Conflict..Conflict

Again another post related to teaching experience. Sorry buddies. You have to bear with my mundane teaching experiences for another 2 months. I might start a different blog for that soon. But seriously, I feel like I’m living in a world where weekend flies in seconds. And the teachers bully us, the trainee teachers. We were given too many relief classes, asked to key in marks, and translate Science works from BM to English and when I told her about the reverting to BM policy, she just smiled and said, “Yeah, but it’s better to be prepared”.

On the other hand, the students really see us as the adults whom they can seek help from. I was relieving a Form 3 class the other day and casually started talking to a girl who seemed very much into studies and stuff like that. After few minutes of talking the girl started asking me about the options that she has for her tertiary education. She was like, “Teacher, do you think private university is good? Or do you think government university is better?, Do you think I should take accountancy? Which university is better for accountancy. Which course should I do after SPM?..yadda..yadda..” and I was looking at her , eyeballs out. She is just 15 and she is already thinking about what she is going to do when she is 18 which I think too much for her. But still, I can’t shrug off saying, “Well, before that make sure you pass your PMR and SPM”. So, I gave her some advices instead. She really made me to feel like an adult and I was like “God! I AM giving professional advice to someone. I, the one who can’t even decide on what to eat!”.

Then the next day, I was teaching literature to my Form 4 students and assigned some group works to the girls. One particular group of girls were so engrossed in something else that they were not doing my work. When I reached the group, suddenly one of the girls asked me,

Girl 1 : Teacher can I ask you something?
Me : Yes darling. What do want to ask?
Girl 1 : I don’t know how to ask. (turns to girl 2).. You ask la
Me : What’s wrong girls? Just ask.
Girl 1 : I don’t know how to ask this to a teacher. I hope you are open minded.
Me : ( Oh God! Why isn’t the bell ringing yet.) Yes dear. You can ask me whatever you
want to. I don’t mind.
Girl 1 : Ok teacher…hmm…hmm…What do you think about having relationship during school years?
Me : Hmmm…(What should I say)..Hmmm..it depends…why do you ask?
Girl 2 :Teacher, God has given feelings to fall in love right?
Me : (This is easy)..Yeah certainly. All of us have got feelings.
Girl 1 : But teacher at this age we don’t have the feelings yet right?
Girl 2 : Teacher at this age, we have got a litttttle bit of the feelings right?
Me : (Somebody save meee)..Actually girls, we have the feelings in us all the time. It’s just that it should come out at the right time to the right person. At this age you might feel attraction but you should be very careful with the infatuation.
Girl 1 : Teacher so, love after marriage is the perfect love right?
Me : Oh yeah. That guarantees long term happiness.
Girl 2 : So, teacher is it wrong to fall in love now?
Me : Can’t say that. But you must be very careful with tour feelings as long as it does not hurt you or others. Ok. Girls…anyways are you done with your work?
Girl 1&Girl 2 : He ..he..Not really teacher. But we are meeting up later after school to finish it.
Me : Are you sure. I don’t want you to talk about guys again.
Girl 1 : (with a serious face)..no teacher. Never. This would be my last conversation about guys. Never after this… (the bell rings now :p)

Oh how I enjoy resolving conflicts! Teaching IS fun.

Teacher oh teacher

It has been one week since I started my teaching practice and I already have a bag full of dilemmas, stress and gossips. Whoever said teaching is a mundane job? Well, I think it’s extremely stressful and depressing job with loads of fun. Despite this 1 week practice, still at times I feel artificial and out of place in my classroom as I stand in front there putting up the face of an all knowing adult, a responsible one and the one who does not tolerate any nonsense in the classroom. When I look at my students I can see myself sitting among them pulling pranks and cracking jokes. As Venisha says sometimes, I feel like I can go near them, pull out a chair and join in gossiping and ‘pranking’. Though it’s not wrong to do so, one need to establish a sense of authority in the classroom or else the students will be climbing all over your head.

