... is starting to grow on me. It's time I did something really worthwhile with my life.
But first I have to do my marking.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Yikes I've Been Griping
The last two posts have been very gripey, so I shall try to write something upbeat, or at the very least, offbeat.
I saw on TV last night a Japanese programme which shows different facets of Japan and the Japanese are really quite innovative. There's this guy who lives in a really small apartment but through clever use of materials and vertical space the place looks and feels bigger than it actually is. And it's not a designer pad - it's just some guy doing the best with what he's got. Then there was this other guy who liked reading in the bathtub so much he designed a floating platform with built-in page-turners to hold his books and magazines. And the materials used were simple everyday stuff you could get at the local hardware store.
It's really inspiring to see people doing their own little things to improve their lives.
I saw on TV last night a Japanese programme which shows different facets of Japan and the Japanese are really quite innovative. There's this guy who lives in a really small apartment but through clever use of materials and vertical space the place looks and feels bigger than it actually is. And it's not a designer pad - it's just some guy doing the best with what he's got. Then there was this other guy who liked reading in the bathtub so much he designed a floating platform with built-in page-turners to hold his books and magazines. And the materials used were simple everyday stuff you could get at the local hardware store.
It's really inspiring to see people doing their own little things to improve their lives.
People Management
Teachers don't get enough credit for their people management skills.
I witnessed yesterday a pretty good performance by my Level Head trying to quash some misunderstandings and unpleasant rumours about the recent redeployment of teachers. The short of it is some students were unhappy about the change in teachers and the rationale for the change didn't get through to them because some colleagues were rather disgruntled themselves. So my LH tactfully raises the issue and then reiterates the rationale clearly and firmly thus sending a strong signal without blaming anyone in particular for the student unrest (they know who they are after all). And that's how teams ought to work. And the relevant people ought to get the message and shape up. And that's something they don't teach in class, and isn't on one's resume, and yet is so damn important.
Me, I've had to deal with a kid who's a chronic complainer and too hotheaded for his own good. First I have to resist the urge to smack him so he'll listen to reason. Then I have to struggle to keep him on the same point because every time I open my mouth he finds a new grievance to complain about (or repeats an old one). And then I have to repeat myself over and over again so that it will get past his self-constructed cloud of self-pitying, rage-against-the-world angst and finally get him to be aware that most people do not take kindly to his way of communicating and if he wants other people to be nicer to him and not bother him HE needs to change.
Why am I expending my energies on this kid? Why not leave him to learn the hard way by getting rejected and beaten up by everyone he meets? Because I don't think he's smart enough to learn from that. He's just going to get angrier and end up killing someone. And that would be a waste of an innocent life.
And it counts for so little in my Work Review. I'm a teacher, dammit. It's an unspoken part of my job to deal with kids like that. And the time I spend counselling that idiot counts against the 42 hours which my VP says should be enough for teachers to prepare lessons and go to class and do all the necessary marking and oversee a CCA and keep good records and pass notes and forms to their civics/form classes like demented messenger pigeons, not to mention reflecting on my own pedagogy and mentoring the newer teachers. And of course remedial is entirely optional and not giving remedial won't be held against me even if my students fail so 42 hours is all the time I need to spend at work. Yeah, Right.
I witnessed yesterday a pretty good performance by my Level Head trying to quash some misunderstandings and unpleasant rumours about the recent redeployment of teachers. The short of it is some students were unhappy about the change in teachers and the rationale for the change didn't get through to them because some colleagues were rather disgruntled themselves. So my LH tactfully raises the issue and then reiterates the rationale clearly and firmly thus sending a strong signal without blaming anyone in particular for the student unrest (they know who they are after all). And that's how teams ought to work. And the relevant people ought to get the message and shape up. And that's something they don't teach in class, and isn't on one's resume, and yet is so damn important.
Me, I've had to deal with a kid who's a chronic complainer and too hotheaded for his own good. First I have to resist the urge to smack him so he'll listen to reason. Then I have to struggle to keep him on the same point because every time I open my mouth he finds a new grievance to complain about (or repeats an old one). And then I have to repeat myself over and over again so that it will get past his self-constructed cloud of self-pitying, rage-against-the-world angst and finally get him to be aware that most people do not take kindly to his way of communicating and if he wants other people to be nicer to him and not bother him HE needs to change.
Why am I expending my energies on this kid? Why not leave him to learn the hard way by getting rejected and beaten up by everyone he meets? Because I don't think he's smart enough to learn from that. He's just going to get angrier and end up killing someone. And that would be a waste of an innocent life.
And it counts for so little in my Work Review. I'm a teacher, dammit. It's an unspoken part of my job to deal with kids like that. And the time I spend counselling that idiot counts against the 42 hours which my VP says should be enough for teachers to prepare lessons and go to class and do all the necessary marking and oversee a CCA and keep good records and pass notes and forms to their civics/form classes like demented messenger pigeons, not to mention reflecting on my own pedagogy and mentoring the newer teachers. And of course remedial is entirely optional and not giving remedial won't be held against me even if my students fail so 42 hours is all the time I need to spend at work. Yeah, Right.
Worry Women
In the past two days I have had to reassure two older colleagues that they are really all right and that while they may not be good at some things, nobody's perfect and they have their own strengths if only they can see them so don't sweat the weaknesses. And still they worry what others think of them, and what will happen if they make another mistake, and other people look down on them, and...
Why are they like that? Is it just older women? And why am I the one who has to deal with them? Don't they have husbands? Friends? Older and Wiser People around them who've Been There and Done That? Or maybe they do but they STILL want MORE reassurance and try to suck it up from whatever source they can. Bloody leeches. I've got enough to worry about already without having to deal with worriers. And yet the Good Person in me will take time out to talk to them. And they go away feeling better and I feel rotten because I hatehatehate it when I don't get enough "alonetime". I had better get a damn good seat in heaven because it would be so not worth it otherwise.
I am on the verge of being absolutely nasty and telling them that yeah they're crap and that's life so go away and stop bothering me. Nobody else seems to care about them anyway. It's just that every time I think I'm going to do something like that there's always this little blurb flashing across the viewscreen of my brain saying "You were not put here to do that" or something to that effect. And try as I might the Good Person just won't stay down long enough for me to actually do something nasty.
It's just as well I have D&D and MOHAA often enough.
Why are they like that? Is it just older women? And why am I the one who has to deal with them? Don't they have husbands? Friends? Older and Wiser People around them who've Been There and Done That? Or maybe they do but they STILL want MORE reassurance and try to suck it up from whatever source they can. Bloody leeches. I've got enough to worry about already without having to deal with worriers. And yet the Good Person in me will take time out to talk to them. And they go away feeling better and I feel rotten because I hatehatehate it when I don't get enough "alonetime". I had better get a damn good seat in heaven because it would be so not worth it otherwise.
I am on the verge of being absolutely nasty and telling them that yeah they're crap and that's life so go away and stop bothering me. Nobody else seems to care about them anyway. It's just that every time I think I'm going to do something like that there's always this little blurb flashing across the viewscreen of my brain saying "You were not put here to do that" or something to that effect. And try as I might the Good Person just won't stay down long enough for me to actually do something nasty.
It's just as well I have D&D and MOHAA often enough.
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