Rainbow level (beginner) students

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My second day of teaching, my first day of classes with my Tuesday/Thursday groups. Today didn’t go by as quickly or with as much fun as yesterday. I think this was mostly due to the fact that I teach the exact same lesson three times in a row on Tuesdays and Thursdays (have three classes different classes, but all the RA level). However, the kids in my classes were less engaged in the lesson, less happy to be there, and frankly less intelligent than the students I work with M.W.F. Still, I enjoyed the day. I walked home with a smile on my face, feeling a sense of satisfaction because I believe that I am doing something that really does make a difference in peoples’ lives.

What was interesting both today and yesterday, was the questions that the kids ask me. Since I am a new teacher and a foreign teacher, I gave all of my classes an opportunity to ask me questions about the U.S. and myself before we started work. The first question was always “Teacher, how old are you,” quickly followed by “Are you married.” Other common questions revolved around where was I born and do I speak Korean.

What most stood out to me however, was the opinions that the kids have of the way I dress and my physical characteristics. They all think I am Korean, but I have become known as pretty teacher. One class kept insisting that I looked like a famous violinist, and the other said I looked like one of the Korean actresses. I asked if this was a bad thing or a good thing and they told me that it was “vedy good.” All of this was a definitely boost to my self-esteem (since being here, I have actually felt less attractive because I certainly do not fit into the mold of what is attractive here - pale skin, extreme thinness, and a more loose-fitting, bohemian style of dress).

I put extremely less effort into putting myself together here than I ever have at home in the states, but it is still much more than many Koreans do in appearance (so many beautiful women, but they where no make-up or very little and do nothing to their hair - which is a great thing. If I didn’t feel naked without my normal routine, I would do the same). I still really seem to stand out though - because I am just different (I think a lot of it is my clothes and darker complexion). We will see how the rest of the semester goes, and how many of my kids still have such a high opinion of me at the end of it…

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