Things Students Say Year 3

Well that's it: the end of year one of official teaching. I can say I've survived a year in the classroom.

*Self high five*

You hear very different things from the Middle School than senior school, and I wasn't always as good at recording them down. But here are some of my highlights:

~*~*~

August 18 (Eavesdropping on Grade 6 students on the way to the library)
Student A - Now that we're in middle school we can read the older books!
Student B - I know! I used to sneak them when Ms. A wasn't looking last year.

Sept 4 (Grade 6 student about the Secret Garden)
"Yay! I am reading an old Englished old book!"

Sept 13 (Gr 6. While working on a formative cartoon on mythology on their own...)
Student A: "Student B says frog legs taste like chicken."
Student B: "This is true! Frog back legs."
(Me: why is this related to the task?).

Sept 13 (Gr 6. Chairs and desks move above our class).
Students: "Earthquake!"
And: "North Korea's attacking!"
One student: "If there was a war you'd already be dead."
How we seem to jump to conclusions...

Sept 14 (Gr 6)
Student: "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Me: "Secret. If I did what kind of boyfriend would I have?"
Student: "A handsome one."
Me: "Oh Ye--"
Student: "Like Justin Bieber."
*face palm*

Nov 20 (Gr 6, Written)
"Bandits usually look like... Big muscular body, grumpy faces, and a huge bag like Santa Claus's, to put things inside that they steal."

Feb 20th (Gr 6)
Student: "I don't like you very much when we have assessments."
Me: "Glad to know your affection is so deep."

Mar 12th (G6)
Student: "Ms. B, who else is coming on the trip next month?"
Me: "Humans."
Student: "No really? I thought we invited cows."

March 13th (G7)
Student looks at me intensely then: "I've seen your top before! At... Christmas."
Me: "Yep, I did wear this at Christmas. Great memory."

Mar (G6)
Student: "You have a good face Ms. B. It's like a stone."

All the time:
Multiple Students: "Ms........ B...riard."
Me: "I've taught you for how long and you still can't remember my name?"

Mar 14th (G7s)
Giant group of grade 7s comes into my classroom at the end of the day and pile up on the rug and bean bags in my room (10-15. I teach 2-3 and 3-4 are in my homeroom and the rest I don't teach at all).
Me: "What are you all doing in here?"
Students are silent for a beat.
Student A: "Uhhh... Ms. B we love you."
Student B: "You're so pretty."
More chorus responses.
Self-esteem boost check?

April 4th (G6)
Student: "Your neck looks like a giraffe."
Me: "Thanks...?"

April 6th (G6)
"Happy Birthday--you look tired."
Compliments at their finest.

April 25th (G6)
"We say that you're salty, but really you're sharp."
"Even if I think the grade is salty, when I read through the comments I think you're exactly right."

May 14th (G6)
"The other grade sixes think you're scary or pretty."
"One or the other? Not together?"
"Yeah."

(same student as above, a little later in the conversation)
"No one can read your emotions."

May 22nd (G6)
Student A: "Ms. B, what does the K in your name stand for?"
Me: "Secret."
Student A: "No seriously."
Student B: "Is it Kelly?"
Me: "Do I look like a Kelly?"
Student A: "No. Is it Kendall? or Kay? Like just the letter?"
Me: "Do I look like a Kendall? or Kay? I could dig it."
Students: "Nooooo."

May 28th (G6 news article)
As a teacher, you have to build up your reputation somehow...
"Ms. Briard is the saltiest teacher."

Korea According to 6th Graders

This week, I asked some of my students for "Facts" about South Korea. I wanted to know what they would say when asked to share about their country and who they were. Despite the fact that everyone wrote down their own idea before giving it to me, it was interesting that I had only two people write about the same fact, and then even then they each told me different details. Check out the list below:

• One cool thing/fact is Psy is Korean. 
• One thing that I like is feeling the nature in Jeju island.
• Jeju is declared a world heritage site.
• Jeju has beautiful flowers named "rape flowers." They are very beautiful when they are bright yellow.
• We have a job named "Hae-nyeo." They are women who work underwater.
• Korea's traditional clothes are "Hanbok." They are all sorts of different colors and patterns! On the bottom you wear a wide dress if you are female. On the top, you wear the Jeogori.
• On holidays we usually wear "Hanbok" (한복) and bow to old peoples (families/cousins).
• Hangeul (한글) is a scientific letter (system) invented by king Sejeong. He studied how humans speak so that it is easy to say. There are 10 vowels and 14 consonants.
• South Korea has a lot of mountains.
• Korea has lots of roads with shopping stores.
• There are 250 different types of kimchi.
• When a Korean's name is in red ink, this means that the person is about to die or already dead.
• One cool thing/fact is that Dok-do is a Korean Island, but Japan complains that it's their Island.

