Thoughts Penned By My Students

Every week I go over the grammar of over a hundred students' homework and essays. Some of it really intrigues me, and I'd like to share, beginning with this assigned topic: “Should Chewing gum be made illegal in Korea like it is in Singapore?” More or less unedited, here are some arguments against its banning, which depart from the norm: “We can taste and feel fresh when we chew. But if chewing gum is illegal, we can’t feel it.” “It can be useless for someone, but it can be useful to the others. The gum is really good for solving strain before having a test. It can be rude to someone, but it will be helpful to the others.” “The chin’s muscles can strengthen if we chew gum, our chin is moving. So, it is strengthened.” Hmmm…I hadn't considered that. “Gum can decrease our halitosis.” Have YOU ever heard that word? I had to look it up. “No one likes bad smelling people. Gum can decrease our bad smell and feeling of discomfort.” Also, by the same author (and more than one student thought of this) “people who are working at gum factories will lose their jobs. Increasing jobless people is not good for our economy.” Her closing argument: “Many children enjoy making big gum balloons.” :-) A young man adds, “According to research, chewing gum accelerates activities of the brain.” Did you know that? “Gum can make feeling change. If I feel gloomy, I’m chewing gum. Then my feel change more happy. And I think it can decrease afraid with sweet flavor.” “There are people who hate chewing gum. I understand. However, I think that if they hope for esteem, they also have to esteem other people.” Now here’s an interesting arguments FOR banning gum in Korea: “People’s face shape will become square. When we chew so much we will change the shape of our face to square.” Hmmmm….. One of my brightest elementary aged students' ability to speak and understand English is superb. His written skills—not so much. But his lack of writing skills don't mask the brilliance of his ideas: “I want to flying. I’m can’t flying. But, it’s so much fun. Also I want to eat fire.” He finishes with “I don’t like study. I’m a very happy person.” He IS!

What matters to my students is intriguing, as is revealed in answers to this topic “If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?” One sweet girl wants to meet a famous Korean singer, but she also wants to “travel with my family or…friends; or I’d kill my the most hated man; or I’d eat a lot of foods. I have many thing before the die. So I don’t never never die!!”

(For the record, I'm not matching photos up with quotes.) These kids have really, really full days, but when asked about how to improve her study habits, one girl wrote: “I didn’t think about that…Umm! What’s that? I think I had better make my plan. Then, I think I will study more better. When I want play computer games, I see my plan for future and I think, “I will study really hard!” Just my think. But it’s Okay. Why not?” She’s one of my best and brightest, by the way. Lots of the kids love Fall. “I think the fall is very beautiful season. It’s good to reading and playing. I love the weather of fall. In the fall, sky is so deep blue, and the weather is very refreshing. It’s not hot or cold. To we, Koreans, refreshing weather of fall is almost blessing of God. Thank you.” One boy, who wrote in a previous essay that he wants to be a terrorist and kill off the North Koreans, wrote this in the next: “I want to say to my children, “grow well and what you want to be,” and they will grow well, and my children grow what they want to be. But I want to tell them to be a teacher, to be a doctor. But they will grow what they want to be in the future.” I love this boy!

Another writes that he’ll “pass [his] room [to his] sister” when he dies. Naturally, in every day life he teases her mercilessly. I particularly love this part of his entry, though: “I’ll keep my favorite books and toys, because my soul will play with that.” My soul still smiles when I read this! In keeping with the wrapping up of presidential elections, a twelve year old girl wrote this: “I’m president??!!!! If I’m president, I think I'll really happy!!! Why? All people like me and sometimes they send presents to me.” Then she ponders more deeply; “But, I think I can’t work very well….Oh!!! My!!!!” The true nature of a president’s job begins to settle in, along with its possible ramifications; “If I work really bad….Who wants to die [kill] me?….And throw eggs to me…!!!It’s really scary…I like all people and I want to meet people and smile to them. And say “Nice to meet you.”

There you have it. Youth still speaks volumes. We all want to love and be loved and precious few of us can handle what we wish for.