Day 101: At times, we have to be cruel to be kind

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 101: At times, we have to be cruel to be kind

I was recently criticized for pointing out spelling mistakes in a Facebook post. One person said “Not everyone is raised in the English language, many are foreigners and had to learn the English language as adults. Little do they know that I’m one of them.

Many years ago, I immigrated to South Africa. Easy it was not. Not only did I have to look for a house, furniture, and a job, I had to learn two languages: English and Afrikaans. While I found Afrikaans similar to my home language (Flemish) it was still an adjustment and as for English … that was a whole different kettle of fish.

What little English I knew I had learned from watching TV back home: movies and shows such as Dallas and Dynasty, which were English spoken but carried Flemish subtitles. Knowing what English words meant, and actually speaking them were two very different things thought and my vocabulary was rather limited.

To learn to read and write English, I relied on newspapers, magazines, and books, which I not only read slowly but studied them, paying attention to how words were spelled.

As to be expected, while I was learning, I made a ton of mistakes and my colleague Jenny had a ball with me. She said as much, stating that immigrants were such easy targets. I had a choice, I could either be offended or laugh along. I choose the latter.

These days, people are different, they seem to have lost their sense of humor and are so easily offended. Earlier today, a girl posted the following message on Facebook:

‘I want to be writer. I dont know why but I feeling good when writing. I have recieved lots of praise and am sure my book will top best sellers list.’

Seeing so many spelling mistakes made my skin crawl. Not only that, when people tried to help her with spelling, she became verbally abusive. Of course, others told her not to pay attention to the advice givers and told her that her English was wonderful. It actually went as far as that the advice givers were attacked as being cruel.

This made me wonder … why do people who struggle with the English language want to write an English book? Why not write a story in their own language? And why, when someone is clearly making mistakes, are there people who compliment them? Sure, supporting someone is nice, but it won’t help them. Telling someone their English is wonderful when it clearly isn’t won’t do them any favors.

At times, we have to be cruel to be kind.

Don’t forget to donate to the Toronto Cat Rescue.

Any amount will make a difference.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/toronto-cat-rescue-bowl-a-thon-9/

Day 31: The importance of teachers

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 31: The importance of teachers

More and more families decide to homeschool their children. The majority justifies their action by voicing a concern of the school environment, while others chose to homeschool because of religious reasons or because the child has special needs.  While the motivation might be well intended, parents often forget the importance of teachers.

Why are teachers important?

The Board of Education claims that a primary school teacher holds the most important job in the world.  A teacher is a trained professional, able to deal with all kinds of children and situations. A teacher passes on knowledge and values to her class of young students and prepares them for higher education and life in the workplace. 

The role of the teacher

Teaching gifted students is easy, stimulating ordinary students and leading them to excellence is quite another.  A good teacher sparks the interest of her students, tickles their curiosity and motivates them to work.

The role of the teacher in class

Teachers, whether in elementary or high school, do more than stand in front of a class and deliver a lecture.  Many will claim that teaching isn’t so much a profession as it is a calling.

They influence their students with their commitment, competence, and character. 

They transfer their morals and ethics to their students and stimulate them to learn. 

Good teachers encourage students to participate in lessons, seeks their opinion and use student’s feedback to make the lessons more effective and fun. 

The role of the teacher in school

While teachers are first and foremost facilitators who transfer their knowledge in a particular subject to their students, they take on other roles too.

They are role models who show kindness and good manners to those around them.

They instill the right attitude in students to learn.

They provide guidance to students who need help and support them along the way.

They are confidants to students with problems.  While schools generally have a guidance teacher, many students prefer to entrust a teacher they know with their problems.

Teachers are often instrumental in a student’s career choice.

A good teacher has a way of communicating with parents and encourages them to be involved in their child’s education.

A teacher’s role in society

Being a role model, a teacher should behave impeccably in everyday life.  While everybody deserves to relax and let their hair down, swearing in public, or rude or drunken behavior can ruin a teacher’s reputation. The teacher never knows who is watching. A single misstep can ruin a carefully build up career.

Unless a child is homeschooled by a teacher or professor, it misses out on all these advantages. Not only that, a homeschooled child doesn’t learn any social skills in dealing with other children. In many ways, going to school prepares a child for a working environment in adult life.

www.connymanero.weebly.com