Jun is a chubby seven year old marshmallow with a perm on top. He's been the best English speaker in his class because he is a natural showman, always in search of the largest stage. Swaton's used him as a poster-boy in festivals because he has no shame. Jun will happily go in front of all the students and parents and loudly say, "mom, dad, I love you sooooooo much!" He's the biggest kindergarten student but I've never seen him use his size to bully the other children. One time, I saw Dash come up to him and complain that Hanna stole something of his. They didn't know I was watching this drama. Jun went up to Hanna, held out his hand and Hanna willingly gave up Dash's toy. This is the start of Jun's 3rd and final year in Swaton kindergarten and I'm proud to say I'm his teacher. He's already a bit of a phenom but I'm putting unnecessary pressure on myself to clean up his speech and have him on par with a 7 year old native speaker. I made him a badge and named him the official Swaton policeman- a title he's informed all the other children of. He monitors the lunch line and won't tolerate any pushing. All this has been build-up to a story of his phone report. Every month we are required to call all our kindergarten children and many afternoon students and talk for around 1o minutes. I called June this week for my 1st phone report with him. I will try and type, word for word, a story he told me. Imagine loud gasps of air in between his energetic speech:
"Teacher, one time, I see a ghost. Umm, I'm sleeping....and Then, lights off. There is a ghost and...I'm scary.. and then, um, that one, I did a Poo Poo"
I broke out laughing even though I knew it wasn't meant to be funny. Sometimes this job is just too funny. Like that Cosby show, "Kids say the darndest things," except they're saying these things in a second language.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Sunday morning thoughts
I believe I've wrote before about Korea's disdain for Japan. This feeling was never stronger than when Japan beat Korea last week to eliminate them from the World Baseball Classic. I think they were more upset about 'who' beat them than the fact that they'd been beaten. I'm reading a book called "Native Speaker" about a Korean-American spy. There is a passage in the book I really liked because it mirrored my own thoughts on Korea's Japanese resentment. Often, when teaching young children who simply say, "I hate Japan," I've thought of African-Americans. It's so sad when the young children feel so adamantly about something they don't even understand. I stop and explain to them that, although history has been unkind to them, the Japanese people of today are not the people who committed those horrible crimes to Korea. I tell them that there is a child their same age in Japan who loves them and that they cannot hate that child. In simplistic language like that, they understand, but I doubt it will soften their hearts. Anyways, in the novel a Korean politician is speaking to a hostile crowd of Koreans and Blacks. He's trying to stop the violence between the two communities. Check this out:
"If they (blacks) do not have the same strong community you enjoy, the one you brought with you from Korea, which can pool money and efforts for its members--it is because this community has been broken and dissolved through history.
We Koreans know something of this tragedy. Recall the days over fifty years ago, when Koreans were made servants and slaves in their own country by the Imperial Japanese Army. How our mothers and sisters were made the concubines of the very soldiers who enslaved us.
I am speaking of histories that all of us should know. Remember, or now know, how Koreans were cast as the dogs of Asia, remember the way our children could not speak their own language in school, remember how they called each other by the Japanese names forced upon them, remember the public executions of patriots and the shadowy murders of collaborators, remember our feelings of disgrace and penury and shame, remember most of all the struggle to survive with one's own identity still strong and alive.
I ask that you remember these things, or know them now. Know that what we have in common, the sadness and pain and injustice, will always be stronger than our differences."
I included this not to condemn the Japanese or white slave owners but to highlight the similarities between African-Americans and Koreans. And it's something not many Koreans realize because they still are favorable to whites over blacks. But how can they come to love something they can't see? Until Korea becomes less homogeneous, I don't see them breaking down their long-rooted racism. That's another blog entry though. One thing working for them is Hines Ward. The Korean Times did an article on him before the Super Bowl because he's half African-American, half Korean. After he won Superbowl MVP, Korea took pride in him as one of their own even though he'd never been to Korea. And there was his picture on the front page of the newspaper, looking very black, like the people they normally fear. It's trivial, but it goes a long way in Korea's acceptance of things they don't see here.
"If they (blacks) do not have the same strong community you enjoy, the one you brought with you from Korea, which can pool money and efforts for its members--it is because this community has been broken and dissolved through history.
We Koreans know something of this tragedy. Recall the days over fifty years ago, when Koreans were made servants and slaves in their own country by the Imperial Japanese Army. How our mothers and sisters were made the concubines of the very soldiers who enslaved us.
I am speaking of histories that all of us should know. Remember, or now know, how Koreans were cast as the dogs of Asia, remember the way our children could not speak their own language in school, remember how they called each other by the Japanese names forced upon them, remember the public executions of patriots and the shadowy murders of collaborators, remember our feelings of disgrace and penury and shame, remember most of all the struggle to survive with one's own identity still strong and alive.
I ask that you remember these things, or know them now. Know that what we have in common, the sadness and pain and injustice, will always be stronger than our differences."
I included this not to condemn the Japanese or white slave owners but to highlight the similarities between African-Americans and Koreans. And it's something not many Koreans realize because they still are favorable to whites over blacks. But how can they come to love something they can't see? Until Korea becomes less homogeneous, I don't see them breaking down their long-rooted racism. That's another blog entry though. One thing working for them is Hines Ward. The Korean Times did an article on him before the Super Bowl because he's half African-American, half Korean. After he won Superbowl MVP, Korea took pride in him as one of their own even though he'd never been to Korea. And there was his picture on the front page of the newspaper, looking very black, like the people they normally fear. It's trivial, but it goes a long way in Korea's acceptance of things they don't see here.
Stanford
I was fortunate to be awarded two kindergartens this year. ANd, they are the most advanced in Swaton. This class is Stanford: they are 6 years old and this will be their 3rd year studying at Swaton. THey can already read, write and carry on small conversations. And, of course, they are undeniably cute. My challenge is to resist playing with them, and get down to some serious teaching.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Last Days of UCLA
This is my final day of teaching UCLA. They didn't feel the magnitude of the occasion, but I was treating every minute, every lesson as if it was our last. I see them everyday, but it's just not the same. They've gone to another, and I'm left with the memories and photos of our first Swaton year together.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
WFC
Well, we started this thing to restore some pride and look at us now. I was excited this morning because I had an afternoon break, just long enough to go up to the gym, on the treadmill with the built-in TVs and watch America remind Korea that baseball is our game. Last week, I was in there when Korea beat Mexico and the gym, myself included, erupted into high-fives and "Dea Han Min Guk," chants. These Koreans really love baseball but they love their country more than anything and right now they're getting world-wide attention. This may be the high point in Korean sports since their surprise wins in the 2002 World Cup. I don't even care about soccer, but I've heard that story enough to feel like I was there. It's fun living in Korea when their national sport teams are winning. Still, I wanted to hold my head up high with pride for my home, just once. A friend and I joked that America will have to start the World Football Classic and then maybe they could win something. It's not over yet for us in this thing. And, if we lose, I will cheer for Korea and an end to grumpy Koreans everywhere.
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