My contract mandates that I arrive at school 1 hour before my first class starts, which means 1:30pm. However, because I'm such an awesome employee, I typically arrive between 1 and 1:15. It's a habit I got into at my school last year, because there was a lot of preparation involved; this year it's kinda unnecessary.
Usually there are some students' workbooks or notebooks that need to be checked, so I'll dive into that. Then I'll round up the files for the classes I'll be teaching that day, and fill them out with what will be covered in class, and the homework to be assigned.
You know something? This is a terribly boring thing to write about. Just stop writing now and go play FIFA 10.
By the time I've finished all this, it's around 2 o'clock and the earliest arriving students will start to show up. They love to come back to the teachers' room, where I sit, and tap on the window and make silly faces at me. It's a bit like being an animal in a zoo, because five or so of them will just stand there, peering at me, quietly observing me. Often times I'll head out to the lobby of the school and just shoot the shit with them. You know, talk about life, their favorite philosophers and films, discuss current events, etc. Either that or we go back and forth accusing each other of smelling like farts. (Brief aside: I bet you didn't know that the Korean word for "fart" is the same as the name of the capital city of the Central African Republic. Fact.)
As more and more kids show up, the school grows louder and louder as they run around and work themselves into more of a frenzy, enjoying a rare part of the day when they aren't either asleep or in a classroom.
Around now I'll head back to the teachers' room and fire up my mp3 as a means to tune out the growing madness. Lately I've gotten into the habit of putting on Guero by Beck, but my selection varies. Then I'll try to make myself look busy when in reality I'm just playing Angry Birds or Doodle Jump on my iPod. Sometimes I go downstairs to the convenient store for some coffee and have a chat with the guy who works down there and can speak a little English.
This is brutal. Why are you still writing this? Who on earth is this of interest to?
At 2:25 or so, when the first class of the day is right around the corner, I need to give myself a little jolt, get the blood moving for the first class of the day. Here's where a nice bit of congruity lies. Last year I did the same thing, and my song of choice to get me going was Kids by MGMT, because it's upbeat and appropriately titled. This year, because I've gotten all the mileage that can be had from that song, I go with a different song- but get this!- it's called Kids, too!- by Sleigh Bells!
Tell me you're not ready to deal with a dozen maniacal 8 year old Koreans after listening to that. I dare you.
Then the bell rings. I gather up my teaching materials and walk to the scorer's table. I douse my hands with talcum powder, then toss it in the air as I look to the ceiling and make the Jesus pose.
I proceed to break shit down, English style.
Alright, end this madness, please. Oh, and did you know that this is your 100th post? That's kind of a lot. Good for you.
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