Four Eyes

A question that had long puzzled me is, why do so many my students wear glasses? Today, I finally undertook some exhausting research on the subject (typing "korea bad eyesight" into Google) and discovered that it may actually be my fault.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/04/113_43804.html

"Why do so many East Asian children wear glasses? Because they don't get enough exposure to sunlight, according to a study by the Australian Research Council's Center of Excellence in Vision Science earlier this year.

The poor vision may well prove to be a damming indictment of education cultures that confine huge numbers of children to institutes when they're not at school . . .

Regardless, culture is undoubtedly the biggest factor. Australia is well known as a sporty outdoor country and after-school institutes are almost unheard of. In contrast, many East Asian children's six-day school and institute schedules deprive them of sleep to levels that would be considered borderline child abuse in Australia, sapping them of the time, energy or inclination to play outdoors in the sun."

Sigh . . . well, their parents may be making them go blind, but at least they'll be tall and blind.

Why didn't Gandhi Think of This?

Today the students were taking notes on a lecture about non-violent protests. The lecture listed a few methods, such as boycotts, sit-ins, and marches. I was trying to get the kids to write these methods on their outlines with leading questions.

Teacher James: "OK kids, so one of the methods they mentioned was the boycott. What else?"

Student: "Girlcott?

Introducing: Live From Soccer City

As I hinted a few weeks ago, I will be attending a number of games at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. It's clearly entirely inappropriate to be writing about that in a blog called Live From The 38th Parallel, as Johannesburg is really closer to the 26th parallel.

So, I am introducing my new blog, Live from Soccer City, named for the stadium in Johannesburg which will host the opening match of the World Cup. There, you can follow the planning in the run-up to the event, as well as the crippling blows the United States and Denmark will inflict on the opposition.

Keep your eyes peeled for updates in the coming days . . .

http://livefromsoccercity.blogspot.com/

Walking in a Daejeon Wonderland 2010

As you may have seen in the news, Korea has been experiencing its heaviest snowfall since people decided it was a good idea to keep track of these things. Much like its sister city, Seattle, Daejeon is wholly unprepared to cope with such things. Salt is only used to season the BBQ. The result has been a week of black ice and comical flailing about while trying to maintain my balance.

Unsurprisingly, canceling school doesn't even seem to have been discussed.

Pictures here.

Rosary-Free Zone

In reading class today, we came across the word "guilt." I asked if the kids knew what it means. Nobody did.

"Obviously we don't have any Catholics in the room," I said.

I felt pretty bad about it later, though.

Morbid!

Today the students had to write a practice TOEFL essay. The question asked them if they agreed or disagreed with the following statement:

Young people enjoy life more than older people do.

Most of the answers were pretty standard. I disagree, because old people don't have school. I agree, because young people are healthier. I disagree, because young people do not have much money. But one sentence made my jaw drop:

"I think that young people enjoy life more, because old people just look like they are waiting for death."

Best Middle Schooler Ever

By the time they get to middle school, Korean students seem to have had the life sucked out of them. Elementary school kids are often bright and lively. They are excited about English and enjoy talking in class. Even when they are misbehaving, at least they are active. In contrast, getting a middle school student to even say his or her name is a baffling ordeal. Homework completion and test scores plummet. Participation in the school website ceases entirely. As an icebreaker for new classes, I ask the students to tell me something interesting about them, with a prize going to the student with the best answer. Middle school students often respond that there is nothing interesting about them.

(Oddly enough, these students are always glued to their mobile phones. I have no idea how they can have that much to say and text to each other when they refuse to speak in class and can't share a single interesting aspect of their personality.)

Today was an exception. A new middle school girl walked into my classroom and promptly introduced herself in excellent English. She complimented me on me ability to write her name in Hangul, and then confessed that she was worried that the class would be difficult. I assured her that if her English was anything to go by, she would be well up to the task. I was looking forward to having a bright spark in what is usually an unbearable dirge of a class.

Unfortunately, she was in the wrong room.