The Unpopular Teacher

It has been hard to come to terms with it. Maybe my first clue was when I sashayed into a classroom full of 3-year-olds for the first time, smiled and said “Good morning!” A little girl looked up at me and screamed with what can only be described as pure horror. And that was just the beginning. Over the last three weeks it has been made clear to me that I am the most unpopular teacher.

When other teachers walk into the school in the morning, the children run up to them to hug them and greet them. When I come in, the kids by the door struggle to put on their school shoes faster to avoid any interaction whatsoever. Children seem to wander somewhat freely from room to room, with the exception of the English Room. The bravest kids will run to my window, scream “Hello!” and run away. This is a sign of daring behavior, a devil-may-care attitude that causes the rest of the class to giggle nervously every time the feat is performed.

There is an outgoing and somewhat oblivious 3-year-old that comes in on occasion and chats to herself in Korean while smearing her spit all over everything. “Yes, that’s a lion! Please don’t lick, hajima….jinja….okay, it’s yummy? Okay, yummy lion! L-l-lion!” I look forward to these visits.

I know I’m scary. I speak almost only English in class, and I’m strange looking. Compared to a bunch of beautiful Korean girls speaking to the kids in their native language, it’s no wonder there’s a stigma attached to my presence.

I didn’t care much, until I saw the TaeKwonDo teacher. He was in the gym with my favorite class, playing some kind of parachute game with the kids. Their faces were literally aglow with excitement and sheer happiness. Kids, why don’t you smile that way when you’re conjugating ‘to have’? Was my ‘who has the red marker’ game not equally great?

They’re talking and joking with him in the hallway. They’re fighting each other for his attention. Hey, there’s an adult down the hall who will listen to your jokes! And if you ask me if I’ll eat a dragon, I’ll say “yes!” That cracks you up, remember? Marina Teacher is cool, too!

As memories of popularity from my old job wear off, so does my enthusiasm for extracurricular interaction. I don’t bother the kids with simple questions or comments outside of class. If a kid screams at my door, I just offer a (condescending) smile and half-wave. I march into classrooms prepared to talk about ‘was’ and ‘is’, and I will take no nonsense. Including answering the favorite silly question of the five-year-olds, “Do you like hammer?” That’s. Not. Funny. We are here to learn the English. Now settle down and listen up. The unpopular teacher is talking.