Teaching in Seoul: Meet my new kids

At the end of February, the six kids in my old class left me. They all “turned seven” and moved up a grade. Over one weekend (I miss the little brats!). Likewise, the five year olds of the school magically “turned six” on Friday and found themselves a year older in my classroom on Monday morning.

Without further ado, let me introduce you to my new class.

From left to right: Seung-Joon, Emily (in red), Dana, and Celine

I know I’ve only had them a month, but I adore them already. To the point where I find myself missing them on the weekends (I know, weird right?). My teaching schedule is pretty awesome as far as gigs go in Korea: I have these four kids, and only these four kids, for about 3.5 hours a day. They arrive around 10am and go home at 2:20pm (I get a 45min lunch break in there somewhere). I love them at this age; they’re like little intellectual sponges. ^^

Meet Dana. Smiley, smart, always adorned with bows and tiaras (she has tiara headbands, tiara clips, tiara pins…). I blame her mother.

Meet Celine. She lived in the US for a couple of years growing up, and I’m pretty certain her English is better than mine. She reads complicated novels. When she grows up, she wants to be a fairy (and why not?).

Meet Seung-Joon. The only boy in my class, and the only one whose mother didn’t give him an Anglicized name. Quirky, cute as a button, smiley, patient, left-handed (lately, his mom’s been forcing him to write with his right hand. I tell him to tell her to shut up. Haha). Before lunch, if he gets to the classroom first, he brings all the girls their cutlery and pulls out their chairs for them. The most thoughtful six-year old (technically he’s only 4) I’ve ever known. ^^ (He’s my favourite, shhhh!)

Meet Emily. This girl is so unique and I love her to bits. She wants to be a taekwondo pro when she grows up. She has the most unfortunate haircut, but she rocks it anyway. She’s an absolute tomboy who often laughs so hard at her own drawings that she knocks herself out of her chair and rolls around on the ground. The other day at lunch, Seung-Joon said, “my spoon is upside-down”. Emily’s quick retort was priceless, “YOU’RE upside-down.” Haha. Amazing.

These kids are a major reason I love Korea as much as I do. =^.^=

I also made a little video to give an idea of what class time with them is like, which you can find here if you’re so inclined!

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