Lost in Bussan

It has been ages since I wrote on this blog.  I now have  new one called Iowa TOY 2014 that I plan on updating throughout this next year.  But sometimes, oldies are goodies and as I reread about the flight to South Korea, I could not help but realize I never wrote about one of my favorite memories from South Korea.  Seeing my daughter this weekend, we reminisced about this particular part of the South Korean adventure.

The day after my arrival in Busan, South Korea, my daughter and I rode a bus to her school - about a 10 minute ride from her apartment.  She taught at a poor inner city school that was at the end of a winding street.  In South Korea there are no names to the streets and the only markers are various buildings so you can find your way around the city. Once we got to her school, we realized we had forgotten some things at her apartment so I told her I would return to the apartment, scoop up the items, and return to her class.  She asked if I thought I could do it and my pride got the better of me as I insisted I could.

I hopped on the bus, got to her apartment, scooped up the items, and hopped back on the bust towards her school.  As I was traveling it suddenly dawned on me I had no idea where to get off.  I also realized I had no South Korean currency, did not speak any of the language, and had a cell phone that would not work there.  What was I to do?  All the buildings looked the same.  After riding for 1 1/2 hours I remember my son-in-law had said you cannot ride the bus to the end of the line because it winds for miles and miles throughout the mountains and the city.  I hopped off the bus, went underground, and crossed to a bus headed back towards where I thought her school was. As the streets turned from four lanes to two lanes, I knew I was getting closer.  At that point, I felt a tap on my shoulder and the lady behind me pointed out the window.  There was my daughter Kate running alongside the bus, waving her hands, and yelling, "Mom!"  I stood up, signaled for the bus to stop, and tumbled off into her arms.  Both of us began to laugh so hard we were crying.  She said she told another teacher she thought she had lost her mom.  She decided to go down towards the street and only had 20 minutes between teaching classes.  It was at this point she saw me looking blankly out the window of the bus trying to find a familiar landmark.

We learned after that experience.  Next trip around South Korea I had currency, a book with addresses written in it, and a cell phone.  I am not sure I could expect to be lucky enough to have someone familiar flag down the bus if I got lost again.  I still smile when I think about this part of the trip!

Mom's Adventures in Korea

Yes, believe it or not, I traveled by myself for a two week visit with daughter and son-in-law to the Republic of Korea. It began with a flight over the North Central U.S., mid to west Canada, a touch of Alaska, and down to the land of the rising sun, Japan, with a flight from there to the lovely land of the Republic of Korea.  During the multi-hour flight from Minneapolis to Narita (Tokyo, Japan), I sat between two young adults--Kristen from Korea and Jill from Missouri.  We chatted quite a bit with many hours to learn about one another.  It turned out Jill was traveling to Busan to see her boyfriend David who graduated from Iowa State.  Well, being as how my family was named Iowa State VEISHA Family of the Year two years ago, I was immediately bonded with Jill and boyfriend David.

In Narita, we boarded our flight to Busan, Korea.  Jill was seated near the wing and I was seated near the back next to a Korean violin player named Angel.  Well, I am thrilled to be able to tell people I was sitting next to an Angel during a  mechanical emergency.  Midway in flight, Captain Bobby anounced that we were in a mechanical emergency and had been advised to return immediately to Narita.  He ended with the statement that he hoped we could return safely to the airport.  Thank you for the vote of confidence, Captain Bobby. (Who goes by the name of Captain Bobby anyway???)  Later  Jill said they could see and smell fuel spewing out into the atmosphere.  She also said the row ahead of her grabbed hands and began to pray.  I was okay because, remember, I was next to an Angel.  We landed on the airstrip lined with emergency vehicles and flashing lights.  Captain Bobby once again came on to say not to be alarmed by the emergency vehicles because they were there "just in case" they were needed.  Then he said, "Personally, I am relieved we made it safely back to the airport." Hooray, Captain Bobby, but please read a book about what to say and not to say to a plane filled with people in your care!

