Today I'm going to share something that no teacher should tell her students. When I was in school I absolutely hated English class! There! The cat's out of the bag… Uh oh!
Now, though, I really find English interesting, the structure and most of all the history. And I absolutely love teaching it. The rewards are endless, especially when you get that student who asks questions, participates, and really, truly wants to learn.
So let me explain just why my teachers turned me off in my early years. (In the past when I was young)
The first teacher that made me hate English in school was my 9th grade Reading teacher. I was in a speed reading class (that was a new trend back in the old days) and there were two boys that sat in front of me. One day they just kept doing things, like banging their chairs against my desk or making stupid, whispered comments, that only I could hear. I got caught by the teacher (who was not in a good mood that day) when I slapped one of them across the back of his head. Well, she didn't want to hear what I had to say, dragged me into the hall and proceeded to paddle me (hit me with a small board across my behind). Yes, back in those days teachers could spank students. Nevertheless, I never attended her class again.
The second teacher was when I was in 10th grade. To this day I don't know what her problem was, but she was just plain mean to everyone. We had an assignment to write a poem, and I went home and just poured my heart out in this poem. I was so proud of myself (and no, I won't post it here *giggle*). The next day I took it to class and gave it to her. She read it, looked up at me and formed a scowl with her mouth. "What is this?", she asked. I told her it was my poem and I had worked on it all night. She sneered and said, "This looks like something off a Hallmark card." I didn't know what she meant! This was my heart on paper! I wanted to run away crying, but I turned off all emotion and sat down at my desk. I never tried to write another poem until I was much older. I didn't know if she thought card writers were bad, though I'm sure they make a good living at it, or if she thought I plagiarized it. I didn't care what she meant because she hurt my feelings and I hated her for it.
So now for my point in writing all of this. Everyone gets humiliated. Sometimes we get over it quickly and sometimes it lingers in our minds for years. I want to say this: Don't let anyone humiliate you when you are trying to learn! Ever!
I have students who hate English class (ESL students), because their teachers or other students make fun of them. I always try to reassure them that all speakers of a new language have problems with pronunciation and other skills, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Also, those teachers and students might make fun because they are insecure themselves. No teacher should make fun of their student! Period!
Try your hardest, practice all the time and eventually you will be perfect! Never let anyone try to get in the way of your goal. When it seems more than you can handle, slow down a little bit. You can do it, I have faith in you!
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