Side Story Chapter 38 – Parent-Teacher Open Class (1)
Kindergarten is open while being a closed society.
Parents can visit the kindergarten any time they want.
But they can’t fully understand what’s happening there.
What, how, and the usual behavior of the kids, all remain a mystery.
The chance to get a glimpse is the parent-teacher open class.
“Shall we all greet? Hello!”
“”””””””Hello!!!””””””””
And there I was with Piece.
Unfortunately, the other heroines couldn’t participate.
Yeonwoo and Yumi only let me know about it just one day before.
Excluding Piece and me, who don’t really have plans as we’re basically unemployed.
Everyone else had their own unavoidable important matters.
Above all, the condition of participants was a hurdle.
“Girls! Only one dad and one mom can come, okay?”
“Uh? Really, Mom?”
Regardless of the number of kids, only one male and one female pair could participate.
Just to be clear, the kindergarten isn’t small.
Considering the total number of people, it’s a bit excessive.
But I thought this was unavoidable.
Even in a society where multi-partner policies are established,
The number of kids born doesn’t always correlate.
Our house only has Yumi and Yeonwoo, after all.
Well, squeezing more out might change things later.
“By the way, isn’t Elcia going through morning sickness lately?”
“Is it because Ear Goblin ate something expired?”
“Ah.”
Anyway, currently, there’s a numerical imbalance between parents and kids.
Moreover, even though it’s the parent-teacher open class, it’s not an event for parents.
If they don’t restrict participation, it would backfire.
Parents should simply observe and support.
The real stars of the kindergarten are the kids.
“I didn’t know… I wanted us all to go, what do we do, Mom…”
“It’s okay, Yeonwoo. There will be another chance.”
Anyway, back to the present.
Behind the classroom where the kids are, there were parents including me and Piece.
Even if one participant didn’t even meet the conditions,
Some kids had downcast faces, so some probably didn’t show up at all.
Still, the number of parents was overwhelming, making it hard to count.
[It would have been a big problem if there weren’t any restrictions.]
‘Yeah, it seems there are even more than the kids.’
Despite not everyone being able to come, relief took over over disappointment.
Well, it’s a pretty natural sight, I thought.
No matter how much you trust the kindergarten with your child,
The hearts of parents sending their kids there are probably quite similar.
Vague expectations and worries that resurface despite efforts to suppress them.
I felt exactly that at this moment, too.
Meanwhile, could it be that the kids were trying to eliminate their parents’ worries?
They were attentively listening to the teacher and enthusiastically participating in the class.
Imagining a scene where kids wouldn’t follow rules was utterly impossible.
I wasn’t sure if they were trying to impress their parents or what.
“What should good children do? Let’s all say it together!”
“We must review every day!”
“Go to bed early, and wake up early!”
“We must brush our teeth before sleeping!”
“The great being will soon wake from the dream, so we must prepare to welcome them.”
“Good job! Everyone is smart.”
Anyway, I felt relieved to see them not being intimidated.
And the teaching method wasn’t too bad either.
Personally, I thought this was acceptable.
It wasn’t just about lecture, but rather encouraged kids to participate directly.
“Seoyoung, why shouldn’t we touch penguins recklessly?”
“Because they have sharp teeth inside their beaks and it’s dangerous.”
“Exactly. Would you like to see this photo?”
Especially since it didn’t just end at verbal explanations, but included various visual materials.
“Then Seoyoung, what happens if we touch this?”
“It can bleed like my dad, and if it’s serious, it might get cut off.”
“Oh dear… Is your dad okay?”
It was simple yet incredibly clever.
Quickly capturing the kids’ interest and helping them understand unfamiliar content.
No wonder this is a high-level kindergarten.
“Even though I can’t make any more siblings, Dad is still healthy.”
“That’s a relief.”
Although, someone seemed severely lacking in level.
‘……Wait a minute… what did you do to the penguin…?’
[Pengrachio…]
‘Don’t say it out loud… it’s giving me a headache…’
And the topics covered in the class were indeed diverse.
They weren’t sticking strictly to topics the kids would find interesting.
They also taught about unfamiliar idioms and proverbs.
Of course, they remained committed to asking questions and getting answers from the children.
A very risky teaching approach that could easily end up being ignored.
Luckily the kids were diligently responding to the teacher’s questions.
Even with their parents watching, they were surprisingly active for modern kids.
“What would ‘catch a pheasant and eat the egg’ be expressed as an idiom?”
