Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Half Way There!

ONE DAY to go!!
That's all what's left of my Very First Semester in my Very First Classroom! Wow.. that's half the journey complete.. must say I'm pretty proud of myself:P
I've been told it's good to pause every now and then to reflect back and evaluate experiences as you go through them.. and I'm not one to dismiss perfectly good advice (or perfectly good chocolates for that matter:P *hint hint*)
Off the top of my head, here are the goods and bads, the ups and downs, the OH-YEAHS and OH-CRAPS, of My Very First Semester:

Great Lessons I've learnt:

1. You can't stay mad at a kid for more than 5 minutes (something to keep in mind next time you're about to retort "you're grounded for LIFE" or in my case "time-out corner NOW. Till you're EIGHTEEN":P).
2. They may seem endless at the time, but bad days eventually end.
3. Good days make it all worthwhile.
4. If you are teaching an all-boys class, do not -I repeat, do NOT- start the school year extra bubbly/smiley with a "life-is-one-big-party" aura about you. The consequences will be grave. Grave indeed.
5. If the most naughty and disruptive kid in class asks to go to the bathroom, then by all means say YES! (and savor every bit of those serene 5 minutes while he's out)
6. Go out of your way to be nice to your colleagues. It pays.
7. Every kid is 10 times as smart as you think he/she is and 50 times as naughty!!
8. Make sure you mean and document every promise you give a child- they forget NOTHING. They're like elephants on "extra strong memory enhancing pills"! Unbelievable.
9. It's only scary when you stop to think about it. Just do it. (those dudes over at Nike sure knew what they were talking about!)
10. Teaching is the best painkiller. The minute those rowdy kids fill your classroom, you're mind is TOTALLY off any pain you were experiencing, no matter how severe. Noticing signs of discomfort in your own body instantly becomes a luxury you cannot possibly afford!
11. Don't ever lose your child heart. It'll be your biggest loss.
12. Getting a hug from a cute first grader, is all it takes to turn a bad day into a good one.
13. And a good day, into a magical one!
15. Something to keep in mind in a later stage in my life: When your boy comes home from school, instantly soak him (clothes on!) in a huge tub of all kinds of soaps and detergents and rub with a array of cleaning devices. Don't even ask. Just do it.
16. You can never get bored of teaching. You may (and very often will) get physically and emotionally exhausted. You can get frustrated at some point, and you may even "lose it" for a minute or two (unless you're me, in which case you cannot blame teaching for any signs of mental dysfunction!:P). But boredom, is no where in the picture.
17. Each passing day makes me realise that I have so much to learn still about teaching, and I can't wait to.
18. I think I have chosen the right profession. I love it.


Could-Definitely-Have-Done-Without Experiences/Lessons:

1. The classroom is NOT the place to start experimenting with the most effective frown. You'll just look weird.
2. There's only so much stress your vocal cords can take before you start croaking.
3. Parent-Teacher Conferences: There is such a thing as too much talking- even for me!
4. Don't wear your favorite shirt to school. And if you do, keep a safe distance of about 10 feet away from any boy at any time.
5. Marking tests is SO. DARN. BORING. I want to shoot myself.
6. And doing it while you watch TV is a bad idea. Sucks the fun out of the show and your pace slows down 10 folds.
7. Waking up at 5 am. every single day is kind of inhumane (even for an early bird like myself).
8. The kids at the last period of the day do NOT function properly. Will someone please contact customer service, and yes I would love a refund:P
9. Teachers are professional complainers (myself included). 90% of teacher-teacher conversations during the course of a day involve complaints about a student, parent, the curriculum, the Admin or -if all else fails- the bathroom running out of toilet paper. This must stop.

So... Has this semester left any tangible changes in me? I'm not sure. I'll leave it to you to decide next time you see me. But just to prepare you, today while doing my routine run around the school corridors as I rushed from room to room I caught myself doing this:
Instead of silently running in a straight line as usual, I found myself swirling right and left, speeding up uncontrollably then mock-crashing into objects- all the while producing the necessary "vvvrrrrmmmmm... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek...BEEEp beep..Vrrrmmmmmmmmm" sound effects to accompany it.
I swear to God.

I should come with a warning/disclaimer: Questionable mental stability. Mixing with kids could worsen symptoms. KEEP AWAY FROM KIDS.

Huh. Better not mention that on my CV though!

7 comments:

Anonymous Me said...

Congratulations on what sounds like a raging success in your first semester!!! I always enjoy your comments on teaching - so many are familiar, even though I teach adults. Your kids are lucky to have a teacher who has such a great sense of humor. :-)

Mar Yoom said...

Nancy!
Thank you so much:) Yep. I can't believe I'm half-way through already! it feels like such an accomplishment. yay:D

As for "raging success"- I wouldn't go so far, let's just say I survived with "minimal losses"- both at my students' and my end;P

Thanks for your sweet comment:)

Lina said...

Did I tell you? I might - MIGHT - be taking an all-boy Injaz class next semester! Problem is that they're 9th graders in a public school {gulp)

I honestly haven't figured out if I'm going to get myself into this!

Mar Yoom said...

Lina,

Yikes.
Yikes!
YIKES!!!

good luck with that!!

hehehehe

On a serious note, if anyone can do it, it's you!:D Just remember point no.4..
DON'T come out as too lenient/sweet at the beginning, they'll make SURE to exploit that fact. (and I speak from bitter experience I tell ya:P)
Start out firm- but not mean- let them know you're not to be messed with, then as they start getting involved in the program and respect the rules/boundaries, you can gradually relax and show your better side:)
I'm sure they'll warm to you in no time- and by the end of the program absolutely adore you (even though they are too "manly" to admit it:P)

So if you do decide to go for it, I wish you the best of luck!:)

Unknown said...

You know, most people would think you were joking about that corridor run, making car sounds... unfortunatly, I can totally see you doing that given the right context :P

Mar Yoom said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mar Yoom said...

LOL

Nasser Nasser Nasser, would it kill you to leave the people blissfully unaware of the shocking reality?

What am I talking about? Why of course it would:P

Anyway, what are you still doing dawdling online in Damascas, GET YOURSELF in Amman quick!

I'm at the airport as I type this, YAY:D

Man.. Life Is Good (yep, I'm even wearing the Tshirt:P)

Seeya!!