Caramel Teeth

In one of my many reading classes, we recently read about teeth. Particularly about losing teeth. Apparently the tooth fairly doesn't visit Korea.

I asked the children, "Have you lost any teeth? What did you do with them?"

Allow me to share Iris's story (I did my best to use her words, but fixed her grammar).

"I had a loose tooth, so my mother tied a string to it and then tied the other end of the string to my bedroom door. Every night, my father comes home at the same time and reads me a story before I go to sleep. My mother knew this, so she waited until just before he came home to tie my tooth to the door. When my father opened my door, my tooth came out. Then he had to give me money."

It is Korean tradition to throw your lost tooth up onto your roof and yell, "Bring me back a strong tooth." Tradition holds that the magpie will take the baby tooth and bring back a new stronger tooth. Iris said she lives in an apartment very high up so she could not throw her tooth onto the roof. (I feel like this is a Dr. Seuss book...roof, tooth, booth, soothe)

Instead, she threw her tooth out the window and yelled, "God, give me a new stronger tooth!" (I imagined all the children in Korea throwing their teeth out 20 story apartment windows. "Bring your umbrellas, 60 percent chance of teeth today.")

This was a Valentine gift from a little girl named SallyOne (I also have a SallyTwo). I find the English part funny.

In my interview class, I asked the question, "If you were a candy, what would you be? Why?"

I liked this part of Joy's answer, it seemed very thoughtful to me...
"I would be a caramel. Because people who eat me must melt me with spittle. It is a little awkward at first. After a long time, we will be friends."

A wiseman once said, "Two blankets are warmer than one."