So, Imma be famous

So, today after a rough and tired first class, my second class walked in like zombies.  I was in no place to excite them, as I had to leave my emotional journey through Children of Eden at the door when I walked into school.

Almost all of them were late. I walked out into the hall, to hurry them up.  And, I saw another foreigner.  This is very weird.  I am the only native English teacher in a 3 mile radius. I was startled, nonetheless.  I thought it was the previous Native English Teacher, coming back from Thailand to collect the things he left in the classroom and his/my apartment.  I got a little antsy, but it was time for class to start.

They were SO. TIRED. But, I did my best.  I asked them, "How're you?  Howzit goin?"  To which they responded in their clinical way, "I'm fine.  Thank you, and you?"  I have tried for the past month for them to say ANYTHING but that.  "I'm alright." "My head hurts." "I want to punch my brother in the jugular." etc.  But, they have stuck to "I'm fine thank you."

We started our dialogue lesson, and they were having none of it.  So, I had them stand, stretch, chat amongst themselves.  Then, back to work.    After dialogue, we played a really big matching game I made for them to review the past two lessons of terms.  Right after we started, a man came into our room and said, "We're here!"

James and I both looked at each other. This is what I thought: Exsqueeze me?  Here for what? This is what I said, "Excellent! Uh, who are you?"  While James talked to this man in Korean, I looked outside of the door, and there was this Foreign guy in a fanny pack a woven blanket jacket.  He said, "Hi, my name is Chad." Of course it is.  Are your best friends named Brad, and Thad? "Oh, hi, Kathryn. What is going on?"


"Oh, we're here to do a radio show," Chad responded.
"Really, well alright."


So, Chad in all of his exuberance entered the classroom to huge applause and cheers.  When he asked if they knew who he was, ALL of my students responded, "No." He explained that he works for the English radio company and they were broadcasting my classroom for a segment.


The first thing Chad did was ask how my students were.  "I'm fine. Thank you, and you?"
Chad said that that was ridiculous, and that he needed to speak to the English teacher.  He came over to me, and he said, "How can you teach them that?"


I responded, "Hey, man, I just got here 6 weeks ago.  That was long implanted in them before I came.  I tell them to answer anything but that."


Then, Captain Chad did this whole bit of teaching them "Howzit goin?" "So far, so good."  Then he spent the rest of the class playing games and talking really fast, even for a native English speaker.  He also spoke pretty good Korean, so I am not worried about my students' understanding.


Captain Chad and his crew played association games, taught my students to rap, an asked them their dreams.  It was a really very interesting this to watch.  My students were trying to figure out if they liked this super loud and really energetic guy or if they were really uncomfortable.  Frankly, I think the jury is still out.


Anyway, the thing you need to take from this is Imma be famous and on International Radio. Kapow!