As of late, Blake and I have been learning Korean a little more seriously by taking Korean lessons. It has been a great experience so far and our teacher is so kind a patient and is a great model for our own teaching. I think it is important for a teacher to often place themselves in the position of learner so they can identify with their students’ struggles and frustrations at times. One of the things we are continually encouraged to do as language learners is to practice it out even if it means looking a little silly at times. I do look silly a lot, but I also love the challenge! I have also gained a great deal of respect recently for older Korean people who place themselves in the ‘silly’ position and try out a few English words they know. Respect is so important in Korean society so it takes an extra dose of humility for these older people to be vulnerable.
Blake shared a cute little story with me last night about an older Korean gentleman at his school and I liked it so much I thought I’d make it blog material.
At Blake’s school there is a janitor who always goes about his work ignoring the ‘English’ boys at the school. They’d give each other the odd nod and the occasional “안녕하세요” (hello), but not much beyond that. Anyways, Blake has been at this school for 9 months now and I guess this janitor has decided to learn a bit of English and try it out on Blake. He grabbed Blake’s arm a few days ago and said ‘strong!’ I guess Blake praised him enough that he studied up on a few more random words. Yesterday as Blake was leaving school for the day, the janitor stood at the door waving and said, ‘Good Morning!’ Blake saved the giggle for later, waved and said, ‘Goodnight!”
So not quite the right word, but he got the point across!
