Talk About Work Thread

Arigato Sensei, :bow: Once again you prove to be an unlimited fountain of knowledge :applaud:

gaijin mark wrote:Arigato Sensei, :bow: Once again you prove to be an unlimited fountain of knowledge :applaud:

Well, it was in my field. ;)

My post recent Blog entry:

This may be considered a breech of privacy since I have not asked this student if I could publish her written work on this site, but I feel I need to share this in junction with my previous post regarding her situation.

On Friday I had asked the students to write a story that was either fiction, or about an event that occurred in their life. This is hers:

My name is ____________________. I born in Punjab, India. I did my studies upto ten in India. I was so happy in India. I was good student in India. Every teachers liked me. They helped to me went I need it. I had a best friend in India. Her name was ____________________. We helped each other. My father came here four years ago. After four years he got for permanent regidens. I came to Canada with my mom and brother 17, May, 2006. I don't want to lives here because I don't understand english. Canada is very different from India. I face so many problemes in Canada. But I don't English. That way I think can study or not. English is not my first language in India. That way I cannot speak anyone here. Because of this I feel very alone. I can't go to a store along because I can't even ask the prise of anything. I don't want anyone to be my friend in Canada. I didnot share my ideas with anyone. One day I went Shopping with my mom and dad. I don't know how I got Sharate from the parents. I gat lose in a store. I can't take help from anybody because I donft know English. I was very sad on that day. I'm so lucky I got one lady. She know Punjabi. She helped me. I can't never forget that lady in my life.

Reading this absolutely broke my heart. I have seen her get frustrated in my class, and I have seen her get frustrated with me because I haven't been able to communicate to her exactly what I need. The barrier of language is just too thick at this time. However, she is always pleasant with me and with the students, and she is always smiling. I had no idea she despised living here.

We always assume that when a person leaves a third-world country to come here that they will absolutely fall in love with the West and would never consider going back. But we forget that in order to come here, they have left their entire world – as they know it – behind. My student is in a completely different, and alien, world now and it's plan to see how unprepared she was.

I feel so guilty because I'm a teacher who has no time to sit with her in every class and help her along. I always explain things to her a second time, but then I brush her off to another student who does speak her language and can help her further. Not only is this unfair to the student, but it's also unfair to the student I buddy her up with. This other student also has work to do. I find my patience for her, and for the other students who don't speak the language, waning. I can understand their language a little bit, and I know that the boys like to slack off. They have egos and swear and insult others in their language. But then, so do a lot of boys that age. But this isn't any excuse not to help them, and she's not like the boys at all. Why am I allowing myself to get as frustrated as she iscconsidering that I'M the adult?

After reading her story, I have promised myself to take special care of her starting tomorrow. But isn't it too late? Why didn't I see this before she communicated her thoughts in this fashion? I can't help but feel as if I have let her down, and as a result, I can't help but feel like a terrible teacher.

Damn.... She might get used to it. Also, unless I'm mistaken, there are a lot of Indians in Toronto, ne?

Find it weird tho she didn't go to a intensive language class before going into public school. =T I hope she likes snow, 'cause she'll hate this place for sure... :beaten:

First off, you're NOT a terrible teacher Wyn-chan, a terrible teacher would read that and say, "Hmm, kids got problems, oh well, so does everybody else" and blow it off. You're not a mind reader either, so don't be too hard on yourself for not picking up on her problems earlier. In a way, I can empathize with her. My Dad lost his job while I was in high school, and we had to move from the town I grew up in my whole life after my junior year. I spent my senior year in a new school, new town, new state, hated every minute of it. But I guess I'm an optimist because now as I look back, I think, if we HADN'T moved, my life would have been different, but not necessarily better. [/list:u]

tabana wrote:Damn.... She might get used to it. Also, unless I'm mistaken, there are a lot of Indians in Toronto, ne?

Find it weird tho she didn't go to a intensive language class before going into public school. =T I hope she likes snow, 'cause she'll hate this place for sure... :beaten:

Not so much in Toronto, but there are in Brampton, where I live. I'm gonna suggest that she go to one of those schools you mentioned, an ESL school and take some classes. I'm also gonna see if there's a program like this at our school. It's so unfair that she has to fail a class just because she doesn't understand. She's a really bright girl and we're doing her a great injustice.

