Minsu, Minsu, Minsu!

It's Thursday . . . and I'm posting.

As the South Korean sun is warmed up the winter streets of our little Gimpo, the new school year blossomed. With the new school year, the 3 little sources of bacteria that could infest my immune system have left me (i.e. Beth, Gloria and Lisa). Now, there are 10 little sources of infestation - with more strength, energy and restlessness than ever!

In this series, we'll take an indepth look at my students, what I teach them, and more importantly, what they teach me.

Here's our first examinee: Minsu.

Sleeping on the bus after a field trip.

Easter. Minsu stuffed his mouth with yoke.

Posing for the camera.
Grabbing the camera out of my hands and taking a picture of himself.

Minsu is hyper, has a lack of concentration, has a tendency to puke, and always has fluid flowing from his nose. But, this little guy has a soft spot in my heart.


Every morning, he comes into the office and says "Tania Teacher! _____ spoke Korean!" I always reply with the same answer "Good morning Minsu. Ok, thank you Minsu. I will talk to them in class." Even though I say the same thing every morning, he continues to inform me that someone has broken a rule.

In class, we sing songs every morning. Sometimes we dance. When we dance and sing at the same time, he gets a little wild. So wild, that he feels he has to walk over to his desk partner and hug them as tight as possible - then try to lift them up.



During playtime, Minsu likes to chase girls - which inevitably leads to hugging them as tight as possible - thus likely injuring them. Even though Minsu always gets in trouble, he still does it.

Maybe it's that Minsu doesn't hear me, or that Minsu doesn't understand me when I say his name - but there are times when I need to say his name 3 or 4 times before he listens to me. This is when I say "Minsu . . . . Minsu! Minsu! Minsu, Minsu, Minsu!"

Sometimes, he just bursts out laughing during the middle of class. Other times, he laughs at me when I do something that I would consider mundane. His laugh is so infecting. He opens his mouth as wide as he can, throws his head back, and he emits such a forceful "ha ha ha." That I can't help but laugh at him - even if he's in trouble. I can't help from laughing right now as I think about it! His little eyes squint and become even smaller!

Minsu laughs. He laughs at little things. Someone (Julie) once told me to laugh really hard when one of my children does something silly. Let me tell you, I laugh. Then he laughs at me for laughing at him. This causes endorphines to rush to my brain.

Minsu makes me want to teach for life. Like I said earlier, Minsu has a difficult time concentrating in class. As a result, I try to spend some time with just him to help him concentrate on the work. When he finally understands something and can do it on his own, he gets so excited! So excited! He smiles so big it's unbelievable.

This is why I love Minsu.