HS Class of 1959 Hold Reunions With Ex-Teachers

“Well, let’s begin the class.”

High school girls in white school uniforms and neatly combed short hair giggle behind the podium.

“Sir, Yeong-ja likes you.”

They laugh as the teacher’s face turned red and he clears his throat.

This scene was from 50 years ago. The then 19-year-old girls are now grandmothers in their 70s. They said, however, that they feel as if they were 19 again when seeing their teacher.

Members of Jahahoe, a gathering of the Jinmyung High School class of 1959, reunited the day before Teacher’s Day.

More than 30 years have passed since 30 classmates had a gathering with their teachers – Kim Dong-hwan, 82, and Min Byeong-chan, 85. After graduation, they held individual reunions, but since 1989, they have invited their former teachers every year.

Park Myeong-soon, 69, who used to be a good student, got married, had two sons, and now has a grandchild. Kim Jong-nim, 69, who made people laugh at school, dropped out of college because she said she got a crush on her husband. Kim became a housewife.

Though some say students age along with their teachers, they are still high school girls throwing a tantrum to their teachers. To teachers, the grayed women look like high school students.

It was exactly the same as 50 years ago, when they checked the number of attendants, saying, “Where is Jong-nim? Check who is missing.”

Students around age 70 wiped tears when their teacher Kim Dong-hwan, who underwent heart surgery and is taking medication, said, “Meeting all of you again is more helpful than this medicine.”

Both students and teachers got excited the day before their reunion as if they were going on a picnic. Teachers checked their suits for the day, and students recalled stories to make their teachers laugh.

“We won’t know until when we meet our teachers, but we`ll continue to meet each other as proud teachers and lovely students.”

minki@donga.com