Creative Meanderings

I have a special needs student in my class. She has physical trouble getting around the school, but intellectually she is quite adept.

From day one, she has interrupted me while I was speaking to tell me that she didn’t have a handout since she hadn’t been to the first classes, or that she had a totally unrelated question. She constantly would tell me when she finished her work, which was always before anyone else in the class. Even though I have asked her a number of times to hold her answers until others are able to respond, she continues to shout out her answers before anyone else has a chance, thus silencing the class.

My teaching style is to let students shout out answers rather than call on individuals because I believe it creates a more open atmosphere, but she has continuously been trying to prove herself to me and her classmates that she is sharper and better.

Finally, yesterday I called her out in front of the class asking her to confer with her classmates about answers since she was in a group and to perhaps let others participate before she responds. She then clearly complained about my reprimand in Arabic, which one does not need to know the language to understand what was said. So, I asked her if she had something she’d like to say to me directly, to which she completely stopped talking for the rest of the class and wrote little notes in her notebook.

In the afternoon, I was called in to the Assistant Director’s office because she had made a complaint to Student Services about me not being fair or understanding of her needs. I politely explained that while I respect her special physical needs, I will not provide her with any slack on the intellectual side. Though I do not know the culture here regarding people’s responses to those with any kind of disability, I refuse in any country or culture to treat people differently if their minds are fully intact. Perhaps she is not used to this kind of treatment.

The good news is that the AD is being very supportive of the situation from my perspective and is taking what I’ve said back to Student Services who will then speak with the student again. Eventually, I will probably have to speak with her directly, though she should have just asked for an appointment to speak with me at the beginning as I have quickly learned that this culture is much more open about expressing their feelings than in Japan.

We shall see how it plays out, but this is very clearly contributing to my current lack of enjoyment with my students. I still have to see them for another 5 weeks, so it will have to get sorted out somehow.

On the bright side, they all just gave fabulous presentations! 😀

Until next time…

-T

Cultural Observation: Negotiations are done loudly and with great expression until finally a coin is tossed to determine a winner.

My students have begun working on group projects this afternoon. I have given them a rare period to begin working. One of the tasks is to determine a country to focus on, but no group may have the same country. Of course, two groups wanted the same country.

Student A asks around for what countries everyone is doing. Group 1 says Yemen. Group 4 also wants Yemen (Student A’s group). Arabic begins flying from group to group. Here is my translation/interpretation of what went round:

Argument 1: Group 1 has four students while Group 4 has only two present. [rationale by majority]
Argument denied.

Argument 2: Group 1 tells Teacher which country they are doing. Teacher says Sure. It’s now decided.
Argument refuted that Student A had been asking other groups, so in essence she should get a say first on which country and that asking Teacher doesn’t count.

Argument 3: We’ve already started researching about the country.
Argument refuted – so have we “See” (showing computer screen)

Argument 4: Shout over the top of the others and the loudest person wins.
Argument void as both groups shout.

Meanwhile I am laughing… I laugh more when I see the 1 dirham coin come out and Student A gets up to flip. Flip. Student A makes a noise, face and laughter ensues. She has lost.

Result Group 1 wins Yemen. Lesson learned? Majority does win and the louder the better!

Ah… entertainment at its finest. You can’t get this on television, I tell ya’!

Until next time…

-T