Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Teachers Make the Worst Students

I came to the conclusion that I really shouldn't have set holiday homework for my kids, except for the fact that I was expected to do so.

Why?

Because I can't stand the thought of having to do my own holiday homework. What more these 17 year olds who I'm sure have more distractions around them than I do? Each person in my department is expected to use the holidays to actually create a lesson package based on a particular theme. This means, exercises, articles, all that jazz.

I spent the entire day doing one article and its related exercises and I should do at least one more and maybe come up with some introductory lesson for the topic. And I am reluctant to do so. The adult and teacher in me chides me for not having done it earlier, but earlier meant the month of November that was filled with invigilation and budget proposals and all that rubbish for next year. So, that only leaves December and I was out cold with the horrid flu for a week and another week, I was in Bali, so that leaves now, the week before Christmas where I'm frantically trying to complete Christmas shopping as well as churn out this lesson package.

So, how do I expect my kids to not hate their holiday homework? The rationale is that they need to do it because they need to keep up and get themselves into the right groove for a very very short year. But the other argument then is, shouldn't they then spend some of this time enjoying themselves because next year is really going to suck on so many levels for them?

I really question the wisdom in piling on the holiday work. One of the kids I tutor laments the fact that the only time she gets out of the house is when she has to go for tuition. Any other time is spent doing her holiday homework for all the various subjects and I'm thinking poor kid! Plus I'm also exasperated that she doesn't go out at all and therefore has no idea what the Esplanade looks like nor the former Westin Stamford- when I tried to explain to her the etymology of the word skyscrappers.

And I recall having a sinking feeling in the pit of my tummy when I thought about all the homework yet untouched and I still have that now, the the different kind of homework that I have due.

Somethings don't change. As a kid, we dreaded Mondays and complained the weekends were too short. Same thing now. I guess we just never realised as reluctant students that teachers were human too and they were equally reluctant to spend their time cloistered within the four walls of the school. Except, for the teachers, we have bills to pay and have no choice, really.

Ondine tossed this thought in at 18:12

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