Krista in Korea: You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.

For those of you who don't know... children are the most amazing and emotionally draining beings on the planet. I can't count the number of times I have said "No running!" "Stop kicking." "Did you bite him?" "Listen!" "Krista Teacher has a personal bubble you can't pop." "No head butting!" However, if I had 1000won for every time I heard "I'm sorry teacher" "Its OK teacher, no angry face." "Teacher you're pretty." "I lobe (love) you teacher." "Me happy because teacher happy." I would be a Korean millionaire! Here are a few pictures of my special kids:

Peach Class

Mike, Alber, Sally - Peach Class

There are two types of schools foreign teachers can teach English at in Korea: a public school or a Hagwon. I am teaching at the latter. A Hagwon is essentially a private school that specializes in a concentration. There are English hagwons, math hagwons, piano hagwons, etc. Elementary students attend public school during the day and hagwons during the afternoon and evening. However, for kindergarten students, hagwons are their primary school.

I am a kindergarten teacher with two classes. Peach Class is made up of ten cute, bright and sassy 7 year olds. Pear class has ten sweet, adorable and freakishly smart 6 year olds. I teach these kids everyday until 2:40. In the afternoon, I teach a few elementary classes, but I don't spend the same amount of time with my elementary students as I do with my kindergartners.

I was hired on in December because they were opening these two new kindergarten classes. So my first day was also my kids' first day. Believe me, we have learned together! It is amazing the progress they have made. They literally didn't know ANY English the first day I met them. They kept talking to me in Korean and were shocked when I couldn't understand them. There were also a few students who were afraid of me because I didn't look or sound like anything they were use to. James in my Pear class cried for three days straight. I would sit him down in his chair and slowly move away. As I got further and further away, he would ever so slowly move out of his chair and when I turned my back to him he would book it out of the room as fast as he could while looking back at me with this look of pure freedom on his face. James is now the happiest and sweetest little boy in class. I am also happy to report that they speak solely English to me and full sentences are becoming more and more prevalent!

It looks like we are torturing every single one of them.

Kelly my co teacher!!

Everyday is a fun adventure! I have so many stories. However, those are for another day and another post. The one thing I have come to realize is that while I try to teach my kids all about life, they teach me what life is all about.