The kiddos

Most of you know that I work with 3 and 4 year olds in the mornings. There are six of them and here are some much requested pictures of the little guys. At first, I found it very frustrating, but their English comprehension is slowly improving and I'll admit that I'm getting attached to them.

Here's are a few pics from art class. The other teacher is my Korean co-teacher, Anne. She is absolutely awesome and seems to have a bottomless pit of patience. With kids this young, the Korean teacher stays in the classroom a lot to help translate until their English gets better.

Here's the whole class. They're cute in their little Poly gym uniforms aren't they? (Even though it's a hideous shade of bright yellow...)

Here are some individual shots from another day. This was coloring/writing class. 

This little guy's English name is Benedict. His English is already pretty good since his grandfather can speak English and taught him a lot. He can actually already write his name, which is quite an accomplishment considering what his name is.

These two are Judy and Max. As Judy's english is getting better, she's warming up to me more and more. And Max is adorable, but he tests my patience more than any of the other kids. He is really smart, but likes to pretend he doesn't understand when he gets in trouble. But when he's behaving, he can be absolutely hysterical. Whenever he does something well, he always prompts me to say.... "GOOD JOB MAX!" :)

The one on the far right is Andy. He is our resident genius. He actually taught himself to read English. (He can also already read Korean also.) His parents don't speak English, yet he can speak the language like any American 3 year olds. And his reading skills are higher than some of the second graders I teach in the afternoons. Wow!

Here's another one of him. Also, I love that he's like a little man. He's so serious and will sit and read a book when the other kids are running around wildly. And see those chubby cheeks? We always have to check them after snack and lunch times because when he doesn't like the food, he'll hide them in there like a little squirrel.

And shhh... don't tell anyone since we're not supposed to have favorites, but these two kids are my faves... Chloe and Brian. Chloe already knows a lot of English since she lived in America for a year and went to US preschools. She is a total girly girl and obsessed with princesses, pink and tiaras. (Notice the pink crayon in her hand!) :)

And finally, Brian. He didn't speak a word of English when he started, but he's started singing the nursery rhymes and can understand a lot better than at first. He is the sweetest little boy ever. When he's coloring or playing, sometimes he'll look at me and get a huge grin on his face. Talk about making me melt!

So these are the kids that are slowly stealing my heart. I actually had a moment this weekend of really missing them and looking forward to some little kid hugs and kisses. One of the perks of the job I guess!