I have been writing lesson plans all week.  I have been slowly and more slowly writing lesson plans all week.  My students are gone--whisked away for the annual Freshman American field trip the school organizes every year where all the first years travel to the coasts of our great country to visit the cream of the crop of collegiate education, Harvard, Yale,Princeton, NYU, etc.  They are gone two weeks and in the interim, I have been trying to keep myself busy. But that hasn't been too hard. This week my CT gave me two extra chapters to teach, which will mean six more lessons, and my excitement is bittersweet.  I need more teaching practice, I need more time to develop a rapport with teenagers and reflect and critique my teaching.  So six more lessons is great in that respect.  The bitter part, of course, doesn't need mentioning as I am still teaching Economics.

My lesson plans have become progressively more involved as I am looking for ways to shake/spice/revamp the lessons and make them coma-proof for my students.  I am going to head into this challenge with more grit than before and going to do what I can to motivate their sleepy little heads into believing that staying awake in Economics class is better than a fifteen minute cat nap.  A tall order, I realize, but I'm going to try.  It takes me hours to write up one lesson plan, and these are taking even more time because I want to find interesting things to discuss or games to play.  I hope I can get everything accomplished this week before I have to begin teaching again.  I will have to learn from the Korean students themselves about putting my head down, switching the internet off, and working hard to finish what I start.

I have heard from my CT that last year when her first year students returned from America they were changed.  I questioned what she meant and she said that they were more dedicated to working harder--which is pretty impressive considering they work hard now--because they want to ensure their place among the college of their choice.  Many of the students want to go to America, or abroad, for college and this trip apparently motivates them to put in more concentrated work.  I do not know how I feel about that.  Working hard is great, being motivated is commendable, but there must be balance in life...these students already have no balance.  They are so far off balance, weighing so heavy on the side of work/work/work, that I feel great sympathy for them very often.  I am sure that is what makes me so inclined to let them sleep in class which is something I would never let American students do.  And to think they will come back to only work harder and study more makes me think of them as little student robots, not teens.

In counseling this week, one of the students asked me if what I thought about Korean students and how they are different from American students.  I knew all my answers already, I didn't have to think about it.  I told her that in most ways, the Korean students are just like American students.  All teenagers are silly, quick to laugh, love to be with their friends and talk, love music, good movies and relaxing.  The differences seem to start and end with education though.  Korean students know when the fun should end and the work begins.  I think in America, we all have trouble with this one.  Self motivation is not something American teenagers are known for and it is a visually striking difference if one has the opportunity to observe a South Korean school.  I told her that American students have more freedom as well, to decide how they want their life to look, how they want their future to unfold.  It's not total freedom but it's certainly more balanced.  I'm not sure how honest to be with the students sometimes.  Their wishful thinking about living an American-style life will not help them succeed in Korea.  But, being a hopelessly honest person, I tell them what I believe to be true, that balance is a and I hope they can find it one day.


...So as this week was a prelude to the trashiest, fun-est, most awesome holiday we have to offer, Halloween!, Bonnie and I decided to bring the kids some goodies on Friday.  It was pretty much the best $30 I've ever spent.  The kids went insane and I thought a couple might stroke out on me.  One girl yelled, "I've never received a present like this ever!!!!" in my ear.  There were thank you's galore. Such sweet kids!  I am really going to miss them when I go home.

The student in front always gives me little treats.  I was happy to repay the favor!

This student likes me the most :)  She always wants to talk with me and says "Good Morning, Crystal!" Every morning.

I tried to stay out of the picture but the students weren't having it.

Economics: The class that snoozes.

I do, however, have had issues with sleeping.  (Not my own, but, the students.)  These students really do not get any sleep at night. Unlike their American counterparts who forgo sleep to post every movement they make on Facebook, the Korean students stay up and study like robots into the wee hours of the morning which forces them to take cat naps during my lessons.  Which doesn't look good for me.  Some of the more strict Korean teachers will have sleeping students stand in the back of class with their book open to the page.  I do not want to resort to this method of 1800s style teaching so I am going to have to try another approach. I tried pleading with them to get into partners to work on their worksheet so they can talk each other awake--I told them to talk more!--"don't be so quiet, it's not a test..." Bonnie said I would regret those words one day.

