Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kermo]

This is a bit of writing from my friend's student (around 9 years)

Dear my teacher. Hello teacher. Today is teacher day so I give you letter long time., you teach Day yet. We're meet long Day yet. So I'm love you long long Day live. Bye.

As my friend was reading this out loud, I was asking about punctuation as I transcribed it, and I would get answers like
"There's a period AND a comma."
"Well, "day" is capitalized..."

I also couldn't help snickering at "I give you letter long time."

This bit I didn't snicker at at all. It's a heartbreaker. In previous writing assignments he has citing his parents' fighting, shopping and go-stop-playing as major source of unhappiness, and says repeatedly they are "very mean." When he's lonely, he says he goes to "back streets."
On the following page, he writes on the topic of "Ways to Fight Sadness"

My ways to fight sadness is
First, don't crying.
Second, don't think of parents mean.
Thired, don't mad the parents.
Forth, don't fight.
Fifth don't talking the unhappy word (he has scratched out an "l" changing world to word-- Freudian slip?)
Sisth, like a parent.

Predictably, he's an angry young man. My friend is facing a stack of these nonsensical and morose little journal to do outside work hours, and I pity her. I pity her long time.

[poet13]

I dont think they are nonsensical at all. Heartbreaking, definitely. I think he's a very sad and confused young man using writing to try and sort out his feelings, a coping mechanism if you will. I would encourage this boy to develop his skills. As he gets better and better at expressing himself, it may also help him with his feelings and confusion.
It helped/s me.

[Woland]

Yeah, I wouldn't correct the grammar on these; I suspect this kid gets corrected enough, if you know what I mean.

Like poet13 said, I think he is taking the opportunity given to him in writing in English to deal with his feelings. It would be good to keep giving him these opportunities and to respond in ways that let him know that you're willing to listen and engage him.

[steroidmaximus]

I don't want to think about how many times students have said "I love you long time" . . . the first few times I was mildly titillated, now I'm pretty blase about it. So many other inappropriately translated / written assignments could be mentioned, but one of my favorite lines ever from a writing assignment was: "I am monochrome picture yellow". Sounds like it should be the title of a porn movie. . . should put it on a T-shirt.

[kermo]

As I said, this is not my student-- it's my friend's kid, and she's extremely compassionate. However, she's obliged to put red marks in these books to prove she's doing her job.

I started the post before I found the sad parts, so I ended up getting off topic. I know she'll do her best to read out to these kids-- she said "Kids write these things for a reason," and she's right. What baffles me though is how she's supposed to do anything constructive for his English in this context.