they've done something great: "wow. i'm so proud of you. you must be so proud of yourself, eh?" and always always my kids give me a grin as bright as the sun and nod their head with pure delight. love it.
• eager to be first. first in line, first to go to the bathroom, first to get their paper, first to eat lunch. first, first, first.
• peacemakers. when there is conflict in the classroom, i encourage kids to "talk through their problems". they are quick to forgive, hug, and be friends again grudge-free. if only adults emulated first graders in the way they forgave..
• funny. man, oh man, the things first graders say. i think i crack up at least once a day.
• "improv-ers". they like to raise their hand without having any clue what the question is or what their answer will be. I could ask my kids to explain why 'e=mc squared' and i'm 99% sure at least 7 kids would raise their hand and fumble their way through a contrived explanation.
• sweet hearted, innocent, and brave little people. they are sensitive to the world around them and are vastly aware of the injustice of the world. they desire to see good around them and are not afraid to point out wrongdoings. their big hearts are constantly churning and changing by their daily experiences.
• my teachers. they teach me something every day.

rough day + beatles = not so bad

today was one of those days. you know, the kind where so many things are going on your head is spinning... one of those days when you put your shirt on backwards and don't realize it until after lunch kind of day. i won't (and shouldn't) go into the details of my day, but i'll say that i felt stressed, upset, and exhausted.

the day was coming to a close and i was getting ready to hide my head in a pillow...or rather a pile of construction paper and crayons (i work in a first grade classroom, you know) when a repairman in the office started blowing into the intercom system. it seems the intercom in our building stops working every other day so i'm always in for a treat when the intercom starts acting up. Usually I hear one person try to make an announcement, someone in the background chiming in, "It didn't go through! Try again!", so the announcer tries again, then I hear someone say, "Why isn't this working?", "Then I hear a crowd of Korean men gather around the microphone, speaking in korean saying, "what's wrong here? Did someone push a button?, etc. etc" It's quite entertaining.

but today was a little bit different. the intercom started having some problems and the secretary got on the mic and said, "excuse the interruption. we are working on repairing the school intercom system." Then I heard the usual muffled "the intercom isn't working. Why isn't this working, etc. etc." But then, the secretary made an announcement that he would relieve us of the all too familiar chatter and play a CD instead.

suddenly i heard john, paul, george, and ringo singing in my classroom. the mood in the whole building was lightened as you could hear people giggling in the hallway, doing little jigs here and there, or singing along. it was a burst of sunshine on a gloomy day. i was a little bummed when the intercom was fixed and the music was turned off. maybe tomorrow...?

first week of school & family retreat

hi there. i've been quite the "slacker blogger" lately. my apologies. I hope to be blogging more regularly once my schedule is settled.

i wanted to give a quick update for all of you dear readers about our jobs. i started my first week of school teaching 1st graders. i have some really super kids and i feel rejuvenated to be around little ones again. they still wear me out, but i love them. they're so much more independent than kindergartners, it's great! i was so pleased to not be tying shoes, soothing crying spells, or helping little ones with their "wet pants" all week long : ) and 1st graders are really stinking cute. they keep me laughing all day.

peter's been fortunate to have two four day weekends in a row and has had some quality time with the golf course. these mini vacations are well deserved since he's worked so many long hour days.

this weekend, we went to busan with peter's unit for a family retreat. i'll blog about it more later. it was wooonderful. a well needed break that brought a lot of peace and relaxation to two tired minds & bodies. i'll fill you in soon..