Why do second language teachers always think they are
mightier than everyone else? I’ve always felt that way since I was in school
and nothing has changed since I’ve got kids of my own who are in Primary school
now.
I’ve always gotten taunted by these damn language
teachers because I was never good at the damn subject. But as I got older, I
taunted them back. I wasn’t afraid anymore. Yes, I could have complained to my
parents and my mum would probably march right to the school to give them a
piece of her mind but my younger brother and I were always ones who took
matters in to our own hands. However, thinking about it now, if we had only
told my mum, these teachers would have gotten fired and not be allowed to be
near kids.
But I have to share this one funny story about a second
language tuition teacher my younger bro and I had in Primary school. She was an
older lady, and we used to go over to her home for classes. She smelt real bad
and her eyes were crossed…she was so evil that we decided to name her “B.O.
cocky”.
Back to the story…..
Whenever we didn’t do well with her spelling tests, she
would punish us…she would take the cane and use it to beat the palm of our
hands a couple times. Our revenge?? We would ask to go to the toilet after, and
we’d use her toothbrush to clean her toilets for her. We’d also piss in her
denture cup. That’s taking matters in to our own hands. But if we had told our
parents, my mum would probably get her arrested for child abuse. Ha.
Thus why I always stress to my children…. I always tell
them they need to tell my husband and I what is happening in school. They need
not be afraid of anyone. My son is still a little young to understand this but
my daughter sure does. I have told her I need to know if any teacher is
taunting her because I will get her fired! Obviously if the reasons are valid.
If my daughter is a little shit to the teachers then I can’t say much, right?
So back to my issues with second language teachers…
For the last one year I have had issues with my son’s
Chinese teacher…. I say one year because my son had this Hoity Toity teacher
from the second half of last year and unfortunately in to this year…..
This was the start to it all….
My son shows me his Chinese worksheet and I realize he
had written his name, obviously in English as that’s his name… and I see a
circle around his name with red ink and beside it some gibberish characters. I
posted the photo of it online and friends told me it was a direct translation
of my son’s English name. I got pissed…in fact I got more pissed because I was
pissed to begin with when I saw the red circle around his name….
Who the hell does she think she is? What right has she
got to name my child?!
I made a call to MOE and asked if my child needed a
Chinese name because he is taking the subject? I even made sure he didn’t need
a Chinese name for his PSLE papers. They confirmed that since my child is not a
Chinese, he need not have a Chinese name. With that confirmation I shot the
school with MOE on carbon copy (CC) an email stressing how insensitive the
teacher was.
I mean, seriously?? Who would be so cold to name someone’s
child without their permission? It’s like her giving birth and me naming her
child for her. Wonder how she would like that? Or better still…. She is Chinese
right? So I should name her child with a Malay or an Indian name to see how ridiculous
it is!! I didn’t mention Western name because that’s pretty common for a Chinese
to have. But I am trying to prove a point here….My son is non Chinese and she
gives him a Chinese name…so since her child is Chinese I give a name other than
a Chinese name. DUH!
But look at this….
Does any part of our NRIC state CHINESE? NO, right??
Anyway, the Principal of my son’s school was very prompt
with her reply and apologized profusely and said it won’t happen again.
It happened another time after that last year and I
emailed to the form teacher this time to tell her for my unhappiness. Then it
stopped.
This year, unfortunately she’s teaching my son again
(damn sway / unlucky)! I don’t know if it’s unlucky for us for unlucky for her
having to deal with me.
She starts her bullshit again. This time she doesn’t
cross out his English name but writes his Chinese name beside his English name
or makes him write it. For a start, I told my son’s form teacher who assured me
she has spoken to the Chinese teacher about it.
It stopped for a while then starts again…..
So I decided to use a red pen to cancel my son’s “given”
Chinese name on all books and worksheets and beside her Chinese name which I
circled in RED…I gave her an English name “Ms Hoity Toity”. I guess she didn’t
like it much as she erased it all when I got the books and worksheets back.
A friend told me I should not have done that as she would
target and taunt my son. If she dares to…. That’ll be the end of her career as
an educator! I made sure my son promised to tell me whatever that happens in
school.
Finally it really started to bug me more. This bitch is
either trying to annoy the shit out of me or thinks she’s mightier than me!! I
make a complain to the Head of Department this time who calls to apologize and
assures me she had spoken the Chinese teacher about this and she will make sure
my son does not have his “given” Chinese name written out anymore.
It stops……UNTIL I attend the Parent Teacher conference on
May 28. You usually meet the form teacher first and that’s what I did. She had
nothing but great things to say about my son…and as she is going through his
Portfolio, we come to the Chinese teacher’s comments, etc. I see his “given”
Chinese name on there and I started to get real frustrated. I pointed it out to
the form teacher who said she will inform HOD.
I could have gone to meet ‘Ms Hoity Toity’ next but
knowing the temper I had, I would have probably choked her on the spot so I
decided to skip meeting her (I wouldn’t have anything nice to say anyway). I
went straight to the General Office to make a complain.
A few days later, the HOD called me to apologize again
and said she cannot understand why this teach is doing this again as she was
told not to.
It’s been a couple weeks and I have decided this bitch
has gone too far disrespecting my family.
So I just sent the Principal an email. I told her how it’s
happening again and that I have tolerated enough of her teacher’s high and
mighty attitude. Lets see how long they will take to respond to my email and
what they will say. I demanded an apology not by the school but from the
teacher herself.
Being an educator, you teach children. You teach them to
take instructions and maybe at times punish them if they don’t follow simple
instructions after many times of being told what to do. If an educator cannot
possibly take a simple instruction, if she worthy of being around young lives?
Educating them? I do not think so.
Maybe I should go direct to ‘Ms Hoity Toity’ and tell her
my concerns about this issue but if the HOD and the Principal cannot make her
stop this insensitive behaviour, what power do I have to stop her myself?
Slapping her or threatening her would just land me in jail and she’s not worth
it….
I think she is just being annoying and rude…not to
mention insensitive and disrespectful.
