The Illushas.

I should never be a real teacher. I would play favorites way too hard. Secretly I love these two the most. Meet Illia Homych and Illya Smirnov (short for Illusha).

I got them hooked on Temple Runner. They would not leave for a half hour after class ended cause they wanted to play.

They. Are. So. Cute. I will probably smuggle them to America.

Reasons why they're my favorite. On the first day of class I was sitting at my desk and Illia H comes rushing down the hall screaming "HELLO MISS MALLORY!!" 

Illya Smirnov (on the right) is 10 years old. And he is the freaking most genius kid I have met. First off, they have a school-wide knowledge competition here that goes region and even country-wide that the students participate in, and this kid has won first place three years in a row. Secondly, he knows Russian, Ukrainian, English, French and German. Here are just some snippets of conversations I've had with him.

Illya: I read about hail that was the size of golf balls in (some country) and they were about 2 kilos a piece!

Me: That is crazy! I don't know kilos though, only pounds.

Illya: Oh a pound is 2.2 kilos.

We did a science experiment where you put a tissue in the bottom of a cup and push it straight down into a bowl of water and the tissue stays dry. (It's cool, try it.)

Me: So why do you think the tissue stays dry?

Illya: Because the air pressure is greater than the water pressure.

Me: What's the difference between will have, has and had?

Illya: Had is the past imperfect form of has. 

The kid's TEN!! He's just crazy smart and it blows my mind. 

I love these kids. They are the cherry on top of this experience.