The Post-It Note of Doom

I didn't think I would be writing another post so soon but I had to share this story with whoever is reading my blog. I didn't have the best day to begin with but I won't get into that...but I could summarize my frustration as being told nothing but being expected to know everything.

Anyway, so I was done work and about to head home when my Korean co-teacher came upstairs and handed me a pink post-it note (with a phone number and name on it) and told me that the mom of one of my students wants me to call her in regards to why I made her son cry! AAAH! I knew that the Korean teachers have to deal with concerned parents on a regular basis but I had never heard of one of the foreign teachers to have to do it. I was sooo nervous but of course I made the call...and beforehand I was told that I couldn't say anything negative about the student because parents don't want to hear those things so early in the semester.

Fortunately, the mom spoke perfect English and was really sweet to me. She was just genuinely concerned about her son. I explained that he was getting distracted by playing with his pencil case so I took it away, and the reason he cried was likely because I almost forgot to give it back at the end of the class and he must have thought I would keep it. Then she went on to talk about how he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and was too stressed out to eat most of his lunch etc etc.

This experience taught me a few lessons. Korean parents must worry about their kids every second of every day...Korean English teachers have to deal with so much more than we do...and DON'T make your students cry because their parents may come after you!!!