oh, i'm just blogging so much today, aren't i?

thanks to swine flu, i have a lot more free time today than i normally do on tuesdays. my private lesson/make-up class students didn't come to school today, so i don't have class with them. instead, i just have my four normal classes. the first class on tuesday is the same group of kids that i teach second period on mondays. they drive me insane! there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to do with them, even according to their korean teacher. in bangkok, i taught 40 7-year-olds in a class and had very few problems. i could separate the kids who were causing problems because they only made up 10 percent of class. now, i have 5 little terrors and one amazing little girl. i'm doing everything i know to do but still feel like nothing is working. help, please!

as for the swine flu here in korea, it's incredibly widespread. some of my friends have already had their schools shut down. i may have a long weekend this weekend. we'll see what happens. as long as i'm still at school, i'm required to wear a mask while i'm teaching. if you have ever attended a class taught in a foreign language, you understand why it doesn't work out. it doesn't work out at all! while i was studying in siena and bologna, i used to constantly watch my teachers' lips. looking back on it, i may have freaked out the occassional art history professor...