From Ma’am to Mom

(12/21)

My wife, Jane, has been teaching the Korean language at Christ University since 2007. I’m always amazed by her class preparation. Korean is her mother tongue. She has been teaching it for more than a decade. And yet, she always spends several hours to prepare for each class. Students join her Level 1 course in July and Level 2 course in November. Jane arranges their textbooks and workbooks before the first class. Students love such a kind ma’am. On the first day of class, students are asked to write their own stories about how they joined the course. Later at home, Jane reads their stories with great delight. By the end of it, she already remembers their faces and names. She loves to surprise them with cakes on their birthdays. It is not difficult to locate her classroom as it is always filled with laughter and singing of Korean songs. Sometimes, she takes all the chopsticks from home to class. She also arranges potato chips to teach them how to deliciously use the chopsticks. Other times, she holds her Korean cuisine class at home. On those days, I become her cameraman. At her request, I also become a Taekwondo instructor for the students. Indian students are extremely smart in learning the Korean language. They also become experts in using chopsticks and singing Korean songs. Many of them got the chance to study in South Korea. Most of her graduated students are still in close touch with her. They think of her as their mom, not their ma'am. These days they are unable to meet physically. Still, they use the Dunzo delivery app to send home food to each other. Now, I have become her Dunzo-booking man. Jane's teaching through love and care continues.