Happy Humpday Haiku #43

Tired Eyes

No child is immune

To the stress that surrounds them.

They just don't know it. 

            In the mornings I ask my kindergarten students how they are doing. One student, Joy, said he was sleepy. This has been a common response over the last few weeks, in part due because the kids think their being silly and cute. To make him justify his answer I asked him, "Why?"

            "I couldn't fall asleep"

            "Why?"

            "My Mom and Dad were fighting"

            "What do you mean?"

            "Mom was yelling at Dad"

            "Why?"

            "Dad was smoking"

            "And so.."

            "Then Mom started yelling at Dad to stop smoking. And Dad yelled at Mom. And I couldn't go to sleep"

            "I'm sorry, Joy"

            "I tell Dad to stop smoking, but still he is smoking"

            "I'm sorry, Joy"

            "Smoking is bad"

What is particularly troublesome about this whole situation is the type of child Joy is. He is incredibly bright, but is prone to extreme mood swings. On four or five such occasions he has been physically removed from the classroom because he was in a fit of rage and wouldn't speak to anybody. The triggers for these fits range from not understanding the directions to an activity, to being asked if he needed help opening his milk. It's difficult enough being the child that Joy is and having to grow up in the South Korean education system (which if you don't know about, here's a very interesting and short clip I implore you to watch) but having an episode as described above in his home only exacerbates that problem. Anyways, Happy Humpday.