Well last week sure was a busy one at school! Open class is where the parents come in and observe their children at school, to see how well they do in class. The Korean teachers put a lot of pressure on this because essentially it is their reputation on the line. And so there is extra work in preparing different activities and games to get each child to speak. My first open class didn't go as planned. They were hyper and were acting up in front of the parents. "Sorry kids, no coookies for you." My second class was much more well behaved, sang their song, participated in the game. "Here kids, have some cookies and stickers."

Last week was also a shift change for our school. Three teachers came and three left. And so everyone was busy preparing the new teachers for their classes. Lots of questions were asked. I remember the feeling of everything new only a few months ago. Seeing the teachers leave put in mind how I would feel when my time comes to part from Korea. The kids made little cards and such. We had a welcome/farwell party for the staff where everyone stuffed their gob to maximum capacity. Roll me out of there!

As part of the school procedure, who can forget tests and report cards. Too bad they both had to come during the same time. Having just over 50 students, there was a lot of repetious phrases such as "Johnny is a bright and pleasant student who has a lot of potential........"

And so Monday came and with the busy schedule Friday was a welcome for sure. This weekend I had went to Gyeongbokgung, which is the royal palace where the founding king had resided. It consists of a series of hall and pavillions for the king to conduct his affairs. Near here was also The National Folk Museum. In contrast, it shows the lifesytle of the "ordinary" people of that period (Joseon dynasty, 1395). It showcases show traditional style huts as well as stone statues that guard tombs for spiritual purposes.