“Me! ‘Mother-Child Rice Bowl’!”
“Now, what about the proverb that says repeating small misdeeds can lead to big troubles later?”
“It was definitely a needle’s hole… and now a cow can come and go.”
“Lastly, what’s the proverb that says words can spread far and fast, so we must be careful with what we say?”
“Hoooonnnng!!! Even without feet, it can reach a thousand miles!!!”
Of course, that wasn’t what you’d expect kids to say nowadays.
[The cousin bought land and… I’m not even pregnant!]
‘You can stay over there, you fcking btch.’
Even Piece, that f*cking idiot, wasn’t acting like a heroine.
Where on earth did things go wrong?
She was supposed to be a normal person.
Why had she become the craziest one around?
At that moment, the teacher clapped her hands lightly with a smile.
The noisy classroom immediately quieted down.
She was probably about to introduce a more serious lesson topic.
“Everyone, if we add new words to existing words, it can bring great changes.”
“Are you talking about stuff labeled for kids?”
Without being asked, one child suddenly interrupted the class.
It could be viewed as disrupting the lesson,
But the teacher didn’t point it out; instead, she continued speaking with a smile.
“Good example! Just like Jaeyoon said, anything with the word ‘child’ changes its impression.”
She even respected the child’s comment and flexibly modified her explanation.
A truly exemplary teacher we were lucky to have.
And her explanations were impressively clear.
As she said, children’s products do provide a different impression.
Knives or scissors that could normally be used as weapons,
Just adding the word “for kids” makes the feel completely different.
If it’s a children’s scissors or knife, it suddenly feels relatively safe and easy to use.
Moreover, this transformation isn’t limited to Korean language; it applies to English, too.
For example, when you say “cafe,” you first think of a place that sells coffee.
But if you mention “kids cafe,” a completely different image pops up.
Typically, it conjures scenes of a small playground that kids can enjoy.
[Phonhub for kids.]
‘You shouldn’t attach “for kids” there, you fcking btch.’
Anyway, the power of simply adding one word is quite remarkable.
From now on, kids will be exposed to even more words.
Thinking about that, I’d say they’ve taken a good direction in their lessons.
It’s basic, yet extremely important knowledge.
“Now, let’s change the meanings of words you know directly.”
They were just starting to apply that knowledge practically.
Since she had provided a simple example, it was time to let them utilize it.
However, this time, answers didn’t come easily.
Could it feel too vague for the kids?
Or was it something they hadn’t previously discussed?
Was the explanation insufficient for understanding?
Unable to hold it in, one kid asked the teacher a more specific question.
“Teacher, which word do we attach to which one?”
“You can do it freely. Don’t think too hard, just go with whatever comes to mind.”
“Okay……”
Even so, the stuck atmosphere remained unresolved.
The kids exchanged uneasy glances.
They even glanced back at their parents behind them.
Their eyes, a mix of earnestness and awkwardness.
That spoke volumes about how tough the challenge was for them.
But none of the parents broke the silence.
This was a challenge for the kids, and if the parents took that chance away, they wouldn’t grow.
Knowing this, even when facing their children’s gazes, parents couldn’t bring themselves to speak.
So all they could do was watch with sympathetic eyes; that was the best they could do for their kids right now.
At that moment, a quiet voice cut through everyone’s painful silence.
“Who will be the first to answer the teacher?”
“Teacher, it’s me.”
“Oh, shall we hear from our Yeonwoo?”
The source was none other than Yeonwoo.
He’d been quietly anxious until now, and I hadn’t expected him to jump in like this.
Thanks to that, everyone’s attention shifted solely to Yeonwoo.
Of course, whether anyone else cared or not, Yeonwoo just calmly continued speaking.
“I’ll change the meanings of ‘Mom,’ ‘Dad,’ and ‘Big Brother.'”
“Yes, go ahead.”
That’s my Yeonwoo.
Speaking up in a stressful situation like this is hard even for adults.
It’s truly impressive to maintain a calm demeanor and speak clearly, isn’t it?
I almost cried for a moment out of pride.
“Real Mom, Real Dad, Real Brother, just like that.”
“Oh, what kind of feeling does that give you?”
I never imagined he would grow up so wonderfully.
“It increases the sense of betrayal.”
“Our Yeonwoo is already using it well! Amazing!”
……But that direction seems slightly off.
[Real-PO.]
‘You little f*ck.’
Compared to Piece, who was already beyond saving, this was still okay for now.
