The schooling system here is pretty similar to that at home in some ways, but in others, there are drastic differences. Most of my classes have 30-36 kids in them and there are 6 classes per grade, 42 classes in total in the school. Kids can't be failed or expelled, and don't you even think about calling the student's parents! But these are made up with other
disciplining tricks, like excercises, making kids kneel or getting them to hold things above their heads for long periods of time.
Now, my school is a really good one (Ask Steph about hers...). The kids listen when they are in trouble and do what they are told... even though they may not listen all the time in class. Simple tricks usually work. Then again, maybe its because I'm 6'7".
In my grade 4 class this week (one of 6 that I teach on my own with kids who barely speak the language) one kid began the class punching the nerdy kid in front of him, in the back... smiling the whole time he was doing it. I told him to "stop" in Korean. He did for a minute and started again. At that point I told him that he had one more chance or I would put him in the baby chair (chair at the front of the class). Again, he stopped and started again.
I stared at him in disbelief for a second before I told him to stand up and bring his chair to the front. And that was when the little "thing" inside him, snapped. You could see, as he stood up, that his little face had gone completely red and that his eyes had turned to little fireballs, focused on burning through the nerdly kid in front of him. I had a hard time believing that the nerdly kid made him do it.
Despite my demands to bring his chair to the front, the "Raging kid" continued to stand at his desk and burn a hole through the nerdly kid's head with his enraged eyes. I walked over to him and picked up his chair and motioned for him to head to the front of the class. This was his breaking point. Raging kid, who is 9 years old remember, slides to the side of Nerdly, and gives him a vicious sucker punch to the face. He follows with 5 more rapid punches to the face and neck that reminded me of an Extreme Fighting match where one of the combatants has been knocked unconscious and the other has jumped on top and begins to pummel him. Not something you expect in Grade 4... just vicious.
In a reactionary move, with his chair already in my right hand, I grab "Ragin" buy the collar of his coat (there is no heat in the schools yet, so kids wear coats and blankets in class), and lift him off the ground, effectively disabling him. Kid in one hand, chair in the other, I swiftly move towards the door to deposit Ragin and chair outside my class. Adrenalin coursing in route, I accidentally conk the chair off Ragin's head. He, in turn, cools down a little. I sit him in the chair, outside the class, where he begins to cry. Nerdly has his head in his arms and is doing the same, but appears to be fine, inspite of a sound pummelling.
I scold "Ragin" for my own good, as he can't understand, and continue onto the rest of the class, with charades explaining "We don't fight in MY class" and "That is a bad student!" and "Teacher angry". The kids are less shocked by the event than I, but more interested in what MY reaction is.
The teacher waltzes by 10 minutes later on in the class, and I charade/reinact to her what happened. She is mildly upset, and yells a little at Ragin, before she heads back to her "Free time".
I just shake my head, realizing once again, that things are a little different here.
When you are far from home, I find you become a lot more festive during those special times of the year. It just reminds you of home and all the good times you miss. This is why Steph and I have already bought 3 strings of lights and a Christmas tree. Yep, our apartment is "strung out" with strobing lights everywhere. It's awesome!
Christmas here is not as consumer-oriented as it is back home, so the trees and ornaments are scarce and are probably only in stock because the foreigner population in Mokpo can finally support it. We are planning to go all out this year, and we both already have presents under the tree! One from my parents and one for Steph from Santa Clause!
