They always hit a soft spot.

Although I have no school today since everyone gets the day off to go and vote in the Presidential election, I miss my office, the teachers, the children and the drive to do some actual work.

So here's something from the heart, or, to be clever, the brain. As the school year winds down in Korea and winter break is only two days away, lessons have been becoming less and less like academic lessons. My CT wanted a movie that was easy to understand, educational and interesting ranking in that order. Since all the movies I was allowed to pick were Disney or Pixar from the twenty first century, I explained that I will pick a morally educating film. I decided to show the kids a segment of Toy Story 3 accompanied with a list of comprehension questions and new vocabulary to define in Korean and write out (you'd be surprised how many misspell these words or colloquialisms even though they're written on the page).

The segment I selected was near the end of the film where - spoiler alert - the toys travel through a garbage dump and nearly meet their demise before they are saved by the Pizza Planet Aliens. For the record, Toy Story  was one of my favourite movies growing up and even with the reasonably low expectations I had for other Disney sequels I couldn't help but believe that Hanks wouldn't lend his talents to a stinker. Fortunately I was right. Even after watching the same mise-en-scene of Rex, Mr. and Ms. Potatohead, Bullseye, Ham, Slink, Jessie, Buzz and Woody all holding hands in a circle, waiting to burn away, it always hits me. This moment of togetherness is just really touching to me. Seeing this moment almost puts me back to watching Toy Story on VHS on a television with knobs and no remote. Happy times, when life was simple, apart from having to hang-up your phone before you could use the internet.

However, these kids obviously have a much more detached relationship to Woody and the gang. As they watch there's no sense of enthrallment or worry, just some back row commentary. One of the baseball players at my school got a little watery-eyed which made me smile. Having to teach one lesson 9 times is a little irritating but watching this action packed exert will make the final 2 days zoom by. And if I get bored (not likely) I think I'll just read to myself at the front of the room (Junk by Melvin Burgess, not bad so far).