Caveat: Bumpy Things and Unplanets

The new year approaches.  In the hagwon biz, that means extended hours with special extra offerings for students who will be on their winter vacations from public school.  Two weeks ago, I was asked if I would volunteer to teach a morning class three days a week to go along with the standard 2-11 grind.  I was actually planning to say yes… mostly because, as I've observed before, even when I'm not liking work, I tend toward workaholism as a way to escape the fact that when I'm not liking work, I'm not liking life.  Kinda circular, I realize.  But it sorta works for me, at least some of the time.

But then, literally within minutes of having to give my yes/no answer to the question of whether I would volunteer, LBridge pulled another one of its "look at us, we couldn't manage to find our own butts in broad daylight" type mismanagement stunts.  And so, in fit of pique, I said nope. 

On Friday, I learned that a student had turned down enrolling the extra class, having stated to the person making the call that, since I wasn't the one teaching it, she wasn't interested.  That was mildly flattering.  And it was one of those little snarky revenge moments:  "see, I showed them, ha!"  But in retrospect, I don't feel very proud.  Just kind of annoyed and sad with the whole process.  I was planning to say yes, after all. 

Anyway.  I spent the weekend with a fever and so I was pretty disengaged from the world.  Sorry I haven't updated for a while.

Another student, a 2nd grader, had to write something describing the differences between stars and planets.  Actually, she showed a great deal of intelligence, not to mention good English ability.  Of stars, she includes the observation "It doesn't have bumpy  things."  And in defining planets, she points out, telegraphically, "It becomes not a planet -> Pluto."  Diagrammed exactly like that, with an arrow.  And, perhaps without realizing it, she's using strong irony to point out the arbitrary nature of the classification of "planet."  Isn't semantics fun?

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