a hard thing for me to understand

One thing that really gets to me, that is something that most likely affects every teacher, is that there are some students who, (for one reason or another), don't give a flying f about your class and their attitude reflects it. It is really upsetting for me to deal with, being the super English speaker that I am. I understand that there are certain children who are going to grow up and work as farmers or auto mechanics and never leave Korea, and for those people it is pointless to learn English. The way that the Korean school system is set up now is that EVERY student has an English class every day, and this adds to the problem that I'm talking about. Some students just don't want to be there. They don't belong there, and they know it. So, to these students, I really want to tell them to just leave. Because their lack of motivation bleeds to the students around them and it causes no work to be done at their entire table, even though the other students around them might be totally willing to do the work.

I'm kind of steaming right now because this student just did something to me that I know I have done to people when I am feeling annoyed by them. (I'm sorry Mom and Dad, I know that I've done this to you, and I understand how much you probably wanted to smack me but didn't.) Ok so this week I am doing this ridiculously easy supermarket thing. There are illustrations and everything, and I had already explained the vocabulary. A common tactic that I use is to walk around the classroom and point down at the paper (if the students aren't working on it), and say "Why?" They understand that word and it is funny and it works. I don't scold them. So this one girl was sitting there with her head down and I tapped her on the back and she sat up and I pointed at the paper and said why. I love it when the Korean students do this, they just look at you, as if they were a deer in some headlights, as if you are speaking a mile a minute, and don't say anything. She looked around and said a few things to her friends in Korean. At this point I know a little Korean, and I pointed to the paper and said that the assignment was for Elementary School students, and she gave me the same look, and, rather than addressing me, she was telling her friends that she didn't know what I was talking about. So then I said that she was a Middle School student, and that the assignment was for young children. I said it a few times, and then she said "okay, okay," to me, (that's the annoying thing that I'm talking about). I felt like saying, "Oh, so you DID understand me? GET OUT." But I kept my cool and moved to another table, where the students were actually doing their work.

Oh yeah, and it's my BIRTHDAY!!!! My co-teacher said that the Principal had "approved the money for my party", and I don't really know what that means... Does that mean I have a South Korean Government funded party coming up? What kind of extravagance should I expect???