Day 347: The Heat Is On

Well the school year is winding down here in Korea, wrapping up at the end of February. The new school year starts in March and so then all the students will be graduating up to the next Grade Level. Not only that, but it's also their best chance to move up a level. All students at POLY at levelled according to their English-speaking ability, and what level your child is in is a HUGE DEAL in Korea. Having your child do well in school is a must for family honour and for the ever-essential and fragile 'status' of the parents. The only students who aren't levelled are Preschoolers cause when they first come in you don't know the students' abilities cause they've never been in school before.

This means that the transition from Preschool to Kindergarten is like *the* chance for kids to get up into the higher levels. It's sorta like once you're put into a level in Kindergarten, students don't usually move all that much, up or down, throughout the rest of their years at POLY. It's not that they don't have the option of mobility, it's just that the vast majority of students just seem to progress at the same pace beyond that. This in turn creates (self-induced, of course) massive stress levels for the parents who are paranoid that their child isn't going to be in that top one or two classes. The honest reality is, though, is that not every single student can (or should) be in that top level class. Someone's gotta fill up Levels Two through Six and that's just the way it is.

This means that these days I am under constant questioning from all my moms who are dying to know what level their little Parrot is going to be placed into. It's us five Preschool teachers who make that decision, but because it's such a huge controversial issue we're not allowed to disclose or even hint at what level their child is likely going into until announcement day. This doesn't stop the moms though from constantly (although politely) inquiring into their child's futures. This sounds innocent enough, but lemme tell you...some of those moms are REALLY persistent! It gets annoying after a while trying to dodge these incessant questions that we're not allowed to answer, and they just don't give up. Some of them even go as far as to give you presents (re: bribes) to try and give you some 'extra incentive' to boost up their child's placement.

Dennis' mom is the classic example of this. She is absolutely determined that her little boy HAS to be in Level 1, or Level 2 at the lowest. Now Dennis is a sweetheart, but lets just say that he isn't the brightest crayon in the box. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that Dennis is gonna be down in Level 6. He's a space cadet most days in class and is just light years behind a lot of the other Parrots. But, again, I can't tell his Mom this. She's told me a number of times that if Dennis isn't in Level 1 or 2 she's going to pull him out of the school because she'd just be far too embarrassed if he was anything less. What other moms think of you is way too much of a concern here in Korea.

And so the presents have been flowing in from her. Gift certificate after gift certificate to Outback or Lotte Department Store, all in the hopes that this will help me make 'the right decision'. In fact, since September this woman has spent more than $500 Cdn on me in presents! WOW! I feel more than a little uncomfortable accepting all these 'presents', as despite her 'generosity' Dennis ain't gonna make it into Level 1, I tell ya. It may seem unethical to be accepting all these gifts then, but my bosses are fine with it as apparently this is common for parents to do this every year around this time.

So, if she wants to disillusion herself (Dennis' monthly report cards show he's not the smartest student) and wants to keep giving these little bribes, then that's fine with me. I'm not going to let them sway my decision, no matter what. I'm just not looking forward to her inevitable extreme disappointment that will be soon arriving on Judgement Day. Brace yourself, honey!