I have always believed that a teacher should foster a positive relationship with the students. But in my case I have 2 extreme of students; one who worships teacher and another who regards teacher as dirt. Teaching smart, rich girls have always been my nightmare and it’s happening right now that I feel like AARGHHH.

One of the classes that I am teaching now is a weak form 4 class. But for me they are angels. I can feel the positive energy flowing whenever I enter the class. The moment you enter the class, they rush out to clean the board for you, compliment your dress, smile at you and participate in the class sans the rightness and the wrongness. And they want to learn so much that they always ask you to teach so many things and willing to learn from their mistakes.

On the other hand, I have another class where the girls (especially one group) who think their too smart to be in the class (and it’s a 4th class). My introductory lesson was a disaster as I found out the girls were complete wannabes who have lost their ground. They were least interested in the lesson and when I asked them to tell me something about them, one said “Actually, I don’t like being scolded” (you should have heard the tone of her, OMG). And they were going gaga over Robert Pattinson and whatnots (and I can feel a generation gap between us and we are ONLY of 6 years difference!). And when by slip of tongue I mispronounced (well, I pronounced it the US way when it’s supposed to be UK), one girl actually giggled out loud and started imitating me which practically made my eye balls come out. Gross. And that too because earlier I had punished the girl for disturbing my class. That very moment I knew I’m in for trouble. And did I tell you my lecturer was sitting at the back of the class observing me? Damn! Darn it! And the first thing she told me was “ Ramyah, watch out with &%%#@ I think she need to know how to respect people. She thinks she is too smart. She will be disruptive to your class”. And I was like “Shit, how many things do I need to concentrate on at a time!”. The next day, the classroom teacher came to me and apologetically started telling me that the class is an extremely notorious class and has a very bad reputation among the teachers and has been pain in the ass for all of them. All she can tell was that “ignore that gang for they are attention seekers and focus on those who really want to learn in the class for they inspire you to teach”. Being a new broom, I wanted to change that and have been trying to make the gang to feel that they are capable of contributing to the class in vain. Imagine them doing their add maths and chemistry graphs while I’m shouting my lungs out trying to teach them. And one girl dared to use my paper ( I spent RM 20 to photocopy them) as a chop board to incise her eraser. WTH! And another one who was so engrossed in talking gave me What! Can’t –you- see- I’m- in- important- business- right- now look when I slapped the desk to get her attention. God! What do I do with such characters? Every time I’m about to enter the class I tell myself “Ramyah you love the girls, Ok. They are a joy to be with” and the moment I enter the class and look at them I’ll be like “shit, of all class why this one? …full with devils”. Practically I can see the devilish horns on their head!

But I have not given up on them yet. I’ll try to make a difference. Even if I fail, what matters is that I have tried and given my best. I’m ready for the third week now!

Of Lesson Plans and Fish Therapy

My days are getting pretty busy with all the lesson planning and materials hunt that i feel restless most of the time. During college times, i never longed for weekend that much as i had only 3 days of class and my weekeneds used to start on Friday itself. But eversince, i started going to school, i have been longing for Friday to come and practically I vowed at myself that i'm not going to wake up before 10 am.

So today i started my day pretty late(thanks to my brother who called as early as 9-ish). Well, then i decided to pamper and spoil myself a bit. So i headed for a nice banana leaf lunch, a soothing facial and then the Fish Spa. I have always wanted to try the sensation of the Tickling fish but never got the chance to do so. But today, i had the time and it was really cheap only RM5 for 10 minutes and it was not crowded. As dipped my legs inside the pool all the fishes flocked towards me and started 'nibbling' my feet and i started screaming as it reminded me of touching frogs which is a big phobia for me. So i was keep on taking my feet off the water and after few minutes i told myself "you have to do this. You have paid for this!" And i sat there eyes shut for the next 10 minutes. But it was not that bad as i started relaxing after few minutes. When my time was over, i got down and saw an English lady dipping her feet inside and there goes the ears piercing scream again....