As we left the flight, Jill waited for me and we were bussed to a lovely hotel; each of us with our own room compliments of Delta.  During the bus ride, Jill kept trying to get reception with her iPhone but was unable to connect.  Meanwhile, I turned on my Verizon with a text message welcoming me to Japan.  As we entered the floor of our rooms, my phone rang with a call of concern from my daughter Kate in the Busan airport.  Then she said they had met a guy in the airport from Iowa State waiting for his girlfriend.  I said I was standing next to his girlfriend Jill, and she was fine.  That was the last phone call I received because later as I tried to call Kate when I was lost in Busan I was told my service had been temporarily disconnected.  Thank you, God, for the one phone call I needed.  The story of being lost in Busan is one I will post later.  Suffice it to say, a visit with my daughter Kate and son-in-law Chaz was a trip of a lifetime.  More to come....

Buckets of Learning

LIFE

Ah, life on a Midwest farm!  It can be very interesting especially in those well below zero days.  A few months ago I asked my farmer husband Brian to show me how to operate the new feeder wagon we acquired to deliver feed to the fence line bunks.  I thought maybe I could help him out by feeding the cattle when he was out late on the road driving semi.  He responded with, "That's not something you need to know."  End of discussion but NOT the end of my thinking about it.  I thought maybe he didn't trust me with that BEAUTIFUL new feeder wagon.  Maybe those multiple trips in the ditch on icy days proved a warning to him not to trust me with any expensive equipment.

So....on the 8 inches of snow day he had to drive to Illinois to deliver beans.  He said there was one thing I could do for him and that was to feed the cattle.  Okay, but how would he trust me to drive the feeder wagon on a day of less than favorable conditions?  Oh, no, the feeder wagon was not in this equation.  No, this task involved carrying buckets of corn from the bin over to the fence line bunks.

So 16 buckets later....I knew it was definitely time to learn how to drive the feeder wagon.  Yes. life on a Midwest farm is never dull!

TEACHING
Well, my new best friend about whom I posted my email in a previous blog served his three nights of detention and announced to the class this week that my class was his favorite!  So, I can only conclude the following:
1.  It is important to develop relationships with students, however, it is even more important to believe so strongly in what you are teaching and its importance that you will not allow bad behavior to interfere with you accomplishing your instruction.  Students do not respect a teacher who only goes through the motions or one that doesn't care enough about classroom atmosphere to discipline.  I discipline out of concern that a student learn self-control, out of a concern for the learning of everyone else in the room, and out of a concern that what I am teaching is important for them to know.
2.  I always strive to develop a way of taking what we learn and personalize it for students.  Most recently, we read THE ULTIMATE GIFT.  The concluding assessment was an essay test where students had to apply two of the gifts from the story to their own lives.  In one chapter, students come up with a GOLDEN LIST of ten things they are grateful.  They also look at how they would spend their last day on earth; similar to the Bucket List (if you have seen that movie).  Here are some excerpts from three student papers:
STUDENT 1
In the gift of gratitude I would teach my family that in life there are many things to be thankful for; things like presents aren't really gifts.  To be grateful you would have to be happy about all things.  I am thankful for:  family, friends, holidays, friendly people, video games, hamburgers, summer, winter, and school.
STUDENT 2
With the gift of learning, I really would apply this gift.  It helps you learn that hard work leads to good dedication.  This will be a good lesson to use in the future because I will have some downs and will get some frustrations.  This book led me through a journey that will never leave my head.  The gift of learning is one I will use in the present and the future.
STUDENT 3
Like Jason, I feel that I have learned the gift of work.  I enjoy working at our restaurant because at the end of the day, when the last person has left, I can think about all that I had accomplished.  It is even better when I can say I did most of the waiting.  I enjoy seeing happy faces when people leave because that usually lets me know that I did a good job.  I wish to continue to work hard at accomplishing my goals like Jason has dedicated the rest of his life to helping others.
     When I was reading this chapter on the gift of giving, it encouraged me to volunteer or spend time helping others once a day like Jason was assigned to do.  So far I have been successful.  Reading this story and chapter I have also decided to work at the restaurant for free.  I have also been vacuuming the apartment and restaurant without being asked.  I have made a goal for being able to fund a school for the underprivileged.

