Yesterday started out fairly crappy but ended with one of my favorite Korean punk rock bands inserting my home state into their rendition of “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” And then I got their autographs ( Read more... )

That makes two students who have actually called to ask me to come back to Jeju. One of my favorite bad boys called me yesterday during his math class (he was hiding in the boys’ bathroom) to ask where I was and when I would return to Jeju. He was obviously not paying attention the several times I explained to his class I was leaving the island. “ ( Read more... )

I love that Korea can still surprise me. Take, for instance, these recent scenes from my life ( Read more... )

Fascinating! This week in class, we’re playing an American culture-and-etiquette quiz game. The most frequently missed questions include the following ( Read more... )

Last week was our school’s sports festival. Basically, this meant a full day of basketball, tug-of-war, soccer, a relay race, and ssireum wrestling. The best athletes in each class competed, while the other students participated in a class tug-of-war battle before settling down to watch their classmates and read comic books ( Read more... )

Barney's got NOTHIN' on Korean pre-K education! Here, the Korean website Naver teaches English to toddlers:

http://jr.naver.com/babystudy/view.nhn?id=4&nid=733

Happy Monday!

FBI criminal background check ( Read more... )

My second-graders are back from their class trip to the mainland! I was delighted to see them again; without their presence on the second floor, last week was quiet and dull. (My first graders are rambunctious little miscreants, but their crude wildness is no substitute for the charming rowdiness of my second graders.) I even went to great effort ( Read more... )

It's Monday morning in Korea, so here's something to get your week off to a good start: excerpts from my students' personal ads! ( My boys are so adorable! )

I have one second-year student who routinely wanders into the classroom (late) in a cloud of smoke. I always fan the air and complain about the “terrible smell,” to the amusement of his friends; but I’m not trying to be funny. The aroma is truly overwhelming. He reminds me of Pigpen from Peanuts, except he’s exuding smoke instead of dirt. I can ( Read more... )