And in this corner: The English Teacher!
Published: 01 Jul. 2004, 20:27
I’ve had my share of students in this country so enamored with English that you could set up a stand on the street with a sign saying, “English lessons here” and watch a line appear instantaneously around the block. The job is usually a breeze; most of them are adults looking to hone their conversational skills.
With these two, however, my fatal flaw was exposed. I didn’t have a clue how to relate as a teacher with children so young. Should I play the strict disciplinarian, assigning pages of copying the alphabet until their handwriting was perfect? Or be their friend, establishing a connection that would make them receptive to what I had to say?
Unfortunately for me, I chose the latter. Sensing my unwillingness to raise my voice as long as their mother was in the kitchen, they pounced on their new plaything with a youthful enthusiasm.
For the rest of the summer, the hour I spent with them every week was passed either wrestling them off or telling them a story. Luckily, they had a stack of Berenstain Bear books that I read aloud, providing some blissful moments of peace and quiet.
Once they had been lulled into submission with the Bear family’s antics, I would try to slip in any tidbits of education I could. Sensing that I was about to begin teaching, the crafty duo emerged from their peaceful listening mode to become twin terrors even World Wrestling Entertainment would be proud of.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the job, the money having something to do with it. I made the same amount in one hour of tutoring that I did toiling for five at my school’s library. So every week I took the envelope and gave a nod and a smile, happy to get paid for doing the same thing I did for free with my youngest cousin. Yet the gratitude the mother expressed as I exited the apartment left me with pangs of guilt. Even with all that time I spent with her children, I realized that they hadn’t learned a single thing.
It’s been one year, two months,12 days and counting since the last time I stepped into the apartment. While I enjoyed my time with the youngsters, it’s safe to say that I haven’t looked back.
by Steve Lee
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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