Yesterday, before leaving work, my new main co-teacher, Ms Lee (no relation to my previous main co-teacher, Ms Lee) told me that we would have no class on Tuesday, because the kids were taking some kind of important test. This is common enough. So I was planning on coping with yet another day of “deskwarming” – so soon after getting back into the swing of things with regular classes.
When I got here this morning, she came over and told me that we had classes today after all. I had materials prepared, and so without comment I helped her get ready for class. She asked me, “How did you know the schedule was changed again? It seems like you already knew. I only found out last night by text message at home.”
I explained that I knew that the schedule would change again. She said, “How could you know?”
I answered, “This is Korea, so I just figured.”
She found this embarrassingly funny.
I think classes went fine, this morning. I love the new group of first-graders – who I knew in kindergarten last year. And the new second-graders are my old, beloved, hyper-rambunctious first-graders.
Meanwhile, the school’s administrative office is playing a lot of kafkaesque “imcompetent control and oblique obfuscation” games. I’m trying to ignore that. The kids are awesome.