one of my students wrote me a love letter. and no it’s not that kind of love letter, remember i work at a girls’ school… korean students tell their (english?) teachers that they love them, i guess sometimes “like” just isn’t enough. it seemed quite weird at first but i guess i’m getting used to it. i often feel like i love my girls so it’s nice to know the feeling can be mutual.  this letter was more of the “you’re a wonderful teacher and i love you” type. and i’m touched. this is the first time this has happened to me. i’m including it here fore you to see:

isn’t it just so squee? i don’t know what the little cat means, but it’s cute. i’ll ask her next time i see her. this came from one of the quieter girls in class… the ones so quiet that honestly i’ve never really noticed her before. she came with her friend to my desk handed me the letter and a tinned iced coffee drink and then ran off.

a lot of my girls are crazy shy, it’s almost like they’d rather die than open their mouths in class. trust me i’ve tried. but i’ll just keep trying and the best way (for me) is to make the english class a fun and “safe” place for them. guess the use of a beyonce song got through to this girl. don’t worry song-i there’s lots more where that came from.

not all of my girls are timid little mice. some are quite the opposite. they come visit me at my desk and have little chats and then run away giggling. in the beginning i had one girl come to my every day and tell me i’m beautiful, then she would tell me that she’s beautiful. she also told me her english is very good. i think that’s all she could say to be honest. she doesn’t really come around anymore. at the moment one of my girls is coming to me throughout the day and having little conversations, it’s nice to have a friend in the staff room.

this whole students visiting the teachers in the staff room is peculiar to me… when i was in high school we weren’t even allowed in there. not that we’d ever want to go. for us (or me and my friends) teachers were the enemy and the less time in their presence the better.  sure some of my teachers were “cool” but that just meant i behaved a little better in their classes and had less contempt for them. isn’t it funny that i’m a teacher now? but really the girls come in and have chats with the teachers… of their own volition. like they want to be there and it’s fun for them.

i guess it has something to do with the fact that they’re at school practically all the time. until 10 p.m on weekdays as well as every second saturday. when i ask them what they’ve done on the weekend it’s always sleep and study. their only other hobby is playing computer games.

the relationship between the teachers and the girls is really sweet. lots of gift giving. also quite touchy-feely. there are always encouraging pats or rubs on the back or head (i’m talking about the female teachers).  at my old school where i worked there was a strict no-touching policy so this too is something to get used to. my co-teacher even plays with the girls’ hair in class.

of course it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. the girls do misbehave and the teachers do discipline. my two male co-teachers actually walk around with sticks even though they’re not allowed to use them.  my one (male) co-teacher  has told me that sometimes discipline is more important than education, one time he cancelled a whole class to discipline the students.  all the girls were all seated in the male teachers lounge next to the staff room and i could hear was him shouting, slamming the stick on the table and the girls crying. ever since then the class has been behaving much better and he’s very proud of himself. no comment.

at a rough estimate i teach about 280 girls. i only see each class once a week so it’s not very easy remembering their names, and in some cases even their faces. but there are quite a few that stand out. whether it’s by their friendliness, cheekiness or apathy. i can say i definitely have some favourites and it’s not because they’re more well behaved, because generally they’re not. i like the spunky ones with character and i like the shy ones with potential. also if you’re friendly to me and not too obvious of a suck-up, then i’ll like you too. i even like “madonna” who spends most of the time in class looking at herself in her handheld mirror, looking so bored she’ll die and sighing and rolling her eyes when i make her answer a question. i’ll crack you yet maddona (her chosen english name).

seeing the students out and about is fun too. our town is really small so after school fun amounts to going to paris baguette or strolling down the one “cool” shopping street. this means i’ll often see my students and they’re reaction is usually pretty hilarious. they usually seemed shocked that i actually exist outside the school. once they get over this they like to try and embarrass each other. the best is when i’m with a guy friend. they will ask without any shame whether he is my boyfriend, when i explain no we’re “just friends” they laugh knowingly. the next day at school you can bet they’re going to ask me about my boyfriend. but shame it is a girls school, so i understand (i was there too) although i never behaved like the one brazen hussy who completely freaked out and posed for a picture with my male friend and asked him to be her boyfriend.  i had to beat her off with my umbrella!

but no really, it’s lovely to be greeted in the hallways with my own special “hello”  while the other teachers get “annyeong-hosseyo” and it’s interesting to define and learn all these little personalities. not very deep down inside i’m still a teenage girl so it’s cool to be reminded of my high school days albeit they were definitely very different .although some similarities remain. i was at a girls school too and i also wore a uniform. the girls and i share a love for stickers, pop music, gossip girl and twilight. more often than not i can honestly say that i love my girls.