Of the two classes I teach, it is really just one I have trouble keeping awake.  The other class, which the American co-teacher says he has a harder time with because all they do is "goof around," is much easier for me and I get better feedback when I ask questions or want a student to explain an answer.  But the class that sleeps on me is very tough, my Cooperating Teacher says I have to do something to keep them awake, tell them a joke or something--which I do ALL THE TIME but they aren't receptive because they are comatose.  So, after the students come back after their American field trip, I am going to try a new approach to keep the students awake and engaged...cross your fingers for me!  I will explain the results in a few weeks.

After lunch this week, I have been doing counseling sessions with students from my Home Room.  I am inviting three students at a time to come visit me for about twenty minutes to discuss either what they have on their mind or to ask them questions I have ready.  None of the groups ever start the conversation and most told me that it would be easier if I would just start with my questions.  The reason I have questions is fun, actually, I have an old friend who teaches at Jennings Elementary School in St. Louis.  (Hi Tanya!)  Tanya asks her class the same question(s) I ask my students and then we swap answers and share them with the students.  I thought this would be a great exercise in cultural differences, cultural exchanges and seeing life through someone else's eyes for both the Korean and American students.

Counseling session: Tuesday

Counseling session: Thursday

Counseling session: Friday

So far, the students have been receptive to the exchange.  I get seemingly honest answers from the Korean students and it is a good experience for me to be introduced to each student individually.  Last week we discussed the extent and stress of their education and what it takes to get into one of the top three schools.  When I exchanged the answers with Tanya's class, her students were very surprised that anyone would take school that seriously, especially how some students go so far as to commit suicide if their college plans do not pan out.  I found this funny because that is exactly how I would have felt if I were them.  Tanya's class discussed issues such as bullying, growing up in low socioeconomic backgrounds, getting enough meals at home, etc.  I think the Korean students were surprised to hear about some of the American students issues.  So I will keep doing the exchange, I think it is good for them to hear about life on the other side of the world.  I hope this exchange will get the Koreans to think critically a bit, something they are not trained to do in school here.  Many of the Korean students want to study abroad in other countries so the exchange can open up their world a bit and maybe be more confident in their decision to travel.



To end this week's blog I have some advice.  Not any advice I would have come to on my own, necessarily, but invaluable advice I have honed from my hours of watching 48 Hours Mystery on CBS.com.  You see, I can only get a few stations online over here in South Korea.  Most of the major networks have blocks on watching anything American online overseas.  A major bummer, as you can imagine.  But CBS is available.  Sadly, CBS is available.  I NEVER watch CBS at home.  There are no CBS shows I obsess over and none of it's comedies are funny.  Two and a Half Men?  Mike and Molly?  No thanks.  And do people still watch Survivor??  But, I have found a certain respite in 48 Hours Mystery.  It's mostly tabloid trash without the famous people and that's probably why I find it halfway viewable.  So, in closing, I will impart on you my newfound knowledge on how to either 1. Stay alive or 2. Not get caught if you happen to need to off someone.

-Do not live in Las Vegas.  Just don't do it.
-Do not be any sort of "entertainer" but, mainly, don't be a stripper.
-Do not date a girl who is dating other men or women.
-Do not be a woman with more than one ex-husband.
-Do not cheat on your spouse.
-Do not let your spouse die if you happen to be divorcing them at the time.
-Do not shop for all the supplies you are going to use to get rid of someone at a store where there is CCTV.
-If someone takes out a life insurance plan on you--be very wary.
-Do not up your life insurance plan and then go around bragging about it.
-Do not have crazy teenage girls with psychotic rage problems.
-Do not have a double life consisting of being a PTA mom by day, escort by night.
-Do not marry people who have easy access to poisons and the like.  Like doctors.
-Or cops.  Do not marry cops.
-Do not live anywhere remote.  You're asking for trouble.


I'm sure I could go on.  But that's what comes to mind.  I'm not saying that any of these items for sure are going to get you into trouble--just steer clear of them if you don't want to end up on CBS.

This was the first week of actual teaching in my subject area.  It has proven to be just as difficult and challenging as I thought it would be.



