Classroom tales

Korean kids say some damn funny things in English. In my class yesterday one kid said to me 'Teacher there is USA man in my house. He is (gestures a huge stomach) fat and grandpa.' They love calling anyone older than them grandpa. They really don't like having that thrown back at them though. A kid in another one of my classes, who is kind of a brat, really needs glasses. He can never see the board. He's one of the kids who loves to try to ddongchim me (Korean shocker, literally 'shit needle') so I don't feel bad teasing him a little. I told him 'You have grandpa eyes' and mimed walking around with a hunched back and a cane. He came back with 'teacher you are bad. you you you...' then went into his cell phone dictionary and came up with 'tease, rib, make fun of'. I laughed and said, 'Yep, that's what I did!'

You really have a lot more latitude with the kids here though. For example you can tell them 'I'll kill you' and that's perfectly fine. In a couple classes I constantly threaten to throw them out the 5th floor window. If any of the kids are a little chubby the other kids will call them a pig all the time, with impunity. The pressure to conform is pretty crazy.

Anyhow, time to get to class. Here's a shot of 'World Express King of Hotel Game' I spotted in a toy store. It was right next to Monopoly: