Assembly

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

One of the joys of working in a school where no one feels comfortable in your native tongue is creating stories for the events going on about you that no one bothers to explain. For example, this morning I looked around the Teachers Lounge and realized everyone had disappeared without saying a word to me. I looked out the window and saw the entire school, 800 students and 40+ teachers out on the dirt-yard we call a soccer field in military-style lines.

Someone began speaking through a bullhorn
with a Lou Garrick-style echo as the not-so-catchy Korean National Anthem played in the background.

I can only assume that the principal here is following through on what my high school calculus teacher claimed as the ultimate motivation tool; taking all the F students and shooting them in front of the rest of the school. D students will be instantly motivated, especially if we're grading on a curve; with all the F students dead they just fell below the "fit to live" line.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Well, you've always had quite the imagination, though I think it would drive me insane to never know what's going on. I happily pretend it is my job to know what everyone is doing at all times (and, in part, it is).

And I can't say I remember that specific Gulla talk. I do remember pygmies and volcanoes though. (Although I suppose there is a slight chance to took Calculus in college...)

You Are Here said...

Hahaha, I stumbled upon your site through a link to one of your photos on a stupid t-shirts in Korea website (OMG there are soooo many! - My co-teachers wear the strangest outfits!). Anyway, I just got done helping a newbie settle in today and one of my first pieces of advice to her was: Don't panic if you have NO idea what's going on. It will quickly become your default setting as rarely things are explained to you, even when you ask! :) Good site, funny stories. Sums up living here quite nicely!