Musa wrote:First off, you're NOT a terrible teacher Wyn-chan, a terrible teacher would read that and say, "Hmm, kids got problems, oh well, so does everybody else" and blow it off. You're not a mind reader either, so don't be too hard on yourself for not picking up on her problems earlier.
In a way, I can empathize with her. My Dad lost his job while I was in high school, and we had to move from the town I grew up in my whole life after my junior year. I spent my senior year in a new school, new town, new state, hated every minute of it. But I guess I'm an optimist because now as I look back, I think, if we HADN'T moved, my life would have been different, but not necessarily better.

I know I'm being hard on myself, but I can't help it. I mean, teachers feel uplifted and on top of the world when they're students succeed. But we also feel like failures when our students fail. I know I'm not a terrible teacher. I know that I'm good at what I do. I just can't help but feel otherwise at this time. Thanks for your words, tho. :kiss:

Yea, I'm hoping that, like you, she'll come to see how beneficial this experience will be for her in the future. I have the feeling she's a lot older than the rest of the class... I'm gonna look into that.

Older than the group, that can't be good for morale.

As far as I know, ESL classes have small groups and last for a few weeks. That's great to meet people. I know you can have them at YMCA.

Brampton, spent some time not far from there. :)

tabana wrote:Older than the group, that can't be good for morale.

As far as I know, ESL classes have small groups and last for a few weeks. That's great to meet people. I know you can have them at YMCA.

Brampton, spent some time not far from there. :)

Mebbe she has money issues... tho we do have a YMCA close by. I just hope she's willing to participate in ESL classes tho. I think she might hesitate.

Close to Brampton, eh? Whereabouts... like Mississauga?

Wynter wrote:

Yea, I'm hoping that, like you, she'll come to see how beneficial this experience will be for her in the future. I have the feeling she's a lot older than the rest of the class... I'm gonna look into that.

You know, it's weird, I was talking to my Dad once shortly after my Mom had passed away and he told me that she had been worried that whole year that one day I was going to come home and say, "I hate it, I can't do it, I quit!" This whole time I thought I'd been putting up a good front, guess you can't fool Mom after all. [/list:u]

I tried to fool my Mom many times and always failed miserably. They have special powers to detect it.

Wynter wrote:Mebbe she has money issues... tho we do have a YMCA close by. I just hope she's willing to participate in ESL classes tho. I think she might hesitate. ...

If she's not willing to go, then she's going to hate it this place for sure.

Wynter wrote:Close to Brampton, eh? Whereabouts... like Mississauga?

Near Woodbine Racetrack. Somewhere between the 401 and 407, eastern of the 427. It's close on the map, but it may not to be close at all though. :sweat:

tabana wrote:I tried to fool my Mom many times and always failed miserably. They have special powers to detect it.

Near Woodbine Racetrack. Somewhere between the 401 and 407, eastern of the 427. It's close on the map, but it may not to be close at all though. :sweat:

WOW! That's really close actually. My dad goes there for business purposes (:rolleyes:).

We have a field trip on Thursday and this student said she's not going to go. :pout:

Monday is coming over the horizon. :bleh:

bmwracer wrote:Monday is coming over the horizon. :bleh:

I know, and I have caf supervision all next week. :bleh:

Wynter wrote:
I know, and I have caf supervision all next week. :bleh:

[image] [/list:u] Don't forget your uniform!!

gaijin mark wrote:[image] [/list:u] Don't forget your uniform!!

Rubbing lotion on the leather to increase the shine effect as we speak. :thumbsup:

:rofl:

Catching up with 1 week of paperwork :(

The joys of going back to work... :bleh:

Wynter wrote:WOW! That's really close actually. My dad goes there for business purposes (:rolleyes:).

We have a field trip on Thursday and this student said she's not going to go. :pout:

I see. Next time I'm there, I'll say hello and keep him busy, while you sneak out of the house. :hehe:

Too bad for your student... :(

tabana wrote:The joys of going back to work... :bleh:

I see. Next time I'm there, I'll say hello and keep him busy, while you sneak out of the house. :hehe:

Deal! :hehe:

Too bad for your student... :(

I know. :puppydog:

Wyn-chan,
More info about Mrs Anime Dad's new student: Turns out his mother just got out of jail, and is pregnant to another man (who has just been arrested for murder).

No wonder the kid has problems.

Anime Dad wrote:Wyn-chan,
More info about Mrs Anime Dad's new student: Turns out his mother just got out of jail, and is pregnant to another man (who has just been arrested for murder).

No wonder the kid has problems.

WOW! Are you serious?! Is the mother going to live with the boy? He's living with his grandma, right?

No, I don't think she is allowed to even be alone with him.