My 'dangerous' day started way earlier than expected. I got fooled soon after midnight on April 1st, by an innocent-looking girl on Facebook of all people. I now have serious doubts about innocent-looking girls who appear somewhat nerdy (in an adorable way) - Beware folks! They are not what they seem to be! ><
Aside from that minor 'casualty', I managed to start my day pretty well. My first class at 8am were ripe for the picking as blurry eyes and ears at such ungodly hours of study made for the perfect 'set-up'... or so I thought. Boy, were my 13-year-olds quick to lay the trap for me as soon as I stepped into class. Needless to say, I was well-prepared and did not fall for any of their 'amateurish' attempts. Forgive the egoistic remark but I do pride myself on being a 'professional prankster'. =p
One down, three to go, as my next class came thick and fast. 14-year-olds were just as easy to fool as their younger species. Again, no problem - piece of cake. I waited another two hours for my next class and I plotted my next scheme as I had lunch. I was even able to squeeze in a prank on an ex-student while at it. Damn, I'm good! Class number three came and again, my 15-year-olds were no match for me. Muahaha!
Finally, the last class of the day was in session and this would be the toughest of all targets - my 17-year-olds. Midway through the class, I tried my first prank... it failed. However, it just goes to show how good I am when I managed to immediately fool the student who'd just called my bluff. That was some bit of awesome recovery! I'm sure my entire class would agree. Hehehe!
To make the day even better, I had the good fortune of having dinner with my ex-student and it was great catching up on each other's lives. Just having dinner with someone these days is already a blessing, what more with a cherished ex-student of mine. It simply fills me with pride when I see my ex-students succeeding in life and pursuing their dreams. It kind of makes me feel like a dad, even though I've never been one before.
Then, as I was driving home, with a wonderful smile still etched on my face, my phone alerted me to a new text message received. When I read it, all my cheerful glee evaporated into thin air and a deeply disappointing cloud of emotions rained down on me. One of my favourite students told me that she had made the decision to stop coming to my class. She cited tiredness as her reason. I put away my phone, disbelief shaking my head, as yet another case of 'tiredness' or 'time clashes' robbed me of a student who always brought a smile to my heart. Someone who has a wonderful learning attitude and is a really nice person overall. Yes, these are the ones who are my favourite students - the ones who show a willing effort to learn and improve, the ones who are sincere about it. For me, straight A's mean nothing if you lack any of these attributes. I'd rather teach a student whose best effort results in C's but has the attributes I admire so much than a straight-A student who fails to display any of those attributes. This student was the third I've 'lost' this year due to 'tiredness' or 'time clashes' and it really bothers me that I can't do anything about it. I'm so frustrated! Argh! And at the same time, so sad...
I've always mentioned to my students that I disagree with the tuition scenario in our country. I know I sound like a hypocrite since I'm one of the participants in this scenario but I teach in tuition centers only because I disagree even more with our school scenario. I would love to teach in schools, if not for the restricting, suffocating and passion-killing nature of the job.
Teaching in tuition centers is the only way I can do what is right and best for my students. However, as hard as I try and as much as I give myself to this cause, there are forces beyond my control that leave me helpless to change things. I'm helpless to give my students the energy they need to attend the numerous tuition classes and I'm helpless to give my students financial assistance if that were ever their need. Yet, one lingering bitter after-taste remains... it is the bitter question that has long eaten into the core of my heart and all that I believe in. When there are so many classes that a student could give up, why do they give up mine? Why English? Why me?
As I drag myself into my room after a long fun-filled day, suddenly April Fool's Day doesn't seem so much fun anymore. No joke.
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