I mentioned in one of my last posts that I was instructed by the doctor not to talk for a week because of vocal nodules (for the SECOND TIME since I've been in Korea). Last time this happened, I took the week off from work. This time I decided that I really didn't want to give my students to subs for the last week of class, especially since we had our big project presentations this week! So, instead, I volunteered to teach my elementary classes mute. I got subs for my middle school reading classes. I'm crazy, not stupid.
I don't know what possessed me to do that.
In preparation for this endeavor, I made a bunch of cue cards to hold up for my kids. At the end of the week, I made 45 total cue cards to teach. Along with signs telling the kids what part of the lesson we were doing, I also made signs that said, "English Only!" "Eyes up front!" and, the kids' favorite, "BREAK!"
The class I see on Monday and Wednesday was awesome. Absolutely great. I was so proud of them (and maybe a little impressed at how my classroom management skills have developed so much that I had ANY class that I could teach mute with no mishaps). We worked quickly since it is rather difficult to make cue cards for all the leading questions I usually ask in order to get students through the discussions that take up most of our time. So we ended up spending a lot of time playing their favorite game, "Mafia!" Usually I host and entertain the kids with funny stories about how the mafia made other students disappear (no one is killed at Chung Dahm... but kids disappear all the time). However, since I can't talk, I let the kids host. It was a daunting task for them because they had to host IN ENGLISH, but they really enjoyed it and I think they got pretty good at creatively making people disappear.
Here is one of our hosts, May, picking some people who will become our "mafia."
Here they are working on their projects for the last day. They had to each pick a famous person for a role model and then solve a world problem. They got some pretty awesome ideas. I loved watching them come up with these amazing ideas. I liked it so much that I got them a few extra things for them to play with for their presentations. Just a pack of colored paper for each class and some glue/scissors from home, but it really got their creative juices flowing. Amazing what providing craft paper will do for a kid's creativity.
Oh, and Sally gave me a homemade donut. How cool is that?
On Wednesday, we had our "Critical Learning Costume Party." Because of scheduling, our class was the only one to go to the "party" on Wednesday, so we performed in our own classroom. The presentations were top notch and I only wish that we had been able to show off to the other classes.
As it was, I got prizes to pass out to the top three groups and since there were only three groups everyone got a prize! Yay! I spent maybe 1500 won peer kid (which is around $1). Little notebooks or pencil cases, a hilighter, an eraser, and a handful of neon colored rubber bands for each kid. I thought it was funny how much the kids liked the rubber bands. I got them as an afterthought to fill up the bags...
Eric (holding the apple) was Sir Isaac Newton. Kevin (Bill Gates) was giving him devil horns. :) I probably should have stopped Newton as he turned around to sock Gates in the arm... but it was too funny, and they were both laughing. :)
Five more minutes, Ladies!! Get ready! Julia, stop walking around the class in your ice skates, please... Yes, I know the blades are covered, but you look like you are going to fall over and break open your little head. Too bad I couldn't say all that...
They were really excited for the presentations...
At the end of class, I demanded that they all gather at the front of the room for a class photo. They thought it was stupid (and probably more than a little annoyed that we weren't playing Mafia yet), but I got some cute pictures of my favorite group of kids.
From left to right, the back row has Soo Ho, Kevin, Cherry, Julia, Sally, Lily, and Jenny. The from row has Jason, JuYong, Eric, Jessy, and Luna.
Then there was the class I teach on Tuesday and Thursday. Oh, dear. You cute little trouble makers. Most of them were okay, but I have a few in there (all right, I have 3 little insane-o boys that sit in the back) that seem to have made it their life missions to drive me nuts. You can just see them in the back of this picture. Roy (blue shirt), Jason (touching his shoulder) and Jimin (striped shirt that's half in half out of the photo next to Jason). Whooo boy. They are the three musketeers. That is if the three musketeers constantly dropped things from their desks, had an affinity for corn chips, and insisted on driving me crazy.
I kind of wished I had made a sign that said, "ROY! Stop dropping your crap on the floor!" or "JIMIN! What are you doing writing on the board while I'm trying to start class!?" and "Because I said so, Jason." *sigh* It's not so bad when I can keep them participating by calling on them during class, but I had to kind of rely on volunteers with my signs...
The projects in this class were really great, as well. I was really impressed with their ideas and the different props they all made for their presentations. These girls were posing as Girls Generation (a K-Pop band) and were solving global warming
.
Sophia... why are you on Teacher's computer?
On Thursday, all the Tera level classes got together to show off their presentations. Here is Sasha telling them to be quiet so we can start. She is so sweet... I'd love to see her inner dialogue right now. It's probably something like, "Why won't you all SHUT UP!?"
These are some of my girls doing their presentation. You should have seen the look on poor Emily's face when they got the prize for most creative rather than best overall... if looks could kill, us teachers at the front of the room would have shriveled up.
After presentations, I got them all lined up to take a picture. Heck YES! Man, that was like herding cats...
From left to right, hiding in the back you can see Danny, kind of a Bill, Jimin, Roy, and Jason's heads. Then in the front we have Janice, Emily, Sophia Lee, Sarah, Catherine, Judy (now Liz), and Sophia Kim.
Man, these kids drive me nuts. But I still love them so much! And, you know what, I would not be sad if I got them all back again next term. Why are kids like that? They just SUCK YOU IN!
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