Student Classifications

After spending nearly an entire school year with my students, I've come to find that most fall into a specific category of mine when it comes to being a student of a school that hosts a foreign native English teacher.

1) There's the one that says hello and runs up to talk to me every chance they get and actually makes an effort to have a semi-meaningful (their English level is, after all, extremely low) conversation with me every time. This includes asking for my cell phone number (it's totally appropriate here) and texting/calling me every so often because they adore me. I'm okay with this because it's always in English, and what good is it if I ignore them when they willingly want to practice?

2) There's the one that says hello and shamefully giggles and runs away (usually friends of #1).

3) There's the one that says "Miss Kue!" or "Teacher!" and follows me around forever but can't speak a word of English.

4) There's the one that's too cool to be associated with me but will just wave and say hello (if even) but never take it any further than that.

5) There's the one that avoids complete eye contact and will never say hello to me.

6) There's the one that likes to call my beer belly my baby or else poke at it relentlessly.

7) There's the one that loves to come and speak to me...in Korean and ONLY in Korean, regardless of how obvious (and known) it is that I have no idea what they are saying.

8) There's the one that once caught me saying something in Korean to another teacher and thus is determind to get me to speak another word in Korean every single day. And will not stop trying until I put my hands up and quickly run away. (I never give in...ever)

9) There are the little ones that aren't in my classes but immediately say "hello!" or "hi!" and then just keep saying it to each other even when I leave the room because they think it's funny. And then they talk for another 2 minutes about saying hello to me.

10) Then of course, there's the pack of young'uns that have never had me as a teacher but because their friends told them I'm American, they see me, scream hello, and then proceed to follow me in a ginormous pack all the way down the hall. Like of 10+.

11) And then there are those completely oblivious to my foreign status. I mean...you can't tell from the way I look? I'm obviously not Korean looking at all.

Nevertheless, I love each and every one of them.