I Don't Like Parents...

Well, I like my parents, but not other people's parents... usually... unless I've known them for a long time. They're always asking questions and assessing my answers - or judging my friendship level to their child... I don't know, I'd just rather play. And, man, Korean parents, y'know, the parents of my kids - well, their kids, my students - they make me even more nervous.

So, a couple of Tuesday's ago, I think it was my second week... yeah. I was informed that my students' parents (the Mothers) would be sitting in the classroom, watching. I found this out at 9:38a, and class starts at 9:50. A sweat broke out, I became a nervous wreck. Huh? Wha? Are you kidding me? What am I supposed to do!? Two minutes later I learned that they would only be watching me through CCTV, so they could see how I taught and how their kids interacted as well, but still, I knew they were there, and really wish I didn't. I mean, I guess it's good they gave me a heads up so I didn't shake 'em as much (I kid! I kid!) but I would've much rather not known. I felt like I was lying. I think I'm pretty good about giving encouragement through smiles, "Good job"s, thumbs up and high fives, but that day it all felt so forced. Some of the other teachers told me to have the kids raise their hands, because they heard the parents really like that - I tried it and the kids looked at me quizzically, probably thinking we never do this. Teacher's crazy.

We have PE on Tuesdays, and I had a plan to run around and play games, but then the director or his wife called up and my helper (just for the two weeks), Sunny [Teacher], told me that they wanted us to use all the toys - bowling, basketball - I guess to say, "Hey! These are fun things we have at our school that your children play with and learn about." I don't know. This whole situation is sink or swim, learn as you go, and that's great and all, but it's pretty stressful to begin with, and I don't like the CCTV's either, and then you put a whole slew of parents behind it - GAAAAH!!

Oh, yeah, so I'm getting a new kid next week... I forgot his name, but he, his mom and his younger brother were at school today, and I notice his mom looking through the classroom window as I'm reading a story about ambulances, and Danny is standing on his chair behind me, giggling slowly in my ear and rubbing his little snotty hands (literally, he's been sick all this week and I have to blow his nose, and then he coughs on me, and the snot - and I try not to gag, but I have to turn away because it's hot in the tissue and I just think germs, germs, germs, and I want to say, "Eww!" but you can't really do that, y'know?) on my face, and it's funny, so I laugh. Then Olivia thinks it's a good idea to do the same, so she comes over and puts her hands on my cheeks and stretches out my face and then opens my eyes bigger, and plays with my hair. Then Alex wants in on it, and so he skips over and stands next to Danny, hugging my back and they're all laughing and saying, "Teacher! Teacher!" and I'm stifling my laughter trying to peel them all off because the mom's there, y'know, and I'm thinking, Oh, crap, is this good or bad? Cause on the one hand she likes that the kids like me, but on the other hand it looks like I don't have much control over them, and I don't really, unless I'm mean and start counting, and that's not fun. Thank goodness Eric is well behaved, and he just sat in his chair, waiting for me to finish the story. Yeah, so there was that, and then after Show and Tell we get the play room, and my kids were jumping up and down, roaring and ready to go (they all like being lions now, and Power Rangers, and tigers, too) and the new kid and his younger brother were in there. The Korean staff told me it was okay to let them play together, but as soon as we get in there, my kids start yelling, "Li-on! Li-on!" and I want to play Lion, I've been looking forward to it all day, but I'm worried about scaring the new kid and his mother, so I waited a bit for her to go into another room then I took off my shoes and roared to giggles and shrieks. So, we played and it was good, and the new kids stayed while we played and though the mother smiled all the while, I wonder if I'll still get that new student next week, or if they'll transfer to another institution, who knows.

Also, speaking of parents, I heard things about this "Parents Day" that seems to be totally for show. The Mothers actually sit in the classroom, making not only the teachers nervous, but the students as well, and also a lot of the lessons are repeats of the previous day's so the kids will have the answers... so I've heard, so it goes. But, y'know, it's all hearsay, and maybe it won't happen that way. We'll just have to wait and see... I'm just telling you what I know, and that ain't much.