Koreans Are So Damn Cute For Teenagers!

Every teacher has said this: I have some of the best students in the world!!! But I really do...HA!

Not a day passes when one of my students doesn't do something just completely cute, affectionate, or down right hilarious. I had one boy the other day, a sweet quiet kind of guy, have trouble figuring out a vocabulary word. I tried to prompt him a little.

Me: "Ok. It's a small bag you CARRY ON the airplane..."
Boy:  "Um...um...ah! Drugs!!"

Korean students tend to have a level of affection for their teachers that you can't see in the States. They are always invading the teacher's lounge to ask questions, receive punishments or scoldings, or just to chat. One of the best things about Korea is that I'm able to be physically affectionate with them. I'm allowed to pat them on the shoulder, tussle their hair, and even hug them. They love to link arms with me, hug me, and hold my hand while we are talking in the hallways or after class. I feel like, despite the language barrier, I have a deeper connection with my students because I'm able to do that. By being physically close we form an indescribable bond. And what I really love is that even though my student's English level is low, they make a HUGE effort to communicate with me. And believe me, their level is so low that even the smallest communication is an amazing accomplishment, and I'm so proud of them when they make the effort.

Example: I have one girl who doesn't speak well at all, but we grew close during my summer vacation drama class. So when she has class with me I always make sure to greet her personally with my usual "What's up?". However, she never knew how to respond, and since I have 40 students per class it was difficult for me to explain it to her one on one. One day I was unable to greet her directly because the class started late, and later I noticed that she looked a bit sad during our session together. After class she approached me with several of her friends and they tried for five minutes to explain to me in broken English what she wanted. Finally, she got her point across:

Girl: "Teacher, I prepare!"
Me: "Um, OK. What did you prepare?"
Girl: "I prepare...um...re...ah! Response!"
Me: "Ok...To what?"
Girl: "Teacher, you say to me, 'What's up?'"
Me: "Ok. What's up?"
Girl: "Nothing much, Teacher! Bye!!"

And she left my classroom smiling so brightly at her triumph that I was almost moved to tears. Yes, it was simple. Yes, it was small. But to me it was everything because this girl had researched and made a response to a common question that was not in her textbook. I was so very proud of her for taking the initiative.

What I hate is that because I have so many students (around 800) I cannot remember everyone's name. That and Korean names are a bit difficult. Out of respect for their culture I have not required them to have English names. Sometimes they choose an English name themselves and only then will I call them by that. I do know a few because I am more acquainted with them.

Ka-Young (가영)

One of them is Ka-Young. She's very good at English and she is one of the favorites among the teachers because she always has a bright smile on her face. She never seems sad or upset, but she has told me that she does feel those kinds of emotions sometimes. She is very pleasant and I've had the fortune of having dinner with her and her mother before. It was an extremely pleasant experience and Ka-Young is an excellent and sweet student.

Kyoung-Suh (경서)

 Another is Kyoung-Suh. She is very good at English, especially at listening and translating. I became close to her in my Summer Drama class. Ka-Young was also in the class and I became closer to her as well. I tried to get away from the rigid Korean classroom and make my three week course more in the Western style, which the students seemed to enjoy. It also helped that I only had 14 students and they were all female. That made everything go more smoothly. Since Kyoung-Suh was the best at English she acted as translator when the others were confused. I learned that the girls really enjoyed my class because the content was interesting, but more importantly they loved the atmosphere and the closeness that developed between myself and them. During the days leading up to the last class the girls seemed glum, and on the last day they were completely upset. Kyoung-Suh told me that she felt empty and depressed. At the end of class the girls were reluctant to leave and kept taking turns hugging me over and over again.

Since then Kyoung-Suh is fond of calling me her lover, which I admit is very odd. But I've since learned that Korean high school girls tend to have girl crushes on androgynous looking females and that they usually grow out of by university. So I'm not really worried.

Min Ji (민지)

There is also Min Ji, who is a short and adorable student. Every time she sees me she gasps, her eyes go big in surprise and she makes the quickest, lowest bow I've ever seen. She used to scurry away from me smiling, but recently she has become very open towards me, approaching me with questions and even casual conversation. She's a very hard worker and because she likes me so much she has become very bossy when it comes to her team. She wants everything perfect for every assignment I give them. She even emailed me a picture she drew saying, "Teacher! I love you!".She has also started emailing me regularly.

Me and Ha Young (하영)

There's also Ha Young, one of the androgynous females of Janggok High. She is in the lowest class but tries to talk to me. I usually have to get my co-teacher to translate. She has a very bubbly personality and always high fives me in the hallways and loves to run up and hug me. She always wears a short style haircut and when I cut my hair in the summer she playfully accused me of copying her. "Teacher, I am original! Original hairstyle!"

Some other things I have learned from my students:

One girl, during her presentation on China, informed me that "Chinese food tastes strong and Chinese".

While I'm very popular with the girls I have also gained a fan base with many of the boys, particularly in the 1st grade (Freshman). A few of the 2nd grade boys (juniors) like me a lot and will usually try to help me quiet down the class. I don't like to shout, which they like, and while I wait calmly for them to be silent these boys usually take up the call by yelling, "Shut up!" in either English or Korean.

Several of the boys scream my name in the hallways and high five me or give me the fist punch. Two boys in particular like to bust into my room from time to time doing rap hand gestures and body movements, while saying, "Teacher! We love you! We love you hip hop style! Yeah, yeah, yo, yo! Wassup!!"

Mun Hyoung (문형) (R) and his adorable friends

One of my favorites is Mun Hyoung, or as I like to call him, "Rock and Roll". On the first day of my class this year I introduced myself and played some of my favorite music. Ever since then Mun Hyoung has said to me, "Hey, Teacher, rock and roll! I love you...!". One day in class we were working on expressing our goals for high school and Mun Hyoung raised his hand. "My goal for high school is Teacher...me...love!!!" And he made his hands into a heart shape. I laughed and playfully called him a liar, to which he said, "No! Teacher! I say truth!"


Even though my job has it's difficulties, especially during the first semester, I have never felt so satisfied with any other job before. Yes, I have problems. Yes, I have bad days. Yes, there are times when I want to scream at the students to shut the hell up and listen to me for fuck sake. But at the end of the day, when students drop by my office just to chat and see how I'm doing or to tell me something happening in their lives, or when countless students run up to me to say hi and high five me as I walk through the halls heading home, I forget all the little headaches and remember the most important thing: They love me, and I love them, and because of that I know that my efforts of kindness, sensitivity, and sincerity are affecting them for life. We will remember each other, and for this momentary space of time we have together we are making the absolute most of it, no matter how insignificant it may seem to rest of the world.