This was just as I was walking into work. I was greeted by the hysterical cries of my co-teacher, Jimmy, screaming at me in Konglish to find a towel and that she needed help. Nick was not crying at all and being that I have seen a good deal of head injuries, didn't seem to be bleeding a whole lot either.
I ran and got a towel, while the rest of the Korean staff backed away in horror as if they have never seen blood before, gasping for breath and really just getting in the way rather than helping the situation. Nick was put into the school van with Jimmy and rushed to the hospital down the street while the other teachers called him mom and in hushed tones whispered about how horrible the situation was.
When Jimmy returned to school she was so distraught. She said she felt horrible and that his mother would be so angry and went on and on about how bad she felt.
Now, in Jimmy's defense, Nick was not supposed to be in the gym by himself. His clumsy ass fell down all on his own...so why was she feeling so bad? If she was in the room, what could this 5 feet tall, 110 lb woman have done to prevent the situation?
Everyone was just so upset that we canceled all lesson plans for the 5 year old class and made "Get Well Soon" cards in every possible language imaginable. Then, as a school, every teacher walked 2 miles to his house to apologize profusely to his mother.
As nice that this is that they were so concerned and all, is this really necessary? I mean kids fall down...they break bones and crack themselves open. It is what they do, especially little boys! Well, not in Korea. This is a catastrophe! How dare we not watch this disobedient child every second that he is in our care. How could we betray this mother's trust and not dive across the hard wood floor to cushion his fall? GIVE ME A BREAK!
Best part...Jimmy tells me, "Erika, you could see the bone!"
"Uhhh, ya Jimmy, feel your forehead. Is there a lot of muscle there? Is there a lot of skin? It's not like he sliced 4 inches deep and was impaled by the corner. Facial tissue breaks open easily. It also heals quickly."
That was comforting enough for her...until the doctor told his mother that the nerves might have been damaged and that he may never open his eye again...
TALK ABOUT MALPRACTICE INSURANCE...let's tell them the worst possible scenario that will absolutely never happen, so when it turns out to be just a simple scar, everyone praises me and says what an amazing doctor I am!
So, that is my rant for the day. I wasn't even going to write about it until another Korean teacher, Lucy came up to me just now to say, "Wow, Nick's mother is very generous." Mind you, Lucy's English is...I don't want to say not good since she is going to classes 5 days a week...but, not where it should be as an "English teacher". So, I say, "Really? Why? What did she bring us?" thinking that she saw our unnecessary gesture of showing up to her house unannounced was cute and wanted to thank us.
"Because she forgive us."
I don't feel as though forgiveness is needed or warranted. The kid not listening or following the rules fell down, as kids do and happened to end up with a couple of stitches.
Well, little Nick, enjoy getting your ass kissed for the rest of the year. Just don't knock your block head on anything else!