Again, (and I know I'm beating that poor dead horse...)I have no idea about Economics.  I have no idea what is important and what can be glossed over and what needs more explanation.  I do not know what the students know, I do not understand concepts like they do, and I have no idea if what I am teaching them is new or not.  I was told by my CT that several of the concepts that I was to go over the students had already learned...but when I did not put too much time into discussing them in class, I was told that it needed more discussion because the students forget.  Huh?  Why did she not tell me this in the first place?  When I asked her what important points in the chapter were I got no definite answers.  After I gave the lesson, she was able to rattle off a list of the most important parts of the chapter...all of which I did not fully cover.   I found her notes/critique after I gave the lesson the most helpful since I arrived...which did not help the lesson I just gave and in no way benefited those students.



I could not tell if the CT and her American co-teacher actually put too much confidence in my knowledge of Economics or they do not know how to teach a teacher.  I would hate to think it was the former since I pleaded for two days straight to let me teach something other than Economics to no avail. I am obliged to think that they did not know what to tell me about teaching Economics until they saw me failing so miserably at it.  Then they had lots to say.

I gobbled their notes up like Thanksgiving dinner and retreated back to the library to sharpen the lesson before I had to do it again for another class.  The second time went much better.  I could concentrate on the central concepts, explain the graphs with more accuracy and the students participated more.  As the week wore on and I became more familiar with the class, the CT's consistent notes have helped a lot.  "Speak slower but have more inflection..." okay, check.  "Ask more students to participate...don't call them by their student numbers because it sounds like a prison identification number, call them by their names..." okay, no problem,sort of, if they don't mind laughing at my poor Korean pronunciation.  "Study the graphs more, they are the important parts of the chapter, and the students need to understand them,"  okay, I'll try!
Except for one instance where the projector broke and I had to straight lecture for thirty minutes one day, things went smoother and smoother the more lessons I gave.  I feel more prepared and more confident for next week's lessons and am hoping I will feel even better after that.

I am still struggling with my communication with Koreans.  Not that I cannot understand their words or they mine, but, it's the strangeness of their behavior.  Sometimes Koreans are very direct, very up front (almost tactless by American standards) in their communication.  Other times, I feel like I never get the whole story, that I am being protected from some invisible work-monster on the other side of what they are telling me.  It's frustrating and I would much prefer the straight forward approach.

The good news is that the students in the entire school, seem much more open to speaking with me and Bonnie the more they get used to seeing us.  Some students come up to us in the library to just chat, some students have us look over their English projects to help with grammar and spelling, some talk to us in the hall or the track after lunch.  They are very friendly.  I had one counseling session with a few students in my Home Room class this week and, although two were shy to talk, one girl was very open and forthright about her frustrations with the school atmosphere, the rigidness of the school system and her desire to go to America.  She has become a very important ally for me as I know I can go to her with any questions I have and she is more than happy to speak with me.

I am supposed to speak with my Home Room class in the afternoons for about five minutes.  At first I just told them current events or something historical.  My Home Room teacher, Mr. Lee, explained to me that he meant I needed to tell the kids something more personal every day, not academic (another instance of poor communication).  I have been sharing what I'm doing and introduced my family with a Power Point.  Last Thursday, I told the students about Pizza Night, how we talk about the schools and the differences between Korean students and American students.  I told them I wanted to bring up an article about President Obama and his desire to make American schools like Korean schools.  I got a resounding, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" from the students.  I started laughing and asked why...it basically always falls back to U.S. students having much more freedom than Korean students, and the Korean students envy them for it.  I may discuss this more in my counseling sessions with just a few students and see if they can elaborate more.  I find it very interesting.

As I like to end the blog on a good note...I found a Mexican restaurant this week and I was bubbling with glee when we went.  I ordered a disgustingly Weight-Watcher unfriendly chimichanga and a huge strawberry margarita. I was in heaven until I was done eating and I felt so full I could have died.  I seriously have not felt that painfully "at capacity" since arriving in Korea.  But, it may very well have been completely worth it.

It's the second week of school.  The students are blissfully done with their midterms.  The first year students are gearing up to take their 2 week field trip to America's finest schools: Harvard, Yale, UCLA, etc.  This field trip will leave me without students to teach for a while again.  I will discuss the field trip in the future.  I will be doing some improvising here soon, in the meantime, I will be teaching the dreaded Economics.

