…until my contract here is finished…

34 minutes until class 1-1 starts again.

I never got the list of Korean students parent phone numbers as promised.
I never got an answer from the home room teacher whether he would assign my essay.
I sent a request to be translated through Y, but since I am blissfully free of her domination, I have also lost her translation services. So that’s just great. I’m even MORE powerless and LESS credible with that class than I was before.

Today’s class 1-6 went well. The new female teacher observed so she knew what to expect. Not only did she observe. but she jumped in to assist during conversation time. I had some nice conversations with the boys about the topic of the day, which was technology…

Class 1-7 was an entirely different story. Mr. Lee just stood back and watched, as always. I had to pause the class about twelve times until I was given respect. He’s just standing right next to boys that are wrestling in front of him and here I am thirty feet away and I have to stop everything and go break it up. Later, boys are singing and talking again right in front of him and he’s just standing there. This time I put him on the spot and said, “Mr. Lee. Could you please help me out here?” I think I sounded pretty disgusted, but who the hell knows. I thought I sounded irritated when I told Y things like, “are you my mother or my friend?” So I’ve no faith in how I am read any more. Maybe it just doesn’t matter to anyone what any individual thinks in this group culture.

So yeah, I’m counting the days. I can’t afford to leave Korea for several years. But I can leave this damned school as soon as my contract ends. I really enjoy teaching small groups, so maybe that will change my outlook. For now, I’ll just tread water. But March 1st is an awfully long ways away.