Unlike a few years ago, kids nowadays are well-versed in everything which is the core problem. Their expertise does not stop with academic performance alone! Or else how do i explain the girls with the 'swollen' bellies in my school and boys with red and teary eyes who always live in a different world. This year i am given a last class which is extremely challenging. As i am not used to teach such classes, i was totally lost for the first 2 months. I didn't know where to start and how to handle them. I didn't know what would attract them and what not.The boys would run away from the class and i would do the detective job by finding them and dragging them back to class.No i am NOT joking! It was exasperating. The more i show my claws more rebellious they were.Ignoring them was not helping them. Then, eventually i decided to follow the Gandhian way :) Ahimsa.
I started smiling more in the class. And i tell you, it's such a dangerous thing to do in the class because the male students are infamous perverts. They view porn as we watch serials and they do so at home with a company. No price for guessing. Yeah THE FATHER! So i used to get warning from other female teachers not to stand too close to the students or let them come near me in the pretext of clearing their doubts. Eventually, i got the hang of it. I smile often, praise the students for the dumb answers they give me, give them year 2/3 work (they are Form 4 students), give them money when they score 10 in their spelling and tell jokes. Everything and anything to keep them in class. And i proudly admit that it works though sometimes my temper flares up and i pounce on them :) Once i was casually talking and mentioned " I know you don't like me teaching you and you are silently cursing me but i have to teach you this..blah..blah" and one of the notorious student asked me "What made you think we don't like you? That might not be the truth". I just gave him a smile. Remember always smile and maintain your poise:)
They could be intolerably rude and devilish but they have their own reasons for such behaviour. And family is the first reason. Most of this naughty students are from broken, poverty stricken families. Unlike the good students who are tight lipped about their family problems, these students are not bothered to hide the truth about their families. This happened to my colleague. When she asked a boy about his mother's particulars he casually said " I don't know who is her current partner. She follows any guy". Since they are deeply hurt, they find solace in school and enjoy the attention given to them in school.
That's with poor students. I am tutoring the daughter of one of the richest guys in this place and she is no different either. This is really Kaliyug because parents are so scared of their children. During my time, when i rebel (which i used to do a lot), a tight slap would keep me grounded. My mother was too generous with her beatings and i dared not to mess around. This student of mine could be so lazy at times and she would cook up silly reasons for not doing her homework. Finally, i had it enough and complained to her mother. Much to my amazement, the mother asked if i could do anything to eradicate the laziness because she cannot scold her daughter as the daughter would scream at her!! Reversed roles?? She was afraid that the daughter would talk back and might do something to tarnish the image of the family. So, she told me that she gives me all the responsibility to scold or punish the girl.WTH
And just two days ago, another student of mine drove me up the wall and i called the mother (i was tutoring her at her place). The mother came in shouted something at the girl ( they speak Chinese) and the girl refused to look at her mother. Finally, the mother snatched the books from the daughter and threw it outside the house. And guess what the girl did? She coolly took another book and pretended reading it (oh yeah she is just 11). The angry mother snatched the book and took girl's school bag and threw it outside the house! Finally, the girl budged and ran out screaming to rescue her school bag. Then, the mother took her cane and i closed the door not wanting to see that episode. After an eternity, the mother returned the cane and no exaggeration ..the cane was out of shape.
I don't know what is wrong with the kind of upbringing the children are having nowadays. Such kids when they come to school gonna make our life hell!