The economics and political science teachers at the high school went out for a school sponsored dinner on Tuesday night.  We went to the "bulgogi" restaurant, which turned out to be a very impressive, expensive traditional Korean meal where I had to sit on the floor for the first time.  Not exactly the easiest thing to do for a foreigner.  However physically uncomfortable I was was shadowed by one thing: I made a small breakthrough at the dinner.  As I have said, my Home Room teacher, Mr. Lee, does not speak great English yet.  I have a hard time understanding him and he does me.  So, to adapt, I began speaking much slower and much more articulate. It was like a huge, metal door opened and we actually had a normal conversation.  He commented that I was speaking different and I told him that I was making more of an effort to speak well.  He appreciated my effort and I appreciated that I wasn't saying "I'm sorry?" after everything he said.  I was also a little upset with myself that I had been the cause of our poor communication up to that point.  But, I'm glad to have figured it out.

I was able to "teach" two English conversation classes this week.  I wanted to introduce myself to the students, talk a little about holidays, and learn about Korea traditions.
The first class was boisterous, obviously more comfortable with their English than other classes.  It was hard to keep one side quiet while the other side gave answers to the questions...but they did talk, they did communicate and I think, overall, it was a success.
The second class was a different animal all together.  There was minimal communication between them and me.  Getting answers to the questions I asked was like pulling teeth from a very tall elephant.  I decided I should call on people to ask the question, but that usually incited giggling and frantically looking around.  It was obvious that their English was not as confident as the last class and the next time I am going to be more prepared for them...maybe bringing a game for the lesson instead.
A few interesting cultural differences came from the conversation classes:

1. The older children do not celebrate Halloween...I thought they do.  The students answered all my Halloween questions like they do celebrate.  But, somewhere in the conversation, they told me that Koreans do not participate in Halloween.  "Why?" I asked.  "Because we are Christian and Christians do not celebrate Halloween."  I told her that Americans are very Christian and almost everyone celebrates Halloween.  "Yes.  But we are more conservative," she said.

2. Christmas in Korea is very different from America.  It is a "couples" holiday as mostly couples celebrate it by going out on dates.  Children stop getting presents between the ages of 8-10, husband and wife do not exchange gifts with one another and families are not expected to come together on the day.  I was a little more than depressed to hear everyone stops getting gifts at a very young age.  That's my American consumerism and joy of shopping showing through there.  But, more than that, I was sad that families do not get together again after Thanksgiving...it's so nice to look forward to.

As the midterms were over I was finally able to observe a couple of Economics classes.  The class is split up between the Korean teacher, Ms. Yoo, and the American teacher, Brian.  She teaches one day with the first of the chapter and Brian follows.  When Brian teaches, Ms. Yoo is in the classroom to help with questions in Korean, to wake up the sleepers and to smack the back of the heads of students who dare have their Ipods out during a lesson. The last two might be worth a few more sentences :).
There is a lot of touching between the Korean people as they are very affectionate, overly affectionate to an outsider like myself.  Girls hold hands in the street, men walk with their arms around each other, couples can't stand more than inches apart out in public.  Like I said, a lot of touching.  And the touching does not stop once inside a school building.  If students are sleeping during the lessons, Ms. Yoo walks to each sleeper individually, puts her arms around their back, gives them several pats and says something in Korean.  On average, I say it keeps the student awake about 5-10 more minutes.  On Friday, for the first time, I witnessed the opposite of the nice pat on the back when she spotted two boys with an Ipod out.  They each got a smack to the back of the head.  A very hard smack to the back of the head.  I am still wondering how to react to it.  Bonnie was sitting in the class at the time so at least we could be shocked together.
I am still imagining how many American teachers daydream of that sort of no holds barred punitive decision making.  It was slightly amazing and pretty frightening at the same time.  I can't even fathom the reign of horror that would befall the American teacher that dared touch a student like that.  I imagine assault charges would be issued at some of the more liberal schools.  A local news channel might be called and the older generation, like my Grandma would watch, sigh and say, "What's the big deal? I'm sure they had it coming."

