Last Day of School

Today is February 27th. Seven months ago I landed to an unnatural humidity that I thought was reserved for the 7th ring of hell. I followed other teachers around, noting what to do, what not to do, how to have fun without crossing a line, and just how bright these students are. Then I took over my own classrooms. Twice a day, every day, I taught Jessica, Justin, Alice, Clara, David, Jane, Yuri, Winston, Wendy, Kevin, Lion, Nick, and Max, and despite a sincere desire to take them and shake some common sense into them from time to time, they became the loves of my life.

Today is the last day of school. On Monday, March 2nd, they will dress up in new, not-ECC uniforms, and they will head off to their first real Korean school, where no one will be angry that they're not speaking in English. No one will try to coerce them to pronounce the "s" at the end of plural words. No one will well up with pride when they choose "some" instead of forgetting the article altogether. Lion has gone from speaking constant Korean and adding "uh" at the end of each word to the boy who got a 100% on his test, and recently discovered using the present progressive perfectly. "Kate Teacher, where are we going?" Oh Lion, you're going far.

All week God's words as Jesus was being baptized have been in my ear. Matthew 3:17, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. I get it, now.