Hate & Hilarity

It's a really good thing that I am leaving my job soon otherwise I might start to take all this unexpressed hostility towards me personally. I don't even think anyone has even raised their voice to me actually. I find it all quite funny actually.

So Julie has hated me since move-in day when I didn't volunteer to give up a day of my vacation to help the school move maybe I should say when I wasn't taken advantage of by the school, since that's the way I see it. I don't remember if I've mentioned this. Probably. Her way of telling me things is to get the kinder students to tell me. Quite immature and I decided I would just do things the way I did them and Julie needs to tell me herself. Not that it matters with 3 days left which is what makes the whole thing ridiculous. I guess, I was writing the kids' name too big on the board. I'd leave it there if I had another class with them (Wednesday and Thursday only). The kids tell me this makes Julie teacher very angry because she wants to use the whole board. I need to write the kids names smaller which of course contradicts with something Amy said once (if you write their names, make them big). Anyways, so that's the way Julie expresses herself to me. She had to give me some kids' numbers once. I found it on a post-it on my desk. No verbal mention. Only the most urgent things are not written to me.

I told Amy on Monday that I wasn't going to make tests for next month. Monday was the only day this week that I have a decent break. Today I worked the whole day, every single class period. I don't think anyone has done this for a very long time at the school. Certainly, none of the current teachers. Not even when someone's out sick. Wednesday, I have one class off in the morning. Thursday one class right at the end. Friday when I usually get to sleep in I will have to go with my boss to immigration. I hadn't thought about how awkward the drive there and back will be until now. He's probably been the nicest to me since maybe the 2nd or 3rd day after I quit. He wasn't so nice the day I actually quit but what do you expect? Right, so I told Amy how I had no time to make them. Her solution was that I should use my Monday break to make these tests which would've probably taken 2 hours. 2 unpaid hours that would eat away my only time off that day. So I sat there for way too long thinking about how I would tell her I wasn't going to do them. I imagined all kinds of potential statements and arguments. I always do that. Anyways, I prepared way too much. I told her and her eyes just changed completely as if I had just told her something shocking. She was quite speechless actually. All she asked was if I would show the new teacher how to make them. I don't know whether she was trying to get me to feel sorry for the new teacher or if she was serious but I said that was okay and left before Amy could think of anything else to say. I doubt that they'd make Candace make them but I'm not going to let them take me advantage of me like that. I don't owe the school any favours. They should be thanking me that I actually gave 40 days notice and didn't run off in the middle of the night.

Amy's way of getting back at me was to print out the field trip schedule and put it on everyone's desk but mine. Also to misspell my name. Shwan. She's done it since I've been there though. I don't understand why she thinks Shawn and Shwan are interchangeable. I swear it's half the time. Yet, Renee's little accent always gets special treatment. It isn't my name so I never bothered to say anything. Shawn or Shwan isn't my name. She also started the post-it method of communication. Quite a hit with the angry K teacher crowd. I just realized that I don't like the name Shawn. I never realized it until reading something and having the students point it out. The sun shone brightly in the sun. 'Ah, Shawn teacher.' What kind of name is the past tense of a verb. I wouldn't mind being Shine, well I would, but Shawn/Shone implies that my shining time has come and gone. I really hope that isn't a metaphor for my life. Ah, yes, your scholastic years were your finest years, but those days are gone. You have already shone your brightest. In life, you will be a failure. I know I'm reading too much into this. Someone wrote something to me a few days ago. Someone I've kept in reasonable touch with over IM. Anyways, he not only misspelt my name but gave me an entirely different one. Taylor. I really wonder if this was a slip or if he actually thinks my name is Taylor. Probably offends me more as of the 50 or so people I come into contact weekly so few of them know my actual name.

More about how hated I am. I showed up to work about 20 minutes late today, 10 minutes before we left on the field trip. I hate the 30 minute rule but so far no one has ever said a thing. No one tells me when I do anything wrong. I can tell they disapprove but for some reason they never tell me what it is they disapprove of. No one said a single word to me the whole morning except for my students. None of the Korean teachers at least. Wait, Grace teacher who speaks no English may have said my non-name and pointed to where in the bus she wanted me to sit. That was the extent of it. I really says a lot that I was shocked when Julie teacher was going around with a trash bag and actually held it long enough for me to put stuff in it. She held it for my and the students who were seating around me. Enough about how much I am hated and how funny I find it all.

I went on a field trip to the Daegu Arboretum today. Basically we just walked around looking at plants. The kids sketched for about 30 minutes. We sat on the grass (well mats on the grass) and ate. I guess they played a little bit. A relay race and some singing. I swung them around for a bit which I knew was a bad idea since once you do one kid you have to do them all at least 50 times. So it was fun. Kate gave me a sad pouty face when she said I would be gone next week. That made me feel good but then she got all excited about the new teacher. Kate is such a popular girl. Twice on field trips she's run into people she knew. Hasn't happened to anyone else. She made 1000 won from the encounter. Karen and Justin will also be sad I think. Most of the kinders will miss me I think. The older students not so much. I was going to try to make an effort to be more concise but I guess I just can't be concise. So here are some pictures of the field trip.

This is Andrew and some pastels. He loves me. He tells me so. He has a bit (way) too much energy and is uncontrollable at times. I like him though.

This is Elly. She hasn't been there very long. I guess 2-3 months. She had to go to the hospital the other day for stitches because she hit her chin on the table somehow. I'm so grateful it wasn't in one of my classes. Julie never mentioned the incident.

Here's Karen. I've written about her before. She didn't want to let me take her picture today so I stuck the camera close to her downturned face and just snapped. Her hair isn't short, that's one of her pigtails. Hands down my favourite. She'll miss me for sure.

Here's Erica. I've written about her before, too. She doesn't trust me and hates being touched in any way. She didn't mind being spun today though. They either confuse 'just one more time' and 'again' but it's likely a trick. Kind of an artsy picture I think. She didn't want me to take her picture either.

This is Paul. He's quite unusual. Maybe I will give him his own post tomorrow. He listens much better than he used to. I think he just takes a lot time to adjust to people. Months. The other day he was so scared of Amy teacher that it took him almost a minute to tell her the classroom was hot(aka turn on the a/c for that room). I felt bad for him. I really like Paul now.

Here's Justin. He'll miss me too I think. We have fun at times but he is always pushing the boundaries. He doesn't mean to. He just thinks he do what he wants because "we're best friends." I like him though. I just wish he and Andrew weren't always playing together instead of listening. He's the big man on campus. Andrew's his number 2. Mostly good though. Extremely good with Julie teacher I think.

This is Kate with Justin in behind. Kate's the popular girl I mentioned earlier. She's probably pretty spoiled I imagine and needs everything of hers to be perfect in every way or she will get upset. Definitely a princess. I remember having one big fight with her and one teacher said she was afraid of me for awhile. I've got her though and we had fun on the bus today as she taught me Korean words.

Here's Amy. She's pretty cute. She's either really quiet or just wants to tell me all kinds of things. Her English is probably the worst though. She hasn't been with me very long. Maybe a month or two. Yesterday she got sick and I had to clean up her vomit with toilet paper. At least, I didn't miss out on that teaching milestone. Quite cute if a bit dazed most times. With me at least. My boss is in the background if you care to look. The bottom picture has all the students in it but no one's face really. Let's see the order: Kate, Elly, Amy, Erica, Karen, Catherine (who I somehow neglected to photograph today), Andrew, Paul, and Justin. Maybe on Garage Sale day I'll have some more pictures.