Chicks flying away from nest
By Lee Eung-tae
From the outside, it looks like any other school in Gimhae, South Gyongsang Province. There is a gym, a three-floor building complex and trifoliate orange trees bordering the playground.
An ordinary entrant may not even be aware that her attendance for the upcoming three years will be a landmark period in life not only because of adolescence, which will naturally come out of the blue but also because of countless moments of invaluable experience during her time at school
A year and nine months ago, I was transferred here along with several other teachers. Even before setting foot on the premises, I felt the school to be an amazing myth, a cross between wonderland and heaven.
Decorated by unseasonable snow which dressed everything in white clothes, the view of this school took my breath away. A handful of floppy snow slightly touched my eye, offering cool refreshment which invigorated my inert senses.
Contrasted with the panoramic white view of the surrounding mountain, the school conjured up an image of ``Charlie and Chocolate Factory” where a slew of chubby squirrels in triangular hats were bustling around, rolling their chocolate balls in and out of the hole.
A multitude of girls were seen posing for photos against a background of maple trees whose boughs were bent down by the weight of snow. Others just cheerfully enjoyed their break time.
This idyllic first impression of the school has been intertwined with unforgettable experiences, shared with students and co-teachers, which are ingrained deeply in my heart.
Now I recall those indelible memories in the afternoon in mid-November under the maples on campus, observing yellow foliage falling and blanketing everything on the earth. Each memory seems to float out of my mind one by one just like falling maple leaves.
The moment of victory of our school hockey team after a tenacious fight in the torrential rain moved all of us to tears. The memory of rafting with faculty members last summer during a school workshop ― when teachers on board became as close as valued family members ― will remain in my heart.
The most recent moving experience must be the ceremony of cheering third grade students to wish them success in the College Scholastic Aptitude Test (CSAT). Watching senior students walking in amid the loud applause of junior students, singing the song ``Aim High” in chorus and releasing balloons into the sky will remain deeply in all our memories.
Now, those chubby squirrels which first caught my eye have just been released from the burden of the CSAT. Looking at the grateful eyes of those students who thanked their teachers for the effort to teach them, I find my eyes getting teary. Regardless of results, I’d like to say to them all, ``You did very well.”
In a few months, they will graduate from this school, leaving behind precious traces of their time here. Leaving our loving protection, they will fly away like chicks from the nest into a new adventurous world.
Hopefully, those apples of my eye will step into society armed with the love and affection that they have acquired from their teachers and friends.
Having said that, my worry is that society will not always be kind to them and they will have to face many challenges down the road.
However, the precious memories of their high school days will surely remain in their hearts forever, so that whenever they feel depressed or frustrated by any overwhelming burdens of life, they will be invigorated by those memories.
The writer is an English teacher at Gimhae Girls' High School in South Gyeongsang Province. He can be reached at eungtae@gmail.com.