Teaching in Daegu: An Example Of The Work I Must Grade...

Don't worry, this is not some rambling essay, just a quick word for word transcript of a presentation by two 14 year old girls in my class yesterday. Let me set the scene. I have 8 students, all with no more interest in being in class than me.

During the time I gave them to prepare for a test, two of the girls spent the first ten minutes drawing elephants until I confiscated their pads of paper, but in fairness they were very good elephants and I did congratulate them on their excellent artwork.

Now to the presentation. The task was clearly set out. In groups of two they devise an interview; the reporter has travelled back in time to any period of history they like to interview someone about their life. I start brainstorming ideas with them, but it seems that the weather inside their brains is rather tranquil with at best a cool, refreshing breeze. So I storm it alone.

I give examples of questions they can ask, what do you eat, what is life like, is it dangerous? I give periods of history they could go to, from the Second World War to thousands of years back when nobody had electricity and people fought wars with swords.

Three of the groups got it. The elephant artists produced a fairly surreal interview, that didn't quite cover the ideas discussed. My first doubts about this historical glimpse into past human lives were raised when they asked me how many years ago dinosaurs lived.

I said "About 200 million years, but you are interviewing a person remember, people did not live with dinosaurs". They nodded and said "Yes teacher" about fifteen times and I left them to it. Mistake.

Now due to pronunciation, I sometimes miss little details, so the kids hand in the transcripts of their work so I can take into account additional details that I maybe missed whilst watching them present. So here is the full transcript (spellings left as they were) of a news reporters interview with a person from a different period of history...

Reporter: "Hello! I'm in the two hundred million years ago earth."

Interviewee: "I'm King's daughter dinosore. I'm name is clecle."

Reporter: "Oh! Your name is very pretty."

Interviewee: "Oh thank. I love you!"

Reporter: "Ok. Let's question. How did you bone?" (I think they meant born. Or at least I hope they did)

Interviewee: "God makes me pretty. I thank you for God."

Reporter: "And what do you eat" (Ah good, so my teaching wasn't a total waste, they threw in one of the examples from the board, genius.)

Interviewee: "I don't eat person. Don't worry."

Reporter: "Oh that's good. Are you have a boyfriend?"

Interviewee: "Emmm, I have two boyfriend."

Reporter: "Oh, you're bad girl."

Interviewee: "Do you want to die?

Reporter: "Thank you very much!"

So Clecle the Slut Dinosaur gave me a fascinating insight into human experiences in the past and there was even a drawing of a dinosaur breathing fire. Although this dinosaur/dragon picture was frankly not as good as the one of a cartoon elephant, that took so much of their time that they failed their test.

I gave them a B+.

The same two girls told me indepth about some Korean ghosts I should be wary of and were responsible for the previous argument about mice living on the moon. Don't worry about my safety though, their ghost survival guide has me fully prepared for any supernatural attacks and you too can learn of the perils of living amongst demonic Korean spirits in my next blog.