This will be my best attempt to try and explain what happened to me yesterday. Perhaps it’s karma for all the teachers I KNOW I pestered in my own innocent fashion. I say innocent because I never did anything worse than talking…constantly…and maybe calling Mr. Wilson’s classroom phone to call Bryna or posting a sign pleading “FREE BRYNA” on his window, but he had it coming. You know what I never did? I never stabbed a teacher. That’s right, MJ, the guy who taught at ghetto Saginaw High School and never had a worse problem than having a tardy student walk out because of a supposed “girl problem” GOT STABBED. By who was I assaulted? A 7 year old (Koreans are born already being 1, not like the rest of the world who start at 0) student Louie. I’m sure your all assuming as you read this different scenarios to justify this child for impaling me. So, at this time, I will lay out the context for this act and describe verbatim what occurred at 1:50pm on Monday October the 12th. Louie is an active kid but none would classify him as a delinquent. He avoids this connotation by cunningly being the smartest kid in the room. I’ve experienced first-hand what it is like to be an above average (graciously termed) student yet a complete ass in the classroom. It’s great. People focus on your upside constantly and either enable your bad behavior or crack from your constant annoyance (I again cite Mr. Wilson). Because of the perceived “upside,” which may never pan out (ahem), teachers are reluctant to turn you away from education by punishing you. This is Louie’s life, as I view it in the two weeks I’ve been teaching here (further explanation ahead). There’s your context. And now the setting.
It’s Monday, I’m in a great mood to start y second real week of teaching. Looking at my calendar I’ve been in South Korea for a month come Tuesday, eleven more to go. A quick tabulation and I’m about 8% complete! Talk about a positive jump on the day. I get to work 3 hours early because I enjoy everyone there, I like to get prepared well, and, of course, it has free internet access (So, guess where I’m writing this). My day gets better when I notice one of my favorite people, Ashely Bowen, is logged onto Skype (mj.gerhard CALL ME!). I call her without a second thought and we have a fantastic conversation for 40+ minutes, where I learn the Cowboys won in OT (day’s getting better), before it’s time for me to prepare for classes. Preparing only takes me an hour so my day’s getting better and better with every passing moment. I have so much free time that I head to Dunkin Donuts for my favorite, Honey Fritters! This was the best start of a week that I had since arriving in Seoul (you see where I’m going with this already, huh?).
Time for my first class is at 1:40pm, Math. I follow my general routine, asking all the students, six of them, how they are individually. As a reward system we draw happy faces on the board. My day’s so great I’m drawing elaborate dragons for the boys and princess faces for the girls. Nobody is really out of line and class is going smoothly. We start our work which consists of the kids counting up from certain numbers. All six students are working diligently and are excited to show me their work as they’re completing it. I’m doing the teacher thing of walking around and giving each student glowing praise i.e. “great hand writing, Ella!”, “you’re so smart, Andy!”, etc… I get around to Louis and I see he’s already finished the whole page before any of the others. “GREAT JOB LOUIE! Dang your smart! HIGH FIVE!”
Read that quote again and let it sink in. Think hard about how you would feel after being given that sort of affirmation. Did you accept the high five? If you did, then you are like everyone I have ever offered a high five to…until Louie at 1:50pm on October 12th, 2009.
Pay ATTENTION, because the next few moments are tattooed to my memory. Louie looks at my open palm held in front of him. Louie then looks at the pencil grasped in his hand. You could see the cogs turning in his head. And, like a snake he shot his closed fist, in a stabbing motion, right into my open palm. Then he shot his face up to mine, and grinned.
Who knows me best? What do you think “typical” MJ would do in reaction to such an act against his person? I was taken aback. I suddenly knew what Stalin felt like when Hitler broke their treaty in invaded the Soviet Union. How could such an offer, a high five, not only be refused but ABUSED?!
Well, I’ll tell you what I did: I erased all his damn smiley faces including the dragon damn it. Honestly, I had no words. Lack of words not, from my temper but from shock. How does one ever offer a high five again without fear of reprimand? I then threw my trump card on the table, one more outburst or act of misbehavior and Louie was going to the babies’ classroom- a fate worse than death. I couldn’t help but think, was I Neville Chamberlain offering Czechoslovakia to Adolf Hitler as appeasement for “Peace in our time”? It didn’t take long to find out. I tried to
continue class immediately without breaking the awesome rhythm we had going. But it was the blood coming from my palm that was causing distractions now. If you’re bleeding (and yes, gingers do bleed) then the students can’t look at anything else. I went to the teachers’ office to get a band aid which brought attention I didn’t want. The Korean teacher made Louie apologize which made me look/feel impotent. And after great delay and many distractions I tried to resume class. CUE LOUIE, time to disrupt. I asked him and everyone to put their pencil cases away, I never allow them out. Oh wait, Louie needs to get out a new pencil first, and why? Because the flipping lead broke off in my palm, in the precarious center where no manmade band aid can hope to stay. Louie gets his pencil out via chaos: he shakes his pencil bag back and forth violently until all it’s contents splash away, disturbing the brief tranquility I had momentarily established. Chaos breeds more chaos as a pencil hit Andy in the head bringing the total assaults in an hour to two.
Dare I say I relished in fulfilling my promise aforementioned? I will say slight vindication did strike me a I dragged Louie into the Baby Classroom, crying. I don’t mean to say I’m glad I mad him cry but that I was able to establish myself as a person who means what he says. I don’t want to be the teacher that wields empty threats, I strive for consistency: what I always say, I always mean. What ruins it is when enablers get involved and justify the individual’s actions as if they understand the inner psyche of a 7 year old (6 in the U.S.). Nothing sticks in my craw more than when people tell me that what I saw and experienced wasn’t that at all. “Oh, it must have been an accident.” “He’s so smart, and I don’t think he knew what he was doing” (real quote/former disagrees with the later= contradiction). But these people are like me in many ways: naïve, trying to see the best in people despite what is apparent. I’m glad I work with such warm-hearted individuals honestly. They will always try to do what’s best for everyone and in the kindest manner. I just hope we’re truly helping and not hurting students by such actions.
