::A Geek in Korea::

At this point, only a select number of people know the school is closing. The teachers were told only last week, and the vast majority of students have no clue. The management is doing an utterly shitty thing by not telling people like they promised. The impression I get is that my manager is seriously considering walking out of the school on Friday, our last day, not telling anyone, and locking the doors. When the students arrive after what should be our week vacation and find the doors locked, that’s when they’d find out.

He’s told us that we should wait for him to give us a letter explaining why the school is closing before we tell anyone, but since he hasn’t given us the letter yet, I’ll begin telling some of my students tomorrow that their last class with me is this week. I will not hurt my students with feelings of abandonment just because my manager doesn’t want to get yelled at by irate parents. I really like all of my students at this school and would love to bring every single one with me to another location if possible. We aren’t closing because we aren’t profitable, but because of tax evasion and legal problems. This isn’t the students fault in the slightest, and there is no reason to give them a hard time.

One of the student’s family live in my apartment building, and the mother rode up the elevator with my wife. The woman didn’t have a clue what was going on, so my wife mentioned we’d be moving soon. The woman asked why, so my wife gave her the details. It seems that just a week ago that parents had been asking for additional "grammar intensive" classes to be added to the schedule and our manager had promised they would be added soon. This had to be a lie, as everyone in management knew the school was closing by this point. This is why I don’t trust them to do the right thing and tell the parents.

Some of the adult students found out and got teary eyed when told by other students. We’ve been studying with some of them for years. One of the teachers has been at the school for five years now, so when she says she’s going back to South Africa for good, people were in shock at the finality of it all. One of the higher level students was told and went into total denial. When we all confirmed that the school was closing, he assumed we were all joking. The girl that lives in my apartment put her head down and cried for ten minutes in my class and was inconsolable when I talked to her about what was wrong. Her paper was soaked through with tears.

I haven’t told my students yet because when they know it’s all over, things really get crazy. No one studies, we only play games, and nothing gets accomplished. I’ll tell them all at the end of their second to last class, and let the last class be a party. I’ll bring in party stuff on the last day to celebrate all their hard work. No reason to waste three days instead of one. I’m getting paid to teach, and I want to do the best I can for them in the week I have left. No tests, no report cards, nothing but some fun as we try to finish out their chapter in the book.

My discipline system of stars and stamps that lead to prizes is slowly breaking down. I used to give five stickers out to a student before they earned a stamp. The stamps collected could be redeemed at the office for small educational toys or school supplies. My last award for doing a World Cup themed puzzle was five stamps, which is five times what I usually give out. I tell all the students reaping the awards to cash in this week, for obvious reasons, but no one has figured it out yet. They just think I’ve gone insane and they are lucky and will wait until the last possible moment.

I’ve had a hard time fighting the apathy that sets in knowing you are going to leave a job and the responsibilities and promises you’ve made to students no longer matter so much. One of the students was telling me about how she’ll be going to the United States soon after studying with me, and I thought it sucked that I wouldn’t get to wish her farewell. I’m sure it’s going to absolutely heartbreaking to start telling my classes tomorrow.