Something about working with children that most people learn quickly is their inhibitions in regards to truth telling. Young children won't shy away from telling you, "your breath smells" or "you have pointy ears like and elf!" (both of which I've had said to me in the past, and in defense of the bad breath it was after I'd had coffee).
Being in Korea, though, you have to develop an entirely new skin of thickness for what these children will say/do to you. Keep in mind these are not things only my youngest students have said to me, but students up to age 16:
1. "Teacher, you look awful today. You have dark eye circles." (age 11)
2. "Teacher, your nose is long and big" (age 15)
3. On more than one occassion I've had students reach out and just press on the tip of my nose. It usually results in screams, and encouragement for other students to also touch the end of my nose. (ages 13 - 15)
4. Every female teacher's most dreaded, "Teacher, baby?" while pointing to your stomach. (ages 9-13)
5. The other week I was wearing shorts with tights, and a female student came up to me and "examined" my thighs (checked the girth and firmness). I got a "good teacher" when she was finished. Phew. (age 15)
6. Often changing between curly and straight hair, I showed up to class with straight hair after wearing it curly, to which I was told, "Oh teacher, better hair, curly hair is old lady hair". (age 16)
7. One time my students came in to visit me in the office, and upon looking at Thomas they simply pointed at him and laughed, "funny hair today!"
8. This last one isn't bad, quite the contrary, but I need to share it. For some reason Thomas keeps getting told he looks like Brad Pitt, "Teacher Tom, same Brad Pitt!" they say. My students saw a picture of Brad Pitt in their text books and exclaimed, "Teacher! It's Tom!". Oh brother.
I'm sure I'm missing some classics, and I'm sure by the end of the day I'll have a few more. My new slogan for teaching English in Korea:
Foreign Teaching Korea: Daily Lessons in Letting Things Go
