Thursday, March 30, 2006
Okay just a quickie,
Something happened to me on wednesday that made my day (Well that is before I got back to the office and saw the paper work waiting for me).
As we all know amongst the arrows shot at me, one includes teaching primary two kids(and at times one AND two) english at a local school. Which is supposed to build country relations and all that sort of propaganda.
So I was teaching on wednesday and it's two classes simultaneously. Obviously the primary ones are alot more playful, doing the sort of things that typically has the potential to drive most patient and benevolent person into a homocidal rage (think mother Teresa with a chain saw). A list of just ten of the things kids can do( that for some reason I remember) includes;
1. Crying because you've coloured the man's face in picture purple not red, which you are certain is the way a person's face is suppose to look.
2. Tearing up the worksheet given to you and stuffing it into an assortment of crevices around the room.
3. Periodically running around the room and bursting out in spontaneous laughter
4. Running OUT of the room to go to the play ground, bursting out in spontaneous laughter
5. Running up to the black board and writing rude chinese words on it (that even I can understand, then again think back to your primary school days just how many rude words in chinese did YOU know then?)
6. Exchanging the sort of witty insults that seven year olds are infamous for. E.g. The english equivalent of "doo-doo head" and " My daddy's bigger than your daddy"
7. Checking the credit balance on their sim cards, repeatedly.
8. Repeatedly asking the teacher to check your work.
9. Getting into fist fights over point 6.
10. Colouring the pictures with ONE colour, that's right, a nose is yellow, so are teeth, brooms, mushrooms, rockets, chairs, roses, all manner of birds, bears, clowns, fruits and trees.
But I digress.
Anyhow what moved me is this, the kids gave me A (singular, one, uno) cherry tomato. Which I suppose it could have from a variety of places (some of those my imagination provide aren't all that savory).
But I choose to believe they gave it to me because they like me. After all, why else would they be rolling on the floor in uncontrollable fits of laughter, unless they which sharing with me one of those very special pivotal moments in their development.
Just kidding.
No i didn't eat it, but I did wonder why I got just a cherry tomato. When any good cartoon will illustrate to you, that the currency of choice for expressing gratitude towards your teacher via produce is the apple. Then again I haven't been teaching them for that long, I suppose I'll have to work my way up the food chain of appreciation. (Here's the official continuum)
Cherry Tomatoes < Grapes < Limes < Thai Limes < Lemons < People who talk to themselves < Apples < Durian
All you teachers (and students) out there take notes, nothing says " we appreciate you cher" more than a durian through your window on teachers day.
Jonathan's Gem for today: " See-saws are still great fun even if you're in your twenties, though playing on them by yourself is just plain sad"
That is all
Jon.P
Something happened to me on wednesday that made my day (Well that is before I got back to the office and saw the paper work waiting for me).
As we all know amongst the arrows shot at me, one includes teaching primary two kids(and at times one AND two) english at a local school. Which is supposed to build country relations and all that sort of propaganda.
So I was teaching on wednesday and it's two classes simultaneously. Obviously the primary ones are alot more playful, doing the sort of things that typically has the potential to drive most patient and benevolent person into a homocidal rage (think mother Teresa with a chain saw). A list of just ten of the things kids can do( that for some reason I remember) includes;
1. Crying because you've coloured the man's face in picture purple not red, which you are certain is the way a person's face is suppose to look.
2. Tearing up the worksheet given to you and stuffing it into an assortment of crevices around the room.
3. Periodically running around the room and bursting out in spontaneous laughter
4. Running OUT of the room to go to the play ground, bursting out in spontaneous laughter
5. Running up to the black board and writing rude chinese words on it (that even I can understand, then again think back to your primary school days just how many rude words in chinese did YOU know then?)
6. Exchanging the sort of witty insults that seven year olds are infamous for. E.g. The english equivalent of "doo-doo head" and " My daddy's bigger than your daddy"
7. Checking the credit balance on their sim cards, repeatedly.
8. Repeatedly asking the teacher to check your work.
9. Getting into fist fights over point 6.
10. Colouring the pictures with ONE colour, that's right, a nose is yellow, so are teeth, brooms, mushrooms, rockets, chairs, roses, all manner of birds, bears, clowns, fruits and trees.
But I digress.
Anyhow what moved me is this, the kids gave me A (singular, one, uno) cherry tomato. Which I suppose it could have from a variety of places (some of those my imagination provide aren't all that savory).
But I choose to believe they gave it to me because they like me. After all, why else would they be rolling on the floor in uncontrollable fits of laughter, unless they which sharing with me one of those very special pivotal moments in their development.
Just kidding.
No i didn't eat it, but I did wonder why I got just a cherry tomato. When any good cartoon will illustrate to you, that the currency of choice for expressing gratitude towards your teacher via produce is the apple. Then again I haven't been teaching them for that long, I suppose I'll have to work my way up the food chain of appreciation. (Here's the official continuum)
Cherry Tomatoes < Grapes < Limes < Thai Limes < Lemons < People who talk to themselves < Apples < Durian
All you teachers (and students) out there take notes, nothing says " we appreciate you cher" more than a durian through your window on teachers day.
Jonathan's Gem for today: " See-saws are still great fun even if you're in your twenties, though playing on them by yourself is just plain sad"
That is all
Jon.P
