Thursday 3 May 2007

why i teach..

waiting in my inbox this morning, on a day when i did NOT feel like going in to work.



hi just wanted to say thanx 4 understanding..at least i know that you
will
be there if i ever need any one to talk to..i haven't really spoken to
anyone about it before... thanx again i'll see you next week..

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Salaams,

Was that from one of your students?

hema said...

yes :) and i took a big risk approaching her about the subject i did, so i'm glad it seems to have made a bit of a difference.

as for the students that upset me yesterday, i'm considering banning them from the trip at the end of the year, but i'm not sure, as it's the last day of term before everyone goes there own separate ways. i'll blog when i have more time about what they did, but for now i'm going to let you guys decide. should i let them go? i'm serious, i'll count how many people say yes or no and then deicide after that. i don't think i'm making objective decisions at the moment..

Min babys vej til verden... said...

I would say that it really depends on what they did... their punishment should not be harder than their act.. and sometimes teenagers are just teenagers with no real concern about life or how they may hurt others as they are so occupied with them selves, as they are really just BIG KIDS and dont always mean as bad as it comes out... could you not give them another punishment that would make them truely learn from their mis-doings?! i feel a bit sorry for them if they'll loose out on the trip of their last day.. but then again, i cant really say as i dont know the story on what happend the other day.

But i do remember myself at that age, when i was at collage, i had this teacher, a lady in her 50's, she was actually really nice.. she came from this danish island that has the wierdest accent ever, i mean we really didn't understand a word of what she was saying.. ofcourse all the other students were to polite to say anything, but not me, the horrible one :o) i had to make constant comments on it, and one day she absolutely flipped at me- i ended by calling her names, and at the end of the year she gave me horrible grades that did not match my skills and i mean REALLY, her class was history which was my favorite subject and i did all my work and was always really active in her classes.
I felt so unfairly treated that i cursed her all summer. when our holiday was over and we began 2nd year, we got the sad news that she had died... still to this day i am so ashamed and sorry for my words and actions (I learned the hard and awfull way)
what i mean to say is that a punishment from either a teacher or the universe, that feels harder than what the act felt like(for the teenager him self)is something that can turn into an ugly feeling. i think its better if they are given the "lighter" punishment that they too will learn from.. but thats just my opinion.

hope that you'll find the best way to solve it.

salaams xxx

Min babys vej til verden... said...

by the way was the email from your half caste??

Anonymous said...

I think Samia's said it really well. Sometimes people don't really realise how hurtful some of the things they say/do are, particularly teenagers. I've had plenty of times where I've looked back at something and just cringed at the way I've acted. Banning them from the trip on the last day is a really big thing to miss out on and if you get them next year they might still hate you for it. I'm not saying you have to get all your class to dote on every word you say but their hatred of you will probably stem their learning and ultimately they'll end up losing out on something really important (their final grade not the trip!). Is there any other way you could punish them for what they've done?

Btw, wow at the email you got. I'm so jealous- I've never had a teacher I was that close to!

hema said...

samia you don't know how much you've just helped, thank you. what they did is going to sound so petty, they were just boys being boys really, nothing new, but it was in the context of an inspection! i guess they are all going on the trip then!
no, it was another student. the "half caste" student has gone really quiet, she sits by herself and gets on with the work. this worries me more then when she was fiesty! again, i just haven't had the time to talk to her about it, but do need to make the time.
mishy- i will take away his EMA instead, always an unpopular choice but i never said i wanted to be their best friend did i?

Atypical said...

awww thats soo sweet i don't think it ever got that friendly with a teacher how do they know your email address??. But good to know your doing a good job Hema:) .Lol i'm in an exam at the moment it was spss on the computer i think i've done ok but two quesions really baffled me? so he collected my paper in and said i could go net if i wanted but i can't leave until eaxm time is over in about 5 mins .Anyway toodles!!

Anonymous said...

awww, isn't that cute! :)

Organica said...

And why you have inspired me to want to be a teacher more than ever now!

hema said...

it is sweet, but really i hardly did anything for this girl, just the right comment at the right time, but it's amazing how that can make the difference. the email came at the right time for me as well, which just goes to show that sometimes the kids help me just as much as i help them.
JTM- aaw you had five minutes and chose to come to my humble blog, i'm honoured lol. will you do my five most common words tag, i was thinking ymiss would tag you, but she didn't!i'd be insulted if i was you! (i'm such a stirrer, someone pass me a bigger chamach he he)
the students all have access to work email addresses to submit work, report absences etc, although some of them use it to send the most bizzarre forwards!

Anonymous said...

salam,

you're a GCSE english teacher? greaaaaat :D:D:D...you can help me out then :P with English Lit only a few weeks away :x

wassalam

hema said...

snowdrops my little sis, i'll give you all the help you need, but all you really have to do is:
make sure you link back to the question, don't repeat yourself, back up everything you say with a quote and an explanation, make sure your essay flows by using linking words, plan your work so it has structure, be strict with timing and leave at least five minutes at the end to check over work for careless errors. (well you did ask)

Anonymous said...

^lol, yes i did ask! :D

but you know, teachers usually tell me touse sophisticated words and get more insight into the poems...any ideas or suggestions how i can get myself to do that?

pretty dumb question huh?...but as a teacher, it shouldn't surprise you right? :P

hema said...

i do get asked some weird questions, but that wasn't one of them, don't worry!

using sophisticated words..the best way to increase your vocabulary is to read the right books, or just be around people who like to use big words. so, carry on reading my blog and you'll be fine *ahem*
seriously though,next time you come accross a word you don't understand, look it up and then test it out in your next essay. your teacher will be able to tell you if you're using it in the right context or not. the worst thing is when a student uses a word they've just picked out of the dictionary or tried to use a synonym without understanding what it means. so, even though using sophisticaed words is important, it's better to stick to language you're more comfortable with. i don't mean text language obviously, but it's important to understand the meaning of the word and how it is used in context.

insight into the poems.. the examiners just want to see that you have interacted with the text on a personal level, instead of repeating back what your teacher has told you. so, just be honest about what you think of the poem, and as long as you can back up what you're saying with a quote and an explanation, there are no right or wrong answers, so the examiners can't mark you down.!
if you want to do some extra reading, then there are some links on my navigation bar you can have a look at. try universal teacher for the poetry. ask your teacher what specification you are doing, or just click on them all to get to the relevant poems.
for novels, try sparknotes, although it it targetted at A Level students, you may be able to get some exra insights and ideas. remember though, that your teachers will know about this site so only use it for ideas and make sure yo refer to it is you use quotes directly. if you can't find the novel you are doing, try pinkmonkey.com(that doesn't sound like an academic site, but it is honest!) . otherwise, let me know what you are doing, and i'll put some resources up if i have any. i need to get round to doing that anyway.

hope that helps. may Allah help you in all matters.

Anonymous said...

^thanks :D ...you're a really cool teacher...miss :P...thanks for the help sis...insha'allah i'll remember those points and check out the websites too insha'allah :)

thanks again ukhti :D