This Halloween was the first time I celebrated All Saints Day in Asia since living in Bangkok, Thailand. That was over 20 years ago. The temperature was crisp on the island of Geoje, but not icy cold. I built a Haunted House for the kids at the school with several twists and turns that enabled most of them to find an inner scream within themselves. The Trick or Treat walk within town, the Haunted House, and the anticipation the kids had leading up to Halloween made me realize the importance of passing on what you’ve learned.
Mimicking the American schooling system as best they can, Kids College inc. devoted the entire Wednesday to Halloween. Each class went through the haunted house, and played festive games like apple bobbing, candy grabbing, and the ever-popular costume contest. The entire day was spent embodying the Halloween spirit as much as possible.
Kindergarten and Elementary education is one of the toughest departments of the educational system. Even with proper rearing in their early infancy, children often fail to understand the rules within a classroom setting. Elementary is the first time structure is formally introduced into a child’s life, and it takes an iron will to enforce it properly. The biggest issue I’ve faced for example, is impulse control; and I constantly have to remind myself that they’re developing little bodies that have no clue what to do with all that energy. I had many struggles during the first 2 months, and Halloween couldn’t have come at a better time. The word “why” needs to be erased from my mind for just one day. PLEASE! Put it this way, one of the mothers even bought me and my co-teacher beers (to enjoy after work of course), but that right there typifies how difficult this is. The scream needed to be released.
The day started with everybody guessing each other’s costumes. Some students hadn’t seen Pirates of the Caribbean so my Jack Sparrow outfit registered as just “pirate” for many younger kids. After the pictures, and the morning routine, we trekked outside to the surrounding shops on Soobi-Gil street, and met several moms dressed in costumes along the way. We then talked and reviewed the various Halloween terms through games in a neighborhood park.
Captain Jack Sparrow is a costume I have long wanted to wear, and it’s befitting that I am given an opportunity to wear it not just for me, but for the kids I teach as well. I purchased a sophisticated wig, and tore the sleeves off of a cotton shirt for the vest. The pants were brush pants I received as a uniform for a previous job…I cut them up in a frenzy so now they’re always going to be Jack Sparrow pants should I ever return to this costume.
Korea is free, very spirited, and most of the youth are emblazoned with an intrinsic motivation to learn. I took it upon myself to connect the dots for the kids between their Chuseok holiday (Korea’s equivalent to Thanksgiving), and Halloween, when we are to remember the dead spirits for their contribution to society.
Each month we’re given a theme to teach and the October theme was “Halloween.” In other words, all the students (including the upper elementary and middle school students in the afternoon classes) were most likely looking forward to this day from late September. Leading up to the big day, some class-time was spent developing students’ understanding of ghosts, ghouls, tombstones, and witches to name a few. Hollywood makes an effort to symbolize it as a time to be frightened and plunges into the uncertainty of the afterlife with CGI effects. (This evokes a thought I had about how interconnected Korea is to Los Angeles, but that thought should probably be reserved for another blog entry). Although milder in the classroom, I still wanted to bring as much imagination to their wandering minds as possible, and when the month ended, I found a new meaning behind Halloween. One that enhanced it’s appeal in my eyes. Trick or Treat is no longer seen as a door-to-door candy operation in my eyes, but instead it’s an opportunity to make deeper connections with others in your community. Walking along the sidewalk, we had a couple kids give their candy to older women selling fruit for example. Sharing is caring, and this way the fruit vendors didn’t have to continue wondering what the noise is all about. Through a simple gesture of giving candy, the elder women instantly realized that the root of this day is to connect, spread happiness and be fully aware of those around you. It’s not everyday that you witness a 6 year old giving candy (one of their most prized possessions) to others.
Walking along the streets, I hear Chopin from the windows of a 4th floor music studio. Back in Seattle and Los Angeles, the most competitive musicians in the state-wide competitions were either Asian or Eastern European; most of the Asians being Korean. Listening to the air bristling through the tenuous leaves with the classical music in the background cemented the respect I already had for the Korean culture. The high standards this culture upholds for it’s citizens and inhabitants reminds me to continue pushing myself however I can. I consider it a challenge to impart my own versatility onto the kids I teach as well. Through my multicultural web of experiences, I hope to teach the kids I have for this one year that speaking loudly and making mistakes outwardly is desirable. I have often wondered if it’s possible for instance to train somebody to be so outspoken they leave their shyness behind. This is something I had missed during my youth, and judging by the costumes the kids had on, I think progress is being made.
Spirit.
The kids around me are very enthusiastic and passionate little humans, and their parent’s devotion to instilling happiness and meaning in their offspring is very apparent. Most of the trick or treating during our stroll was possible because of the kids’ moms standing on various street corners and handing out candy. I had never been more calm, and rooted within a costume than I had been on that day; surrounded by families and coworkers that kept the imaginative spirit of Halloween alive in a tropical Asian island.
During this Halloween, I’ve discovered the essence of sharing one’s knowledge and being as free in spirit as humanly possible when doing so. It’s a vital skill that had been misaligned with a compulsion for recognition. Finding the truth comes through voicing opinions, sharing stories and leading by example. This position has led to several epiphanies in the way I look at education. Yelling, and aggressively making a statement isn’t necessarily a negative attribute. I have to use a top-down approach to discipline so the overall message of “free speech” is taught. The whole equals the sum of it’s parts sort of thing. If anything else, I’ve learned that encouraging volume in speech is the most direct way to teach strength in little humans; especially in girls.
Kindergarten is the start of a 12 (in some countries 13) year streak of continued learning and exposure to information and knowledge. For most people it’s the first year of a structured environment that facilitates the development of their mind. Character building, basic science, virtues, social etiquette and a touch of everything else (literally, from mythology, to dinosaurs) are all incorporated into each day’s lessons. For example, everyday before lunch, the kids chant:
Thank you father, thank you mother, thank you farmer, thank you teacher. Thank you for everything. Enjoy your lunch. Enjoy!
Not bad eh?
Before this year, I looked at teaching as a hierarchically ranked system where people who were more knowledgeable gained access to the upper levels, such as high school and college. After the first 5 months of teaching kindergarten and early elementary however, I have a newfound respect for any kindergarten teacher in the world. It is VERY challenging, and tests the teacher’s mental strength every bit as much as their intellect. From my experience, teachers at this level must prepare to teach and weather each tumultuous storm with fortitude. ‘
A good kindergarten teacher is therefore every bit as important as a college professor. They each represent their side of the continuum respectively. I’m officially impressed by anybody who chooses this path as a career, because it’s definitely trying and debilitating. Although I will not be pursuing kindergarten, my hat is forever tilted for any devoted teacher who finds a long-term method for this madness. A madness, that if fully ensconced, will undoubtedly scare the souls of anybody too weak to pass through. Kids are wicked-smart, in every sense of the phrase.
Happy after-Halloween, happy Thanksgiving, and happy fall.
Cheers,
Nattapon Jontom Abbett
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