One Kiddo's Opinion
Sometimes the last thing learners need is for their preferred learning style to be affirmed. Agreeing to let people learn only in a way that feels comfortable and familiar can restrict seriously their chance for development. ~ Steven Brookfield
Mork
Mindy, do you know that you’re frowning a lot nowadays?
Mindy
Uh, really? You’re so observant, Mork.
Mork
Well, I have to be, don’t I? I’m your supposedly alter ego. Your animus, as Carl Jung put it. You wouldn’t be having those frowns if you’re not affected by something.
Mindy
Well, yeah. I am affected. By words.
Mork
(Chuckle) Don’t we all?
Mindy
Yeah, but if it’s by someone you least expect, how do you deal with it?
Mork
Okay, this is getting somewhere. What happened, dear?
Mindy
You know how I love my kids. And my teaching. In fact, I got my kids to thank for for lifting me up this New Year. Seeing them sitting in class, apprehensive yet cheerful really helped me to get out of my moroseness.
Mork
Okay. So, what is the problem, dear?
Mindy
There’s this kid. You see, I admire him for his intelligence. I respect him a lot for that. Every time he utters a word, I would be so eager to listen. Every time he submits a written work, I would be so eager to read. Well, to put it simply, he’s what you would want in an excellent English Lit major. And it is fair to say that his credibility would put some of the post-graduate students to shame.
Mindy, do you know that you’re frowning a lot nowadays?
Mindy
Uh, really? You’re so observant, Mork.
Mork
Well, I have to be, don’t I? I’m your supposedly alter ego. Your animus, as Carl Jung put it. You wouldn’t be having those frowns if you’re not affected by something.
Mindy
Well, yeah. I am affected. By words.
Mork
(Chuckle) Don’t we all?
Mindy
Yeah, but if it’s by someone you least expect, how do you deal with it?
Mork
Okay, this is getting somewhere. What happened, dear?
Mindy
You know how I love my kids. And my teaching. In fact, I got my kids to thank for for lifting me up this New Year. Seeing them sitting in class, apprehensive yet cheerful really helped me to get out of my moroseness.
Mork
Okay. So, what is the problem, dear?
Mindy
There’s this kid. You see, I admire him for his intelligence. I respect him a lot for that. Every time he utters a word, I would be so eager to listen. Every time he submits a written work, I would be so eager to read. Well, to put it simply, he’s what you would want in an excellent English Lit major. And it is fair to say that his credibility would put some of the post-graduate students to shame.
Mork
Uh-huh. So what did he say?
Mindy
Well, he didn’t really say it to my face. Let’s just say I stumbled upon what he said via the information superhighway. It’s not so much what he said; I’m just bothered by the rather arrogant and pompous way of him saying what he said.
Mork
Okay, the gist, honey.
Mindy
Well, he said that my course does not seem to compel him due to “evaluation and the way class is carried out are pretty repetitive.” He’s relating it to the previous course that I’d taught. I’m okay with that, you know, because when I put myself into his shoes, I can understand how frustrating it can be for a student of his stature to bear with the rather slow pace in class and the variety of course works involved.
Mork
Couldn’t agree more. But in a class as big of yours, you can’t accommodate one person. You try to accommodate everybody’s needs.
Mindy
You’re right. What works for him may not work with the other kids. And what works for the other kids may not work with him. It’s a vicious cycle. Despite what he may think, I’m only acting in the kids’ best interest.
Mork
How, dear? You’ve got to fill me in.