On Thursday nights we have been having a "Pizza Night" with our supervisor at Korea University, Dr. Lee.  We discuss the issues we are having at our schools, the cultural differences we see and learn about, and eat a lot of odd pizza.  One of the more interesting topics we discuss is the differences between what Koreans think of college and what Americans think of college.  Koreans study for years to get into the top tier schools of Korea--all of which are located in Seoul.  They forgo a normal childhood in favor of Hogwans (after school private tutoring) and weekend study.  Mostly this would be the decision of their parents.  If they do not get into the top tier school it is devastating.  A less prestigious school is out of the question for many and the suicide rate is very high.  According to the World Health Organization in 2009, South Korea's suicide rate was number two in the world.  (America, in contrast, was number 40.) In America, in certain circles, this is probably true as well.  However, for most American students, we have back up schools, we have parents who are proud just for going on to college, we still have many high school graduates who never see the inside of a college classroom.  It does not seem to be as big of a deal in America.
In Korea, it's the only thing that matters to most.  So what happens with those people who never got into the top tier school?  Or, worse yet, the South Korean who never went on to higher education but instead went straight to work?  When the question was posed on Pizza Night, no one could really give a straight answer.  It depended on the type of person you were as to whether or not you would ostracize another for being uneducated.  Some had friends who were not college educated but they could not discuss anything related to college with the friend.  But I continued to wonder what about as a whole, as a societal attitude?  I felt the Koreans in the meeting were tip-toeing around the conversation because they knew the truth is, in their still heavily Confucian world, there are still caste systems people live in here in Korea.  I am of the opinion that the person who never went to college lives out the rest of his or her life feeling second class to those who did.
And this could happen in America as well, in certain families, but not as often and not as blatant.  We are also not immune to a type of caste system that works toward keeping people at a certain level where they must strive very hard to pull themselves up from.  But, as a foreign observer, I feel that it is so much more visible here.  And those suicide rates only seem to confirm my opinion.

To round out this blog with something positive...Bonnie and I were invited to a magical place called Lotte World yesterday by Bonnie's Korean Buddy, April. It's a sort of pared down, cramped Disney World.  It was awesome.  I am going to borrow some of Bonnie's pictures (Thanks, Bonnie!) to show on the blog so I have something pictorial for this post.  Enjoy!

The indoor ice skating rink!

Me looking weird. As usual.

The outside park "Magic Island"

Lotte World!!!

Seoul Global High School

There is no grass...only Astroturf.

We trudged up our first mountain climb of the day to Seoul Global High School on Monday.  I got a better look at the school this day as opposed to the last time I was rushed through like a foreign president, shaking hands with higher ups and doing a press conference before being whisked away to another important stop on the agenda. The school is aesthetically pleasing to see at first sight.  It sits squarely, high up in the city, it is architecturally beautiful and it is evident that a good deal of effort was made to make the building impressive.  Inside a minimalist decorating style was used, there are plants in the foyer, there are many windows, each floor is painted a different colors in the stairwell, but the walls of the school itself are bare, concrete bare, like a jail cell.  Explained to me later on, I would learn that the concrete was left bare on purpose to look like "unfinished work" to represent how teaching and learning were always "unfinished work."  Interesting.

The students live on campus.  Although a public school, they pay a tuition which includes their room and board, their education, the rec rooms, the exercise facilities and little else.  Students are to remain at the school (and out of the dorms) from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm.  Classes end at 4:30 and they are to spend extra time studying or checking out books in the library.  The students must get permission from the teachers to leave campus so there is little physical contact with Seoul while school is in session.  Two different teachers have expressed a dislike for the system, one English conversation teacher even saying it was "like a prison," for which I have to agree.  Especially after thinking about those concrete walls.

The teachers at the school have different responsibilities from other schools I have observed in the states (and I imagine, very different from other South Korean high schools).  This is the best (highest academic achievement) high school in South Korea for students who are taking the Humanities track of study. No pressure for us lowly student teachers. There is a sister school, not too far, that is the best school for the Math/Sciences track of study.

Economics Class...studiously studying for their midterms.

The teachers, on average, teach about 12 hours a week.  (Which is bad news for student teachers who were supposed to take over a subject and teach every day of the week, but found they can't because they would be taking too much of the Korean teachers job from them.  An obstacle we are still working our way around.)  They do not have their own classroom, but rather, have a cubicle in one of the handful of teacher offices and the students stay in one room for the day while the teachers carousel in and out.  The Korean teachers are expected to be in their Home-Room for thirty minutes in the morning and the same in the afternoon with the students.  I am still not quite sure what they do with the rest of their time.  I assume they work on their lesson plans or do administrative work...but, as we are assigned to an office in the library, far from the teacher offices, I have not witnessed first hand how the rest of their day is spent.


