More Memories

Continuing with some funny and cool students from the past year:

1. The Sacramento Queen, Seo Ji-min, 3rd year, Hanyang University

"The Sacramento Queen," the infamous joke that Shaquille O'Neal once called the rival Sacramento Kings during the Lakers-Kings California Shootout years (2000-2004), I apply to my girl Ji-min, one of the only few girls I have taught who is actually talented in sports. We spent time out there on the court with her two friends, Ji-won and Ji-sun (aka, the "Ji Unit"), and we went over basic drills such as dribbling, shooting, and the basic pick and roll. She has it all: smarts and a kind heart, and an affinity for sports. She's a rare student because in Korean culture, only certain femalions are chosen for sports and cultivated. Most girls are just geared towards study and becoming a future Korean lady. Don't get me wrong, many Korean women keep in good health in terms of fitness: jogging, walking, badminton, health clubs, and martial arts. Yet it was rare for me to encounter a student who was good at ball sports at a girls' high school. I taught her the basics of defense and running off the ball...and later she ended up beating me at my own game. Miss ya girl, go study hard, and keep balling with the best of them boys!

2. Yang Ah-young, 3rd grader, Inha University

Absolutely one of the most grand girls I ever met in my teaching career. By the way, you like my Kobe Bryant smile? Ah-young never, EVER complained in front of me and always had the brightest attitude one teacher could wish for. A hard worker, she is now entering one of the top universities in Incheon, South Korea. She was always smiling, always greeting me "hi teacher!" and never complained about her life. Even though she disclosed to me some tough things about her life that would really hurt her personally, she always kept positive. Maybe its the faith inside her that gave her joy.


3. Terry, Lee Yun-ju, 3rd grader.

Terry is a soft-spoken girl with a good heart. Fiercely loyal to me and my class, she attended my extra classes since junior and senior year. As a junior, she could not have my regular classes, so she signed up for the one they offered me. She was always polite. Many of my girls are very loud and always screaming at me "HIII!" in the hallways, or not saying anything at all because of the shyness disease that they catch and spread to other students...Terry was right in the middle. She wasn't too shy, but at the same time she was brave enough to come and visit my office and try her English. She was humble enough to be taught. Sometimes I had problems with the students who had a high level of English because they thought they were "too cool" for my class and they thought they knew enough. So I always enjoyed having students like Terry who know their limitations and at the same time were confident with what they did know and used it.

4. Kim Da-hee, 1st grade, Class 1-9.

This girl NEVER talked. She was ALWAYS scared of me and my class. Every time I would approach her and her friends during activity time she would cower in fear, literally. She would hide behind her hands. Perhaps I was the scary foreigner she heard about on TV...or perhaps I was ugly? OH NO! I remember one time saying hi to her in the hallway she recoiled in trepidation! Ha ha, despite her shyness, I always try to help and encourage her to try English. Sometimes, even during class time, she got a boost to raise her hand and give the answer, much to my pleasure. Yet other than that, she was extremely shy and never talked. Then came her sister's graduation (whom I also taught briefly in 2008). I was just walking around, glad-handling the kids who I taught, and then all of a sudden, up pops Da-hee! In Korean: "I want to take a picture with you." I was surprised, because no where near once she made the initiative to talk to me and or greet me. Yet at the same time, perhaps finally she knew this was her last chance to talk to me since I'm moving on. A very low "thank you" in Korean, and I proceeded to take pictures with both girls (her and her sister). It was a nice surprise from a student who hardly said anything at all. Perhaps inside she wanted to say, "I want to talk to Mr. Soni." Or perhaps, "he's not that ugly." :-)

5. My "student" parents.

As a part of my teaching schedule, I taught a free class to the parents of the students or anyone who could participate from outside of school. It was free. Free English you say? Yeah, so from the outset, about 20 people signed up from 2008. Then the numbers dwindled, and then Gideon dwindled (read the book of Judges for that reference). Why? Because some of the parents' realized that English ain't that easy, yo! They dropped like flies. By the start of 2009, my numbers petered out to 10, then 5 loyal parents. Some people at this point are like..."well, Soni, you must have stunk up the joint with your goofy teaching tactics." Nope, these ladies can vouch for me. Parents, with their busy schedules as well as depending on their English ability, came and went from my class. But these ladies in the picture (plus a few more who couldn't make it to my final class), were always coming out every week for their dose of English. We had such a good time: not just fun classes and having good conversations with one another, but lunch and dinner outings. We became real genuine friends, and they being on the outside of school, I could share some things about my school life that I can't normally share with teachers. They also sympathize with the burdens of a native English speaker among hordes of Korean students who rather watch their P2P joints than take shots of English vocab to the brain. When I was tired of teaching goof-ball boys and girls, these parents were consistent and gave me the joy of teaching again. With them, I could REALLY teach because they ate it up. It was like an MC at a hip-hop club with real hip-hop heads.

6. Mindy, Kim Min-ji, Class 1-6.

I was telling my parents' class today that you can't really know what happens to a student until years later. How will the fruit of my labors begin to bud forth? Honestly, I try to think about the present and do the good work that Christ has placed in me. One of the great perks about this job is when a student appreciates the work in the work you do in their life. Her name, "Mindy," spawns from an incident where I heard her announce her name, but instead of "Minji," a common Korean name, I thought she said, "Mindy." Laughter dies down, her colleagues spew out their mwa ha has, "your name is Mindy you butthead" and the name stuck. Mindy it was. She genuinely likes English. Not because its fun grammatically. Its just fun to her. She did well in my class and she was always polite. One day, as I was walking to Hapkido practice, this girl was waiting for her ride at the school gate. After exchanging pleasantries, she mentions to me that her English score went up. "Good for you girl," I say. Then she replies: "Well, thank you to you, because of your class I became more interested in English and my score went higher. I want to study hard." Man, that just made my day, that made my week! In a culture where praise and encouragement is lacking (because oddly, that raises self-awareness and pride), this is one of those statements that God was telling me: "you know what kid, I'll continue the good work in you, and I'll be faithful to complete it boy." (Philippians 1:6)

The work is done.