Wow!  Wonder if the changes this book have created in students are evident at home?  I love reading this type of test when students have to actually apply life lessons to their own lives.  That could be why I enjoy blogging--it's authentic, it makes me reflect, and it causes me to select only the significant about which to blog.

That ends my third entry,
Mom

Snow Day in the Midwest

Eight inches of snow

wind 30 mph...

electricity off 7 hours...

candles burning...oil lamps glowing...

5 foot drifts...

roads blocked...

schools closed...

cattle yards to be cleared...

water tanks to be thawed...

driveways to be plowed...

nothing like winter in the Midwest.  

No global warming here!

Muddling Through Life and Middle School

I have now fully entered the 21st century since I feel compelled to BLOG! Several years ago I blogged for Iowa State University as "A Voice From the Trenches." It was here I learned the power of reflection and was challenged to look more deeply at my teaching practices. A part of me has been longing to, once again, develop that deep reflection in my daily journey as a teacher. With this blog, I hope to discover more not only about my teaching but about my life in general. A gigantic task for anyone. Can blogging really accomplish what years of therapy cannot do for many people? I hope so especially as a farmer's wife who can't afford a therapist.  So as not to confuse my readers, I will label them by LIFE and TEACHING...go where your interests lead you.

LIFE

It might be my middle age. It might be my empty nesting, It might be that I no longer have responsibility raising kids but instead responsibility in caring for aging mothers and a grandmother (age 101). I long to express my inner ramblings as I muddle through life. Somehow I know that reflecting through this blog will in some way help me to make sense of this chaotic world. I once read that we view the world from the underside of an embroidered piece.  Many of you know that place, where all of the strings hang and it is difficult to make out the pattern of the embroidery. God views the world from the embroidered side. Only he can see from his view point the beauty that the chaos is becoming. Many times I long to see that pattern so I can enjoy the view. For now when I am enjoying the view, I content myself with singing loudly and quite off key when no one is around. This occurs usually in the kitchen as I am doing dishes or cooking and in yesterday's case, when my husband was still in the field trying to get the corn combined. Yesterday was a singing kind of day because I had joyous news that my dear friend who thought she had breast cancer does not have to go back to the doctor for six months. She said it was her own personal miracle. I took her miracle personally and sang, "My soul rejoice!" Love those miracles!

TEACHING

So this may be the real reason I wanted to blog this evening. For those with middle school teaching experience, you know full well of the bipolar type of teaching existence one has when working with middle school students. One day can be filled with students telling you, "You are one cool and rocking teacher!" (words I heard yesterday) And the next day words tumble forth that let you know you are on the LEAST FAVORED list of teachers.  Today the latter occurred as I emailed two sets of parents describing the disrespectful behavior of their child they had birthed.    One email I sent read:  


PARENT NAME (removed),
I called and left a voice message but also wanted to follow up with an email.  Your son (name removed) owes me three nights of detention (3:20-4:00) for extreme disrespect in my class today.  I told him he needed to redo an assignment because his grade was poor (14/36).  He began to talk back and yell that all teachers think they have the power and that I was in a bad mood and took it out on him.  I cannot have a student be so disrespectful in class.  I finally sent him out but he needs to make up time for me.  He wasted my class time by disturbing everyone including me.  I also want him to write an apology letter to me.  I know this probably seems lame but he needs to understand that a teacher also has feelings and I am leaving school very upset today because of how he ruined my class.  I would appreciate your help with this matter.
Mrs. Me


I especially like the part about teachers having feelings. He was wrong about the part of me being in a bad mood and taking it out on him...but I tell you bad mood is what I ended up being in by the end of class.   Just thinking about it still puts me in a very bad mood!  John Dewey said: "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."  I would like to alter this to read:  "Teaching is not preparation for life; teaching is life itself."  Those who teach know that you live it...you can prepare all you want for hours on end but it's the living it within the classroom that brings it to life. 

That ends my first entry,

Mom