Day by Day

Due to my title, wouldn't it be fitting to use 하루하루 as my blog music today? Too fitting, so I'm not doing it. Plus I already used it I think. So instead, try some nice Bollywood. From the film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), please enjoy Haule Haule. You can watch and learn the dance too, because why not? 

Yesterday was a good day in class, and the biggest reason it was good made me feel kind of sheepish. I decided that I was going to try to focus on making one of my classes really go well, make it a really positive experience for the students and try really hard to keep them engaged the whole time. So I went in with a "go-get-'em" positive attitude and the class was fantastic. So the good vibes from that class fed into the next, and then the next and then the next, till the entire day was feeling like a success. Key factor? me. 

It's a little hard to realize that the days that go badly could just be my perception because of a less than great attitude, or because I wasn't determined enough to make it work. Not that there won't be bad days even when I do it all right, but I can foresee that there would probably be a lot less of them if I did a "teacher-readiness check" before class. If I'm not engaged, my students won't be either. Learning day by day, right?

As for fun community stuff, yesterday we had our Thanksgiving meal! Talk about a spread. Chicken and vegetables, stuffing, mashed potatoes, baked corn, japchae, cheon, copious amounts of breads, cakes and pies, salads...hokey dinah. I  was properly Thanksgiving full at the end. I may or may not have purposely wore a dress instead of pants to make room for food baby. There were around 40 people as guests including all of us Connexus and KOPI/NARPI staff. Past Connexus teachers, friends from church, family (real and host) and people we just met too. We had Pastor Kate from the Duke Center for Reconciliation, Anna's friend that she met at the subway station and a guy from Austria that Karen met, as well some of Anna and Sarah's teachers from Korean class. One of those times to meet new people and enjoy the old connections too. This is a good place, in the words of Anna Ruth. These are good people.

And if you get tired of it, you can always go into the teacher's office and play Candy Crush and drink tea for introvert time. ㅋㅋㅋ.

Community News

* Moving day for Heather, Michael, Yongjin, Yoonseo, and Sunghyun is October 29 or 30. Only a week before we're all together again! 

* We're doing a Thanksgiving party this year at Connexus instead of Halloween, which I am so pumped for. Gonna decorate the heck out of my classroom! Leaves and pumpkins and all kinds of Fall-y stuff.

Recently watched

* Season 1 finale of Downton. O'Brian is yet again a huge turd and War is upon us.

* Gravity. Saw in the 4-D theater yesterday, so it was probably doubly as intense as it would be usually. Besides being a nail-biter, it was a very rich film too. The film is about an accident in space, as far as plot goes, but that wasn't what it was really about. It had a lot of great symbolism and is one I would definitely like to see again sometime. Getting that paper writing itch....

Quotes from Community

"I beat level 64. Thank Jesus." --Heather

"That movie is a little bit sticky and steamy though." --Yoonseo's thoughts on Ghost (1990)

"Only hold?" --Lomestar Runner the techie toddler

"Help us to eat well and poop well."---Yoonseo's Thanksgiving prayer

"I can't dance very well because of this tuna." --Anna

"Some people have some really nice moles."--Heather

Quotes from the Classroom

"Sarah fase is very terrible. This is lie."--One of Sarah's student's homework sentences.

"Is the Beast very angry, ugly father?" --Heather's student's reinterpretation of Beauty's opinion of her father's appearance. 


Thanks for reading!