I look forward to Wednesday when I see Louie again. He’s a great kid with a sharp intellect. I could never hold a grudge on him for his actions, he is, after all, 7 years old (6 in the U.S.). If I did, then, in a way, I’d be holding a vendetta on myself because in many ways I was Louie and still am. God knows I'll never offer him a high five again!
It’s Monday, I’m in a great mood to start y second real week of teaching. Looking at my calendar I’ve been in South Korea for a month come Tuesday, eleven more to go. A quick tabulation and I’m about 8% complete! Talk about a positive jump on the day. I get to work 3 hours early because I enjoy everyone there, I like to get prepared well, and, of course, it has free internet access (So, guess where I’m writing this). My day gets better when I notice one of my favorite people, Ashely Bowen, is logged onto Skype (mj.gerhard CALL ME!). I call her without a second thought and we have a fantastic conversation for 40+ minutes, where I learn the Cowboys won in OT (day’s getting better), before it’s time for me to prepare for classes. Preparing only takes me an hour so my day’s getting better and better with every passing moment. I have so much free time that I head to Dunkin Donuts for my favorite, Honey Fritters! This was the best start of a week that I had since arriving in Seoul (you see where I’m going with this already, huh?).
Time for my first class is at 1:40pm, Math. I follow my general routine, asking all the students, six of them, how they are individually. As a reward system we draw happy faces on the board. My day’s so great I’m drawing elaborate dragons for the boys and princess faces for the girls. Nobody is really out of line and class is going smoothly. We start our work which consists of the kids counting up from certain numbers. All six students are working diligently and are excited to show me their work as they’re completing it. I’m doing the teacher thing of walking around and giving each student glowing praise i.e. “great hand writing, Ella!”, “you’re so smart, Andy!”, etc… I get around to Louis and I see he’s already finished the whole page before any of the others. “GREAT JOB LOUIE! Dang your smart! HIGH FIVE!”
Read that quote again and let it sink in. Think hard about how you would feel after being given that sort of affirmation. Did you accept the high five? If you did, then you are like everyone I have ever offered a high five to…until Louie at 1:50pm on October 12th, 2009.
Pay ATTENTION, because the next few moments are tattooed to my memory. Louie looks at my open palm held in front of him. Louie then looks at the pencil grasped in his hand. You could see the cogs turning in his head. And, like a snake he shot his closed fist, in a stabbing motion, right into my open palm. Then he shot his face up to mine, and grinned.
Who knows me best? What do you think “typical” MJ would do in reaction to such an act against his person? I was taken aback. I suddenly knew what Stalin felt like when Hitler broke their treaty in invaded the Soviet Union. How could such an offer, a high five, not only be refused but ABUSED?!
Well, I’ll tell you what I did: I erased all his damn smiley faces including the dragon damn it. Honestly, I had no words. Lack of words not, from my temper but from shock. How does one ever offer a high five again without fear of reprimand? I then threw my trump card on the table, one more outburst or act of misbehavior and Louie was going to the babies’ classroom- a fate worse than death. I couldn’t help but think, was I Neville Chamberlain offering Czechoslovakia to Adolf Hitler as appeasement for “Peace in our time”? It didn’t take long to find out. I tried to
continue class immediately without breaking the awesome rhythm we had going. But it was the blood coming from my palm that was causing distractions now. If you’re bleeding (and yes, gingers do bleed) then the students can’t look at anything else. I went to the teachers’ office to get a band aid which brought attention I didn’t want. The Korean teacher made Louie apologize which made me look/feel impotent. And after great delay and many distractions I tried to resume class. CUE LOUIE, time to disrupt. I asked him and everyone to put their pencil cases away, I never allow them out. Oh wait, Louie needs to get out a new pencil first, and why? Because the flipping lead broke off in my palm, in the precarious center where no manmade band aid can hope to stay. Louie gets his pencil out via chaos: he shakes his pencil bag back and forth violently until all it’s contents splash away, disturbing the brief tranquility I had momentarily established. Chaos breeds more chaos as a pencil hit Andy in the head bringing the total assaults in an hour to two.Dare I say I relished in fulfilling my promise aforementioned? I will say slight vindication did strike me a I dragged Louie into the Baby Classroom, crying. I don’t mean to say I’m glad I mad him cry but that I was able to establish myself as a person who means what he says. I don’t want to be the teacher that wields empty threats, I strive for consistency: what I always say, I always mean. What ruins it is when enablers get involved and justify the individual’s actions as if they understand the inner psyche of a 7 year old (6 in the U.S.). Nothing sticks in my craw more than when people tell me that what I saw and experienced wasn’t that at all. “Oh, it must have been an accident.” “He’s so smart, and I don’t think he knew what he was doing” (real quote/former disagrees with the later= contradiction). But these people are like me in many ways: naïve, trying to see the best in people despite what is apparent. I’m glad I work with such warm-hearted individuals honestly. They will always try to do what’s best for everyone and in the kindest manner. I just hope we’re truly helping and not hurting students by such actions.
I look forward to Wednesday when I see Louie again. He’s a great kid with a sharp intellect. I could never hold a grudge on him for his actions, he is, after all, 7 years old (6 in the U.S.). If I did, then, in a way, I’d be holding a vendetta on myself because in many ways I was Louie and still am. God knows I'll never offer him a high five again!
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