My Korean Students

I think I have been teaching Korean students for too long. Too long that I am able to categorize what type of student he/she is the moment I meet him/her. Please allow me to tell you the different types.

The Serious – No smile. No jokes. No teacher interaction. He just wants to bury his nose in the library to study grammar. Period.

The Breezer and Adventurous– Rarely goes to class. He believes that one can learn better if he goes out at night and socialize with his new-found Filipino friends. And by new best friends, I mean San Miguel Pale Pilsen, San Mig Light, and Red Horse. Sige, isama mo na rin si Pareng Tanduay.

The Proud and Sensitive – He is way past his school age. In other words, ergolang na. He had a job, quit for English's sake, and braved school again. Naturally his ego gets hurt easily if you emphatically tell him to do his homework, or repeatedly correct how he pronounces their r's and l's. But sometimes, I can't help but admire these people. Their desire to learn despite the odds of age is just a wonder.

The Eager Beaver – Is never absent from class. Gets to your room 10 minutes before the time starts, and goes out of your room 10 minutes after. Maybe he thinks the teacher doesn’t need to rest, noh? He wants to study, if possible, 10 chapters of grammar a day, which is near to impossible, considering sometimes he can’t even make a complete sentence.

The Clueless – 'Do you understand?'     'Yes, Teacher.'

                               'Are you sure?'                ' Yes, Teacher.'
                               'Okay, can you tell me what is the summary of the story?'     
                               'YES, Teacher.'

                               ‘Nuff said.

The Novice- aka Below Sea Level. Pang-ubos ng dugo. He does not understand a single word you say. Not. One. Word. Well, maybe except 'What's your name?' So the teacher should be a good mime and should have a lot of practice in yoga, meditation, or what have you. Seems to drain all your energy after the 50-minute session. Ngarag ka na, teh! Though those with very positive dispositions, can be quite endearing.

Kids – Every June to August (summer) and December to February (winter), elementary to high school students flock to our school to study English, instead of playing or resting or ‘wasting’ their vacations away. Ganun sila mag-maximize ng taym. (Di katulad ng mga anak ko, pag bakasyon, ang iniisip ay ang matulog o mag-internet buong araw!). These are also the months when teachers suddenly have migraine attacks, including me. I wonder why?

Whatever type they may belong, however, it all boils down to attitude and determination. Some students enter school with almost zero basic knowledge, but they improve very fast because they are resolved to maximize their time and money here. On the other hand, some enter school with acceptable speaking skills, but they never improved, (worse, some deteriorated), because they are not interested to learn more. Anyway, as they come and go, some have learned more than what they have expected, and are satisfied. While others go home not happy with what they have learned, at times even more confused.

That’s why I still enjoy teaching Koreans after four years. Like a big box of chocolates, you'll never know what you’d get.