Three More Things

1. This morning when I arrived upstairs and greeted my 2nd years, one of my precocious children held up his middle finger. I had no clue what he was doing - then I heard it: the faint swish of an attempted child-finger snap. I had tried teaching my kids how to snap their fingers on Thursday and this little imp had remembered and was practicing. All weekend. The middle finger I thought he was giving me, was only in preparation for his cool, new trick.

2. When I first introduced myself as "Margy Teacher," the students were having a difficult time pronouncing it (I'm glad I didn't stick with "Leigh Margaret Teacher.") One of them said "Monkey Teacher!" and after I gave them a monkey impression, they dissolved in giggles. They try Monkey Teacher out on me now and then to see if I'll entertain again.

3. During the afternoon projects that require each child to write or place a sticker in a specific place, each child will say, "Margy Teacher, here?" "Here, Margy Teacher?" or "This, Margy Teacher?" several times, to make sure that they have it absolutely perfect. Korean culture strives for perfection and there is often little room for creativity. Thinking outside the box is too risky and might result in failure. Therefore, children will often need the guidance of the teacher on something as abstract as drawing a picture, or placing a sticker on a page. "Here, Margy Teacher?" "Yes, there."

Ok, I lied, there's fourth thing:

On an "About Me" activity, at the bottom of the page was a blank box with the instructions  "Draw a picture of yourself." I demonstrated on the board what Margy Teacher looks like to me. They were all extremely hesitant to begin, but after a little encouragement, they were enthusiastically scribbling their own self-portraits.