How Have I Not Managed to Kill a Child?
I dont think you can possibly understand the frustration of trying to teach English to foreign children in a foreign land. I threw in "foreign land" because if they were in America they would learn to act completely different in a classroom. Anyway, when they don't the answer to something they get this vacant look on their face as though someone had just powerbombed them on the sidewalk. They look horrified and at first I thought it was just because I was sort of a tyrant but quickly you start to hear the same complaints from all the jungle gym teachers. I mean you know me, I get frustrated, agrivated, blood read hyper. Can you imagine me with a marker in my hand tapping a board trying to get a 9 year old to pronounce the word "cat". And then the little bugger just sits there and stares at me as though cows are flying out of my nose. Now it's not as though I just push the anger down and just talk to myself saying, "It's ok Bret. They are children It's ok". Nah....I have thrown desks, kicked chairs, hit kids with markers at full speed tossing, I have slammed books dragged kids out of classrooms, I have basically been a horrible human being. But you don't understand (its just the way people talk when they beat their wives I guess) they drive you nuts. I've never gotten this angry over something in my life on a weekly basis. Now, for the most part I am rather calm and don't really give a crap and can make a joke about how stupid they are most of the time, but when I know that they know and they are just pulling that shy Korean, look down at the floor, crap on me, well I just wanna kick them in the throat and bury them in the street. Good Bret...9 year olds....real nice..I mean, Jesus they probably don't understand a thing I am saying and yet I scream and yell until my face turns red...I lose it...I have no idea why