Mindy
Well, besides tests and the final exam, I could play around with the course works, you know. I agree with the department’s decision to give more writing assignments to the kids. Their level of writing proficiency leaves a lot to be desired. Sometimes I can’t even tell the difference between an English Lit major and a weak-in-English Science student because their writings are at a similar level. Ironic, huh, you would think that an English Lit najor would be much better in writing, but it is not necessarily the case. So, I give my kids two written assignments. One is a formal one, 3 pages. I figured that they not only need to know what to write but also the conventions that come with a formal writing. The other written assignment is a literary journal where these kids could jot down anything related to the texts they are dealing with. These kids need the practice, Mork. Half of the class is weak in writing. I don’t really look at grammar, punctuation and all those mechanics. I look at their responses. Time constraint, shyness, and a lot of other factors make it a bit difficult for me to illicit oral responses from the kids. When I asked students what they think about a the text, I'd get responses like : “ I don’t know” or “I haven’t read the story”. Do you know that most of the time I’d end up answering my own questions? That’s why I ask them to write in the journal. I could at least get some responses. This brings us to another issue very dear to my heart. Speaking proficiency. You would think that English Lit majors would have no problems in speaking, but they do. Some of them don’t even open their mouth.
Mork
Really??? That’s strange. And bad.
Mindy
Can’t really blame them. Some of them are not even here because of their own freewill. Some don’t have good foundation in English. I pity these kids. Sometimes I feel like teaching them English, all over again, from scratch, you know. So I could rectify their weaknesses.
Mork
Uh-huh. So what other course works do they have to do?
Mindy
One multi media presentation where they will have the opportunity to explore, and make something, out of their knowledge and critical analysis of the literary texts. Basically, they have to come up with a 5-10-minute multimedia presentation based on any of the texts. I chose this coursework because I’ve implemented it in class countless times, and my kids seemed to enjoy it. Furthermore, literature is interdisciplinary in nature. In this modern age, don’t we always look at the interplay between word, image and sound? The new electronic media is challenging the traditional format of literature. Studies have shown that there is an increasing preference towards media approaches as the way of dealing with literary texts. I’m just trying to catch up, you know.
Mork
Hmm. I got you, dear. But I bet this kiddo said a lot more than what you’ve told me…
Mindy
Well, he said he dropped my “seemingly-lethargic” course as “a token of gratefulness, with the hope that my fellow friends would gain something.”
Mork
He said what??? What does he mean by that? Is he trying to say that your kids would not gain anything from your course? That is blasphemy! Or is he saying that he’s being a good Samaritan, giving chances to other kids to score, in his absence? That is double blasphemy!
Mindy
I don’t know what to think, Mork. He also said all the best to his friends, if they had no choice; but if they did, why the hell are they still in my class?
Mork
Criticisim normally undermines confidence. But what this kiddo has said can’t even be called criticism, you know. He said all these things after attending like, how many classes? One?
Mindy
Yup.
Mork
(Grin). I only have these to say to him. Judge content, boy, not delivery. And while he’s judging, try to come up with constructive criticisms. He can criticize, but he must also suggest solutions. The least he could do was suggest in what ways your class can be improved. But I can tell you this honey, it's his loss for dropping your course. He might think that Beowulf is great, that K.S. Maniam is the best Malaysian writer, but what he knows is just peanuts. There are other great literary works out there; and most great English literary works come from the periphery of the English culture anyway.
Mindy
You’re right. Why am I bothered so much with one shallow opinion?
Mork
That’s because you care, honey. You’re committed. Well, I wish this kiddo a nice life. Of course, he’s entitled to form his opinion, and so are you. But he’s got a lot to improve in that area. And you shouldn’t feel threatened. Not at all. In terms of experience, he’s got a lot to catch up with you, honey. Well, come to think of it, I’d like to see him teach. Hmm, that would be nice, eh?
Uh-huh. So what did he say?
Mindy
Well, he didn’t really say it to my face. Let’s just say I stumbled upon what he said via the information superhighway. It’s not so much what he said; I’m just bothered by the rather arrogant and pompous way of him saying what he said.
Mork
Okay, the gist, honey.
Mindy
Well, he said that my course does not seem to compel him due to “evaluation and the way class is carried out are pretty repetitive.” He’s relating it to the previous course that I’d taught. I’m okay with that, you know, because when I put myself into his shoes, I can understand how frustrating it can be for a student of his stature to bear with the rather slow pace in class and the variety of course works involved.
Mork
Couldn’t agree more. But in a class as big of yours, you can’t accommodate one person. You try to accommodate everybody’s needs.
