::A Geek in Korea::

My naughtiest, foulest mouthed student is also a liar. I was the one that caught him too.

In class on Monday, I couldn’t keep him concentrating in class at all. He would keep playing Tetris in class on his electronic dictionary. I gave him a few warnings about paying attention in class, but he usually didn’t know that he had been called on until I repeatedly called his name. He’s clueless in class because he doesn’t pay attention. After class, I went over to his desk, collected his dictionary and case, and took it directly to the teacher’s room.

I asked my director if holding onto his dictionary until he returned to class on Wednesday would be allowed. She said that as long as the electronic dictionary stayed put in my desk, she had no problem with it. I went back into class and told the students that anyone caught playing with their gadgets in class would have them taken for a day.

The student smacked his head and said in Korean, "Oh shit, my sister is going to kill me." It’s not his electronic dictionary. His sister is in my class on Tuesday, and I expected that she would want the dictionary back. Since she needs it for her homework, and not for playing games, I wanted to give it to her. She’s in the highest level class and has mountains of work that can’t be done without it.

She came into the teacher’s office when her class started and asked if anyone had found her dictionary. She said her brother had lost her dictionary at the school, and she was worried someone might have stolen it. I told her I had her dictionary because I had taken it from her brother, and that there was no possible way that he could have "forgotten" it, because I explained to the entire class why I had it. He saw me take it.

She said that she was relieved that I had her dictionary. She had punched her brother when he had come home without it. I told her he probably deserved it for lying to her. She begged me to call her mother and explain the situation to her mother. Her brother never gets in trouble for all the terrible things he does in our school. I told my Korean co-workers the situation and they agreed to call.

I guess the mother was taken back by our accusations, or surprised, because she wanted to come and speak to me personally some time this week. I don’t know if this is about the dictionary, or everything this student has done in class, but at this point I’m almost hoping it’s some sort of gift for my "emotional stress". It’s nearly the right time for a Christmas gift for that neglected teacher.

All will be well come next month though. My coworkers, the sister, and myself are waiting for January because the boy is being shipped of to the United States for the entire vacation to visit a home stay family. We can only hope his troublesome ways get him in some trouble that will require detainment and long term questioning.

Today, the boy came to class without the dictionary. His sister said she wouldn’t let him have it anymore. We did exercises looking up words in old fashion dictionaries since no one dared play with their toys in class. I’m still looking forward to him getting shipped off. It’ll make many more of my classes tolerable when I no longer have to see him.