Teacher Life: Broken Trust & Fresh Starts

January 21, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

On Monday, I returned to work after a two-week vacation. I love returning to places after vacation. Everything feels so fresh. The time away gives you space to miss people, to miss the routine. Despite one student’s “No hello, Teacher” greeting on Monday, I couldn’t help feeling all warm inside as I welcomed the kids back. There was one student, however, I was slightly apprehensive about seeing…

Teacher Life: Are You Flirting With Me?

December 22, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

Recently, a student came up to me before class. It was Daniel, the student I made cry last month by encouraging him to externally process his feelings. “Do you need something?” I asked with a frown, distracted as I usually am during break time…

Teacher Life: Articulating Emotions

November 17, 2015.Reading time 10 minutes.

Yesterday I sent a kid out of the classroom with whom I have a love-hate relationship. He can be quite explosive, disruptive, and even violent at times, but I also have this genuine affection for him. And I think he likes me, too.

Teacher Life: Working Through Conflict

November 10, 2015.Reading time 6 minutes.

Last week, I saw an ugly side of one of my young students. English name of Brian. He is normally very cute and engaged during class (and I may even subconsciously favor him sometimes..). He just has the kind of attractive personality that makes you want to call on him all the time.

Teacher Life: Unexplainable Feelings

March 27, 2015.Reading time 2 minutes.

Yesterday my boss came in to talk to me about one of my students. Apparently this student had gone home and told his mother that I treated him unfairly, only punishing him and no one else. While that was not true, I knew exactly which student my boss was talking about even before she mentioned his […]

Teacher Life: Breakthrough

March 10, 2015.Reading time 1 minute.

One of my most aggressive and disruptive students had a really good day yesterday. Later that night, as I was reflecting back on the day, I realized that I couldn’t even remember all the frustrating and annoying stunts his classmates had pulled, all the blank looks and random noises and disrespectful comments. The one moment of him […]

Teacher Life: Giving Rewards

July 1, 2014.Reading time 7 minutes.

I could not stop smiling yesterday during my crazy class, the one packed with noisy third grade boys who like to fight with each other and test the limits of my patience. I was outright grinning from ear to ear. Because those kids were behaving SO WELL!

Today I Cried During a Puppet Show for Kindergarteners

March 28, 2013.Reading time 6 minutes.

I went on my first field trip with my kindergarteners today. I thought it would just involve keeping kids in line and then zoning out during the little show, but it turned out to be so much more than that. First of all, the Korean puppet show I expected to sleep through turned out to […]