Lazy Saturday Mornings

I intend to spend all day at home, eating PB&J's and reading! I ordered some books online after speaking to a variety of Middle School teachers, from the States and here in Korea. I'm hoping that these books will help me as I struggle to figure out how I can be the best teacher around. I bought a book called: Teaching like a champion suggested to me by the fabulous Emily Shumway; she informed me that she is in the middle of reading it herself right now and that it dispenses immeasurable teaching wisdom! I also purchased a book called the ESL/ELL Teacher's Book of Lists, this book should be pretty interestingly helpful for me as I begin to plan my semesters classes! I met up with some teachers last night for dinner and drinks and we discussed some of the things that these teachers employ in their classrooms, boy did I learn a lot! I certainly felt like a child at Santa's knees, begging him to keep speaking, keep up the dialogue! It is so fascinating to listen to "war" stories from other teachers, to see their temperaments, and to visualize the ridiculous ways in which our students try to drive us nuts. For example, I have a student, I can't remember his name (oops...) but Emily and I call him "Iron Man" because the first day of summer camp Emily walked up to me and told me that I should go and ask this kid about Iron Man. So I waltzed up to him and said "Iron Man?" his little eyes lit up and he responded "You know?" His hands immediately formed a circle and he placed them on his breastbone. I responded, "Of course." He smiled and went "Chunh Chunh Chunh" tilting his circled hands into positions, almost as if he were opening a vault, he then pretended to rip his shirt off and ran out of the room with his arms in a mockery of flying. I stood there dumbfounded, mouth open for 10 seconds, unable to possibly believe what had happened before I burst into laughter. Such silliness! Now whenever I see him I make the circle sign on my breastbone and he responds. There is no need for English nor Korean, we understand one another perfectly.