What would you say about your own country? 

(What would I say about Canada? =P)

What Students Say - Year 2

We'll I've made it to the end of year two with only a couple days left before the students leave for summer break. I'm a little older, maybe more than a little tired, and hopefully a lot wiser than I was before.

Like last year, I wasn't always as good at recording what my students said when they said it, but here are a few of the quotes that I managed to capture. I love that out of context some make no sense (although I'd argue that they didn't always make much sense in context ㅎㅎ). Others show a different perspective on things I've never questioned or thought about. And of course, some are just funny.

~*~*~

After asking me to figure out the meaning of a Korean text:
"Ms. Briard, you sound like google translate." Gr. 12, September

When the force of a students sneeze makes her bang her head into a table. Gr. 7, September

"[Do] you want to use my finger?" Gr. 12, October 7th

"I don't know whose phone that is but I touched it." Gr. 12, Oct 19th

"I don't like cucumbers."
"Why?" (me)
"They smell fishy." Gr 12, Nov 8th

"Can South Korea import jawbreakers?" Gr 12, Nov 18th

"Oh I like it."(Same student as above, about jawbreakers)
"It tastes like nothing." (2nd student)
"That's why I like it." Gr 12, Nov 18th

About finding a boyfriend:
"Try harder Ms. B. Or just kidnap one from Canada." Gr 12, Dec 16th

"I want to have some friends... someday. So that I can say hi, and talk, and show my chicken." Gr 12, Feb 26 (following she bursts into laughter)

Taking some students out for dinner, we round the corner and they see the ocean and palm trees:
In unison: "OOOOOOWAHHHHH!"
"THIS IS JEJU?!" Gr 10, Apr

When I knock on a student's door, instead of saying hello she ask, "Can mute people whistle?" Gr 12, Mar 5th

Me: "I'm Ms. B and you?"
Student: "I'm Fine, thank you." Then realizing I had not asked How are you? like she expected, she bursts into laughter. Gr 12, Date Un-recorded.

Student: "When I have English class in the morning, I take coffee." Grade 7, May 23rd
Me: "Really?"
Student: "But I still fall asleep."

"Ms. B these are my husbands." She looks at pictures of BTS and swoons. Grade 7, June 8th

Love and Hugs

A night out at with my Grade 10s at Hyeopjae Beach; April

What Students Say - Year 1

Well, I'm home now, but I have one last post to wrap up the school year.

Here are a few words that I managed to transcribe from some of my students.

I wish I had thought to write down more than what I have here, but sadly I did not always have something to write with and memory is quick to mush things together. Still, here are a few moments that I would like to remember because they were funny, touching, or just said with such innocence and vulnerability.

~*~*~

Students: "Ms Briard we can't go back to our rooms yet. We're having a fight."
Me: "What kind of fight?" 
Students: "... a competition for funniest photo." (Gr 11)

When a student asks, "Why are you so nice to me?" (Gr 11)

After staring at me for a moment, "I like your lipstick today."
Same student, staring at me a couple of months later: "I like your eye colour." (Gr 7)

"Ms. Briard, you should stay next year so that we can play badminton together."
A couple of months later, same student, "If I paint you a picture, will you stay next year?" (Gr 11)

"Ah!  This is unicorn family! Diversity." (Gr 11 to Gr 11)

"Oh my! I misplaced the mustache." (Gr 11)

"Ms. Briard, can I have your shirt?" (Gr 11)

"Every kind of pizza will be great." (Gr 11)

After asking a student if they want to train for an upcoming race in the morning.
"I don't need to train. I have [friend] to run with me." (Gr 11)

Friend pats a student on the stomach and student says, "Ahh! Why are you touching my fat?" (Gr 7)

"He won't be able to go up the stairs with you."
Response: "But we have a car." (Gr 12, I think)

"How do you inhale styrofoam?" (Gr 11 to Gr 11)

Love and Hugs.