Ever since Charming Calvin made the decision to stumble down the arduous path of adolescent education, I have wisely kept my sentiments to myself. Though I'm endlessly supportive of his ambiguous post-dismissal plans, I know first-hand from both my teacher parents just how difficult it is keeping unruly teenagers reluctantly tethered to the millstone of a tedious biology textbook.
Sometimes it's a hellish job and don't let anyone - even our dogged Mark Thackeray - tell you any different.
However I'm glad to see Calvin take up this onerous challenge with a sweet smile. Took me several weeks of him giving weekly classes before I even attempted a peek at his teaching methods.
Granted he had quite a... problematic student to say the least. Occasionally there's a spark of brilliance noticeable in the eyes of those we talk to but tragically so far, I have yet to see anything in his student's painfully blank expression but dull apathy. Of course it doesn't help that Calvin has adopted the intriguingly old school pedagogy much favoured by Mr M'Choakumchild of Gradgrind fame.
Calvin : Potential energy is the stored energy of an object by virtue of its position relative to other objects.
Student : Uh.
Calvin : Potential energy is the stored energy of an object by virtue of its position relative to other objects.
Student : Uh.
Calvin : Do you understand?
Student : Uh.
Calvin : Alright, let's move on.
Paul : What? It's clear he has no freaking idea what you said.
Calvin : What is potential energy?
Student : Uh?
It was sadly apparent from the vacant look in his eyes that very little of what had been said throughout the class had actually registered inside his brain. Honestly medically speaking, I doubt the spoken words had barely triggered his eardrums; certainly none of the vital information had even migrated via neurons to the cerebrum for processing.
Really. The student heard but didn't listen. Nothing short of a sledgehammer would be able to get him to focus.
And Calvin's didactic methods clearly needed a timely shift.
Far be it for me to exhort at length on the quality of teaching - not even sure if I could better his attempt - but Calvin certainly reminded me of my own pedantic school teachers. Till now I can still recall the Physics schoolmarm muttering repeatedly about potential energy with very little explanation - and there's me at the corner of the science lab doodling caricatures of her sputtering gobbledygook.
Sometimes it's a hellish job and don't let anyone - even our dogged Mark Thackeray - tell you any different.
However I'm glad to see Calvin take up this onerous challenge with a sweet smile. Took me several weeks of him giving weekly classes before I even attempted a peek at his teaching methods.
Granted he had quite a... problematic student to say the least. Occasionally there's a spark of brilliance noticeable in the eyes of those we talk to but tragically so far, I have yet to see anything in his student's painfully blank expression but dull apathy. Of course it doesn't help that Calvin has adopted the intriguingly old school pedagogy much favoured by Mr M'Choakumchild of Gradgrind fame.
Calvin : Potential energy is the stored energy of an object by virtue of its position relative to other objects.
Student : Uh.
Calvin : Potential energy is the stored energy of an object by virtue of its position relative to other objects.
Student : Uh.
Calvin : Do you understand?
Student : Uh.
Calvin : Alright, let's move on.
Paul : What? It's clear he has no freaking idea what you said.
Calvin : What is potential energy?
Student : Uh?
It was sadly apparent from the vacant look in his eyes that very little of what had been said throughout the class had actually registered inside his brain. Honestly medically speaking, I doubt the spoken words had barely triggered his eardrums; certainly none of the vital information had even migrated via neurons to the cerebrum for processing.
Really. The student heard but didn't listen. Nothing short of a sledgehammer would be able to get him to focus.
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| An apple for teacher? |
And Calvin's didactic methods clearly needed a timely shift.
Far be it for me to exhort at length on the quality of teaching - not even sure if I could better his attempt - but Calvin certainly reminded me of my own pedantic school teachers. Till now I can still recall the Physics schoolmarm muttering repeatedly about potential energy with very little explanation - and there's me at the corner of the science lab doodling caricatures of her sputtering gobbledygook.
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