Many of the Korean teachers are also co-teaching with a Foreign teacher who speaks English as a first language.  I know some of the teachers are from the U.S. but also England and Canada.  They share the teaching responsibilities for one class.  Creating, it would seem, even less work.  As a teacher, this seems like an ideal job...except the every-other-Saturday work day.  That's right, America, they go to school on Saturdays.  That, I'm afraid, I would never get used to.

I have been assigned a cooperating teacher and a Home Room teacher.  Both are incredibly nice and helpful.  I was concerned (alright, I'm still concerned) with my assigned cooperating teacher because she teaches economics.  I don't do economics.  I hate the word "economics."  I am aware that it is the backbone of government and history--but, gah--I just don't get it.  If economics had been the only section of the Praxis, I would have failed my Praxis.  So it is frustrating that I will have to teach this bore of a subject.  But Ms. Yoo will help me, I'm  sure, she is sympathetic to my troubles.  My Home Room teacher's name is Mr. Lee.  He is so very nice but, sadly for both of us, his English is not great and I have a hard time understanding. I know he has been assigned a Canadian co-teacher this semester so I am positive it will improve, even the short time I am there.  I am always very impressed by their English proficiency here.  Everyone makes an effort--even the students.

Home Room class with Mr. Lee (left hand corner).  This was the end of the day.

This was a "sorta" first week for us at the school.  I say sort of because they have midterms for seven days so our classroom responsibilities have been about a zero all week.  And their midterms are intense.  The students are sat in the gym in long rows and they are assigned a seat according to their Home Room.  The teachers come in, pass out the tests and answer sheets, and then leave the room.  The only person who stays in the room is the person who wrote the test. (Example: If the students are taking the Korean history test, the Korean history teacher stays in the room.  The only job of that person is to answer questions.)  This school uses the "honor system."  A new, huge banner was hung in the gym with the words AN HONEST MAN IS THE NOBLEST WORK OF GOD written for all to see and shudder about. I guess it works, but, it is scary. It might as well say, GOD IS WATCHING YOU CHEAT, YOU SINNER! Maybe that's just my interpretation.  Again, this is a public school.  This would not go down so well back home.

Weird things of the week:
1. Being asked by two different teachers how comfortable we were in the school (totally normal) then one continued and said we must be uncomfortable because our Home Room teachers were men.  Huh?  Are young Korean women uncomfortable to work with men?  I could only laugh and reassure her that it was not the case.  She seemed genuinely shocked by my response.

2. Why is the toilet paper outside the bathroom stall?  Why do I always seem to forget that and end up having to stomp back out of the stall to grab some?  It's not all over Seoul like that, but a few places have it set up with toilet paper outside the stalls. I wonder how do Koreans know if they need to grab toilet paper first or not?  And the answer is not, "because the toilet paper dispenser is hanging on the wall so you know you should grab some," because they use that toilet paper to also dry their hands.  Culture shock.

3. A teacher (who is incredible nice to us, but, very intimidating to the students) uses English conversation homework as punishment.  Two students were caught this week watching TV in the rec room when they were not allowed.  They were assigned to memorize an English conversation and recite it to the teacher.  Sadly for them, they did not pass.  So...more English homework!

Upsides of the week:
1. The students are adorable and nice.  Many stop and say "hi" and "welcome to our school" and "good morning" every day.  They are obviously very respectful, they bow to their Korean teachers.  When we were asked if American students bowed to American teachers I, again, laughed.  I could never imagine a world in which that would happen.

2. The lunches are superb!  Delicious, different, a real experience.  I am pleasantly surprised everyday. I even ate tofu (fried and covered in deliciously sweet sauce) the other day which I NEVER do.  I usually hate tofu.  But, it was so good!  I am still very self conscious about eating with chopsticks in front of the Korean teachers. But, one did complement me the other day, so I guess my practicing paid off.

3. The foreign teachers are also very nice and they are working with us so that we can get more lessons in during our time here.  As they don't really teach too much during a week at Seoul Global, it is very generous for them to give up some of their teaching time.

4. There is no class bell for the students to know the class is over.  Instead it is either a classical music clip (which I'm sure is famous but I don't know about classical music) or Moon River.  It's actually very pleasant.  I'm sure the kids hate it.