So I've finished my second week teaching at the secondary school, and my initial impression is that schools over here are pretty similar to the ones I experienced in the UK. This may suggest that children and parents are the same the world over, which is probably true. The adults want their little ones to exceed their expectations, children want to do as little as possible and socialise with their friends, so where do teachers fit in? Somewhere in the middle I guess, but I would bet our mortgage on one thing, the majority of people go in to teaching to teach, not manage the classroom environment. Each lesson can turn in to a game of cat and mouse between the pupils and the teachers, the former trying to achieve their goal which could be to spend some time chatting with their mates, and the educators trying to get through their lesson plan!
For example when I was teaching adult learners in the UK, I noticed that some of them were spending an inordinate amount of time staring at the space between the table and their legs, where their hands were also resting. It didn't take long to work out they were busy texting or sending messages on Facebook. They were concentrating so much on this activity that they never noticed when I stopped the class and drew everyone's attention to them. Then guess what, the same people would do the same thing again and again, even when mobile phones were banned from the class, it was like an addiction.
Every now and again we take the secondary students in to the computer room where they can work on their own initiative on a website that we choose. They can then print off their work, constructive use of IT, what a good idea. But the temptation for them to go onto other websites is too much for some children, who are then surprised when you catch them, 'how did you know?' says their quizzical look. It's not too difficult, the students on the correct website were a picture of seriousness and concentration, the others were smiling, that's the give away! You also know because as you walk around the class the ones doing a little illicit browsing panic and try to close down the window, which often refuses to go away no matter how many times they click on the little red x!
One thing that has often struck me when in schools was how the minority of children took the majority of the teacher's time and not usually in support for the work they are doing. That's the problem with cliches, they are so often true.
Regular readers will know that I like to share my experiences of ordinary elements of life out here that take on a curious twist, and so it was with my latest haircut. The first time I had it done out here it cost me AED 10, or £1.60, so I thought I'd go a bit more up-market this time and spend AED 20..
So I end up at 'Handsome' barbers, I mean with a name like that surely it was created for guys like me.. The very nice Filipino man was delighted to have an Englishman in his salon, as he is an avid fan of the Queen, not the pop group, Queen Elizabeth II. 'What's she like?' he asked. Well although I have lived all of my life to date in England, I am not close friends with her majesty, so I tactfully replied 'she seems very nice'. What else could I say? 'Is she rich?' was the next question. 'Yes, very', I said. 'How did she get her money?' he continued. Well here was the opportunity for me to launch in to my 'well her ancestors pillaged their way in to power and wealth over the souls of the masses..' speech, but as he was holding the scissors I instead said 'I think she inherited it...'. Already we had reached the end of my knowledge on the Royal Family. Could we talk about World War I or II, I know a lot more about them??
So far so good, I had managed to deflect my lamentable knowledge of the Royal Family and keep him on task. Next he asked 'Lady Di, is she dead?', 'Er I don't know how to break this to you, but yes, in a tunnel in Paris'. 'I don't think so' he replied, 'all a conspiracy to cover up her marriage to Dodi Fayed'. 'And Elvis', he continued 'is he dead?'. I replied in the affirmative, although I realised this could be a source of disappointment for him. 'No he's not, I know he's been seen alive' said my barber. At which time he finished my hair so we had no time to discuss the moon landings or any grassy knoll theories.
Suffice to say, I'm looking forward to my next visit..
No comments:
Post a Comment