I had just moved from teaching secondary school to teaching fifth and sixth graders in elementary school. Things were different like students actually followed classroom procedures and learning targets. It was unusual for a student to fall asleep in class and if I ever called a student by name they would answer.
This was a big leap from teaching middle school where I spent half the time joking with students and the other half of the time playing games. Elementary school students were used to studying with the textbook and following what the teacher asked them to do. This was all new to me.
Most of the students would respond to simple attention getters and call and response TPR techniques if there was any difficulty in keeping attention. I taught 13 classes in sixth grade and 12 classes in fifth grade back then. Since then the population of children in Korea has decreased a lot.
I noticed one day that a fifth grade student was not like the others. Usually boys in fifth grade are still responsive to a teacher's direction but he would keep his head covered with his hooded sweatshirt. He would keep his head down and sometimes I could see a little drool on his desk.
I didn't know what was wrong with this kid. The other teacher told me to ignore him. I couldn't. Every once and a while I would stop by and just smile or say hello. When school ended I would hang around for a little bit just saying "goodbye" to students. I saw him go home also and he looked up and said, "See you tomorrow." I was surprised I got any answer from this kid.
The next week he started to follow class a little bit. I had a Korean coteacher who lead the class at the time and really didn't get the idea of coteaching. Mostly she thought the native speaker was some kind of tape recording device she could turn on and off. She was a new teacher and basically taught her class the same way she was taught in elementary school as if the students were also like tape recorders she could turn off and on. She called on the kid with the hooded sweatshirt and instead just ignoring her he actually stood up and answered her question. I smiled and let him know it.
That summer he joined the English Summer Camp at school. We did things like make our name in clay. Make comics. Listen to music and make lyric videos. We did a nature scavenger hunt around the school grounds to see if we could spot letters of the alphabet in natural settings. At that time we also did emoticon BINGO where students acted out the emoticons they chose. He had fun participating in the games and activities.
I saw him again the next semester and in sixth grade. He started to smile and participate in class. I was glad and went on with what I had to do. At the end of sixth grade on his graduation day he came with his dad to visit me and wrote me a card. He said, "Thank you for teaching me." I was a little surprised he found my office and brought his dad too. He told his dad that this was his English teacher. His dad smiled and said, "Nice to meet you."
A year later on teacher's day this kid came to visit and he brought me another card that basically said, "Thank you for teaching me." A year later he did the same thing. I then invited him to sit down and talk. I bought him a drink that he liked and I listened to his story.
He told me that in the beginning of fifth grade his mom suddenly past away. She was healthy and doing fine and he and his brother didn't even think about. One day after he came home from school the news came. At that time he said it felt like the end of the world. While he was telling me I thought of my own dad who lost his mother at the age of ten and how troubled he was. No one understood him. I asked the boy how his dad was doing. He said it's been three years and his dad took care of him and his little brother well. I was glad. But I was confused why no Korean teacher told me this boy's story. They must have all knew about it. Maybe they thought as a foreign teacher it wasn't necessary to know.
On the other side I never asked. Now he was in my office three years later telling me his whole story. I guess it was hard for him to talk about it when he was in fifth grade. I wondered why he was telling me all this now. Then he got to his point and said in Korean, "I am telling you this because you were there for me. Other teachers treated me like I had a problem or I was a problem, but you treated me like normal student. Your class and English camp helped me to learn things about myself. Thank you teacher."
I finally understood why this kid kept visiting me every year and he continued. Now he is a college student. He wasn't allowed to enter our school to visit because of Corona but I know he is well. I was glad I could be there for him at the time it was most important although I didn't know I was helping him.
This is the power of influence. The secret is that influence is invisible. We really don't see it and the moment we do see it working it loses part of its magic. Influence is like yeast mixed in with some flour and water to make dough. It is invisible but it works through all the dough. It is active and powerful but not visible until later and we look back and say, "Wow, that was powerful."
Influence can be positive or negative and it is always at work. We never know what kind of situation the person in front of us has just gone through. We don't know if they had just just lost a loved on or if they had just had the greatest day of their life. We just see their hooded sweatshirt and wonder... "Why doesn't he even look at me?"
All pictures here came from my cell phone camera. During the time of social distancing it is important to be a little more social and a little less distanced.
good story. Congrats to you, you are very deserved. Hope you have a happy week
Hi @kimloan,
Thank you for your kind words !LUV
Our influence is subtle and many of the great things or terrible things we did to influence others will never be known to us. It's better that way for false pride or vain shame may absorb our entire being if we do know the exact extent of our influence.
!PIZZA is always good.
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yes, I got it. and thank you @mineopoly. nice to know you 🙂
that classroom photo gives me ptsd from all the beatings.
but oh well.. i'm gonna give this post some ecency boost
All the physical punishments are gone but those desks have got to go as well. Next year we will get new desks^^ I have a lot of Ecency points too. I think it's time to use them.
oh yes. as far as i can tell today it's the other way around 😐
Students rights are strong... sometimes annoyingly strong.
shit nvm.. looks like i can only boost posts that are within 24hrs
I tried to boost the post too but it wasn't working. Now I see why.
i tried on someone else and the post was only up for 16hrs. still failed.. it's a little confusing..
