After the beautiful long weekend, it's back to the salt mines for Booper. Actually, he returned to kindergarten enthusiastically, even after telling me in the car that he doesn't understand what his teacher is saying most of the time. The Caboose has moved to a higher class at preschool, so he is feeling pretty proud of himself, too. Can't wait to hear all about his day.
On Friday, I spent about 90 minutes in Booper's KIP classroom for that August Birthdays party. During those 90 minutes, I think I heard his teacher use 10 English words. Total. She speaks to the class almost exclusively in Korean. All the literature about Immersion told us she would do this, but it's a bit shocking to see it in action. I felt like a fish out of water, so I can only imagine how the kids feel. When I arrived, the children were sitting in their seats, utterly silent, eating cupcakes. (I was a few minutes late because the Caboose fell asleep in the car on the way there.) Ms. Lee, his teacher, was walking around the classroom saying, "Does this taste good?" in Korean. Don't be impressed. I know three Korean phrases: Thank you, Have a nice day, and This tastes good, so she happened to throw one into my wheelhouse. I also know the words for mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, older sister, older brother, aunt (both sides of family), uncle (mother's side only) baby, rice, butt, penis, and fart. Thanks to a commenter, I now know the word for friend. That's it.
In any event, she speaks to them in Korean even when they address her in English, which is pretty much always. Somehow, they get the message, though she often has to repeat herself. She had them clean up after themselves, choose an activity, line up for dismissal, and learn the word for House, all in Korean.
Meanwhile, I sat at a little side table with three of the other moms, preparing homework sheets, while the Caboose took a long nap in my arms. Of those three moms, two were 100% Korean and spoke pretty much only Korean and to each other. The third was born in Korea, but moved to the U.S. at age 3 and hardly speaks Korean at all. She tried to talk with the other moms, but was frustrated at her own inability to find the words. I chatted with her quite a bit, and we hit it off nicely. What we both realized is that this little class of 20 kids is going to be together from now until they complete 5th grade. Sure, there will be minor changes. But this "little family," as she put it, is our reality for the next 6 years.
4 comments:
A nice social survival skill taught in the classroom -- when trapped in a situation so boring you wish to hear fingernails dragged on a chalkboard to just make it all stop, a food comment can stave away the pain.
...not that their situation was like that at all. I'm just reflecting on my own CYA moments of social graces, especially with newly met people.
I recently read a comment that a former student of the Lycee Ecole made: that while French wasn't necessarily the most useful she could have learned, the immersion method taught her so much more than just 'learning a language.' She went on to learn Japanese, German, Italian (and maybe another language?) after college, spending time in each country, absorbing the cultures... She knew how to immerse herself and was comfortable with it.
I get teary just thinking about Booper and The Caboose's futures. The Korean, in itself, is just so amazing, but everything that is coming along with it... awesome. I'm a proud aunt.
(How Korean am I that I am getting teary about my nephews' educations??)
HM: v. Korean. damn, get a hold of yourself.
meanwhile, I'm sniffling from pure jealousy that there's an immersion school in your hood and you got in. Okay, some of it is pure happiness for you... but some jealous is there.
hah, maybe I should try her method and speak ONLY Korean to LN. That's get her attention. :-)
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