Just Another Day

Dealing with classes of 40+ kids all aged 7 or 8 can get a little hectic.

Sometimes they don't listen. Sometimes they don't understand. Sometimes they feel rebellious. Sometimes they simply don't care.

Because they're little kids one can expect them to get into fights over - what seem to me - the littlest things; break into tears at the drop of a pencil; randomly decide it'd be funny to scream all their answers at the top of their lungs in a pitch only dogs should be able to hear.

Considering all of the above, it was really just a relatively normal class in which a broken computer, unruly class, nose bleed and sob-fest were involved.

The class started like it usually does: I was welcomed with a chorus of cheers and greetings when I first walked in. The thing is, they didn't stop after a minute like they usually do. No, it took a good five minutes for me to get them calmed down.

When I moved to the computer to start the lesson, the machine just decided it would be fun to have a "let's make Natalya's life miserable and unmanageable" day by not working. The computer is entirely in Chinese so when it gave me options I had to just guess at which might get me on the right track.

Meanwhile, the class is getting impatient and the kids are starting to get loud again. I don't really blame them, they'd been getting stir-crazy with the rain keeping them indoors.

Eventually I had the computer fixed and the class relatively calm before one of my students stood up in utter shock and confusion: there was blood all over his desk and hands and an impressively steady stream was pouring from his nose.

I told him as best as I could - considering the language divide - to talk to his homeroom teacher in the office and get cleaned up. He turned around with blood dripping onto the floor - marking his path to the door where he grabbed the handle with great ceremony and both bloody hands, yanked it open and left. I had a girl follow him to make sure - while his head was tilted back - he didn't walk into anything and end up with more blood.

Eventually he returned with a wad of tissue stuck up his nose and joined in the games as if he hadn't just nearly drowned in his own blood.

Shortly after the blood fiasco, two girls started bawling. I have no idea what happened. The only thing I could understand through their gasping, sobbing explanation (said entirely in Chinese) were the emphatic, accusatory fingers pointing at the boy in front of them.

At this point I officially decided this was far too much drama for a 35 minute class and chose to forego the lesson I had actually planned and we played games instead.

Sigh. Just another day with the kids.