I did it a year ago^^
If ecency already voted then it is disqualified
ok i'm less confused
Dang... no chicken... Just !PIZZA
Your understanding and emotions with kids is amazing and so great. I guess that's make you a natural teacher, passionate about what you do. So hard to found in maximum teachers these days, proud of you dude. Keep up the good influence and inspiration. 😊🙏 !PIZZA
Thanks again for reading @vikbuddy,
I love to work with kids and feel most comfortable in the classroom. It's not really by choice and I'm glad I cannot hear all their stories but once and a while one comes back and fills in the missing pieces. !LUV
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The good old school days, WOW! You reminded me of my childhood days, going to school was so much fun. Good luck to you, senior students are difficult to handle, I guess. Hope you have a great experience with them.
I'm glad you enjoyed school and hope your son does too. I had a lot of times as a child I didn't like school and thought it was a lot of wasted time. I try to think about students in the same situation. Sometimes they are there on a rainy morning and don't want to be there. That's when I throw away the lesson plan and ask them where they really would like to be...
Deep inside they have great expectations.
!PIZZA
Hot DAWG, that's a nice tale - get's my tail all waggy and warms my insides with nice shit.
I think desks probably have soft, melty hearts for little kids whose hearts have been broken.
Hi @flamistan...
The kids change and the desks stay the same year after year. There are so many stories I don't know. I am glad for the few that are revealed to me.
You rock @flamistan.
On another subject, I'm glad you are interested in vyb. Probably it would be good to check your wallet messages and see what is going on in there. Maybe add a word like "market" and you will get your order fulfilled.
Hey Mineopoly, teachers who leave impressions like you did with the boy are pretty rare IMO. My dad lost his mum too - when he was 5 or 6. He died at 44, having been emotionally closed to himself and his own unspeakable, inner pain all his life.
Tx for sharing!
My dad is doing pretty well then. It was tougher than I will ever know !LUV !BEER
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Check your Hive-Engine wallet for an important message regarding your POB for VYB request.
@flamistan, check your Hive-Engine wallet for an important message regarding your POB for VYB request.
👍 done thanks :)
What a lovely, touching story Mineopoly, you did a great job here. Sometimes it just takes that little bit extra effort to see that there's more to it underneath what meets the eye.
I am sure that he will always remember you and how you placed a little bit of extra time and care in him.
Have a lovely week and stay awesome.
Yes @andrastia,
There is a lot going on we are completely unaware of. Every time I leave the house or get in a car I have no idea what background situation people are in. I teach a lot of different classes and students so it is important to pay attention to how they respond.
!PIZZA
One of your many many great posts thank you I !LUV this story
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You are so kind @beeber. I feel like I know you from somewhere. !PIZZA !LUV I love your username... !LOL
lolztoken.com
Whether they like it or not.
@beeber, I sent you an $LOLZ on behalf of @mineopoly
Use the !LOL or !LOLZ command to share a joke and an $LOLZ. (2/4)
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Thank you ☺ let's try .... !LOL but think I already gave all out today 🤔
But !LUV should be there
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Par-mesean
@mineopoly, I sent you an $LOLZ on behalf of @beeber
Use the !LOL or !LOLZ command to share a joke and an $LOLZ. (1/1)
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Wow! I love this, you were actually being yourself. Had it been some other person or teacher as it concerns, he/she would have concluded the matter from the other teacher's opinion but being sincere made you an help meet to another.
Kudos man! Congratulations once more.
Thanks for the comment @rikardoh,
So many things like this happen unnoticed @rickardoh and the opposite effect could have happened. I really don't know the extent of my influence and it is better I didn't know every detail but when I do know it is important to take note and learn.
!LUV
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It's a pleasure, thanks for the token anyways🙏.
A truly inspiring story @mineopoly. It is always a joy to read you. I love how you likened influence to yeast... in many ways, it is a starter and riser, it gives space and room to breathe and allows the object of our influence to grow in ways that they may not have felt possible at the time. I hope you retain your connection with this man-boy-child. I feel that both of you have gained something very special from the experience and the relationship
It was really funny the first couple years after graduation because he really couldn't speak much English. He would just sit in the back of the teachers office and wait at the table until I finished my work. I would see him smiling. He didn't tell me that the reason he visited me was because I was there for him when his mother passed away. It took him a couple years. I think he practiced the expression a couple times before he came.
As for the analogy of influence to yeast in bread that is an ancient analogy I can take no credit for. But it would taste nice in !PIZZA
💗🙏
Reading your touching story melted my heart! @mineopoly
The impact of having an incredible teacher such as yourself who truly cares about and "reads" his/her students is immeasurable. You definitely are in the right profession and make a difference in so many children's lives.
I cannot help but think about the children who went through (or are going through) similar personal losses during the pandemic while being stuck at home without anyone to help them deal with their struggles.
Amen
Thank you for your prayer !LUV Your comment brings an important point.
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That's wonderful! All it takes is getting a nice gesture from someone to really change someone's life. You didn't know what was going on and many times people don't know what's happening but one thing that's important is to try and put your best foot forward and I think you did that very well with this young man! Thank you for doing that and sharing the lovely story!
So far I have only seen beautiful influence from you @nineclaws
!WINE
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