Mindy
You’re right. What works for him may not work with the other kids. And what works for the other kids may not work with him. It’s a vicious cycle. Despite what he may think, I’m only acting in the kids’ best interest.
Mork
How, dear? You’ve got to fill me in.
Mindy
Well, besides tests and the final exam, I could play around with the course works, you know. I agree with the department’s decision to give more writing assignments to the kids. Their level of writing proficiency leaves a lot to be desired. Sometimes I can’t even tell the difference between an English Lit major and a weak-in-English Science student because their writings are at a similar level. Ironic, huh, you would think that an English Lit najor would be much better in writing, but it is not necessarily the case. So, I give my kids two written assignments. One is a formal one, 3 pages. I figured that they not only need to know what to write but also the conventions that come with a formal writing. The other written assignment is a literary journal where these kids could jot down anything related to the texts they are dealing with. These kids need the practice, Mork. Half of the class is weak in writing. I don’t really look at grammar, punctuation and all those mechanics. I look at their responses. Time constraint, shyness, and a lot of other factors make it a bit difficult for me to illicit oral responses from the kids. When I asked students what they think about a the text, I'd get responses like : “ I don’t know” or “I haven’t read the story”. Do you know that most of the time I’d end up answering my own questions? That’s why I ask them to write in the journal. I could at least get some responses. This brings us to another issue very dear to my heart. Speaking proficiency. You would think that English Lit majors would have no problems in speaking, but they do. Some of them don’t even open their mouth.
Mork
Really??? That’s strange. And bad.
Mindy
Can’t really blame them. Some of them are not even here because of their own freewill. Some don’t have good foundation in English. I pity these kids. Sometimes I feel like teaching them English, all over again, from scratch, you know. So I could rectify their weaknesses.
Mork
Uh-huh. So what other course works do they have to do?
Mindy
One multi media presentation where they will have the opportunity to explore, and make something, out of their knowledge and critical analysis of the literary texts. Basically, they have to come up with a 5-10-minute multimedia presentation based on any of the texts. I chose this coursework because I’ve implemented it in class countless times, and my kids seemed to enjoy it. Furthermore, literature is interdisciplinary in nature. In this modern age, don’t we always look at the interplay between word, image and sound? The new electronic media is challenging the traditional format of literature. Studies have shown that there is an increasing preference towards media approaches as the way of dealing with literary texts. I’m just trying to catch up, you know.
Mork
Hmm. I got you, dear. But I bet this kiddo said a lot more than what you’ve told me…
Mindy
Well, he said he dropped my “seemingly-lethargic” course as “a token of gratefulness, with the hope that my fellow friends would gain something.”
Mork
He said what??? What does he mean by that? Is he trying to say that your kids would not gain anything from your course? That is blasphemy! Or is he saying that he’s being a good Samaritan, giving chances to other kids to score, in his absence? That is double blasphemy!
Mindy
I don’t know what to think, Mork. He also said all the best to his friends, if they had no choice; but if they did, why the hell are they still in my class?
Mork
Criticisim normally undermines confidence. But what this kiddo has said can’t even be called criticism, you know. He said all these things after attending like, how many classes? One?
Mindy
Yup.
Mork
(Grin). I only have these to say to him. Judge content, boy, not delivery. And while he’s judging, try to come up with constructive criticisms. He can criticize, but he must also suggest solutions. The least he could do was suggest in what ways your class can be improved. But I can tell you this honey, it's his loss for dropping your course. He might think that Beowulf is great, that K.S. Maniam is the best Malaysian writer, but what he knows is just peanuts. There are other great literary works out there; and most great English literary works come from the periphery of the English culture anyway.
Mindy
You’re right. Why am I bothered so much with one shallow opinion?
Mork
That’s because you care, honey. You’re committed. Well, I wish this kiddo a nice life. Of course, he’s entitled to form his opinion, and so are you. But he’s got a lot to improve in that area. And you shouldn’t feel threatened. Not at all. In terms of experience, he’s got a lot to catch up with you, honey. Well, come to think of it, I’d like to see him teach. Hmm, that would be nice, eh?
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