Drift Reality > South Korea > Korean Students 1

School progressed and I gradually found a sense of rhythm in my daily motions, or at least this is what I liked to believe as I struggled to overcome a fundamental inability to relate to children. It began during those first few moments when I observed Debbie teacher don a mask of professionalism in her approach to teaching, and decided to move in another direction. I would be different from average. I would attain a level of friendship with my students that other teachers could only gaze at as if they were examining the skies. I really believed this nonsense and perhaps that is why I soon found myself drowning in oceans of children's shrieks.

If my few months were to be broken down into a symphony, the first movement would be replete with flowing rivers of rich melody in a major key played by the string section (my overtures of friendship towards my students). This would be countered with a banshee-like cacophony of sound coming from the brass section (the children taking advantage of my weakness and calling me insulting names in Korean which I could not understand). The second movement would involve choking sounds as the string section would stand up and try to strangle the brass section with their bow hairs.

It was not too long until I made the executive decision to convert from a socialist to a totalitarian dictator with my younger classes. Our age difference made it easier for me to place an emotional barrier between us that allowed me to establish myself as an authority figure. My first policy initiative was the "rule of three." Upon the initial infraction, the culprit's name would be written on the board and a large "X" would be placed next to it. Upon the second infraction, a second "X" would be added next to the first, and the student would be forced to stand in the corner. Upon the third infraction, a third "X" would be thrust into the mix and the student would be forced to leave the classroom. Even if the student's had no idea what I was talking about when I first explained the policy, they caught on extremely quickly as they began to observe their fellow classmates being rudely thrust out of classrooms.

Before too long, I had managed to utterly pacify my most rowdy classes and I could subdue students by simply looking in the direction of the board when they began to feel restless. During my first three months, ten out of the twelve classes that I was teaching contained students between the ages of 6-12 and my "rule of three" was enough to subdue all of these classes. Once I had figured out how to solve the problem of disciplining my younger students I began to focus on a far more difficult task - how to discipline my two older classes. One of these classes consisted of four thirteen year old girls and the other consisted of six thirteen year old girls.

When I was in middle school, I overheard two teachers discussing trends in student behavior. They both agreed that the most difficult students to teach were seventh graders, who existed on the cusp of childhood and adolescence - a phase in which a barrage of mental, physical, and emotional changes creates an entity unrivaled in its malignity. Seventh grade was the time during which I lusted, hated, envied, disregarded, coveted, abused, and was abused with such great intensity that it was all I could do to prevent myself from crying and screaming on a continual basis. If I had been forced to attend two schools and learn a foreign language from some strange creature that could not communicate nor empathize with me, I probably would have acted the same exact way.

God smiled kindly upon me in one of my classes, and I was blessed with a group of six thirteen year old girls who seemed genuinely interested in learning English and committed to paying attention in class. God must have then grown weary of smiling and decided to play a few rounds of golf during the other class, in which I came to know what it is to be an inanimate object. As I made a futile attempt to teach grammar to the group of four thirteen year old girls, I witnessed as they gossiped about the latest teen sensation, checked their e-mail on their cellular phones, and drew pictures in their notebooks.

Occasionally, I would grow weary with being ignored and attempt to get their attention by saying, "Come on guys, lets pay attention," which they seemed to interpret as "Look up from your cell phone for several moments and humor me before deciding to talk with your friend about makeup while I try to teach you English." When good cop didn't work, I made the very serious mistake of attempting to utilize my "rule of three."

One girl, Lisa, was particularly chatty and one day I decided to make an attempt to discipline her. As she rattled on to her friend, I stood up and wrote her name on the board with an X next to it. This got her attention and I calmly explained that if she continued to disrupt class, I would be forced to move her to another seat (I didn't think having her stand in the corner of the room was appropriate). Inevitably, she began to talk again and I abruptly stood up and asked her to switch seats.