EPISODE 829 TEACHING … WITH RESPECT, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. WITHOUT RESPECT NOTHING IS POSSIBLE.?
alan skeoch
MAY 30, 2023
How would you handle this situation? My Grade 13 Home Form decided to play a joke on me
THEY took over the blackboard where I had drawn a gross caricature.
Someone wrote
“Mr. Skeoch ,alias E.T.” (the extra terrestrial movie had just been released)
The drawing was mine…big nose, big mouth.
The words were written by someone in 13D
Today, May 30, 2032, I asked Marjorie what she thought of E.T.
“Who?”
“Remember the movie E/T/. the extra terrestrial; who visited our planet…toured on a bicycle
“Yes, that would be the late 1960’s, why do you ask?”
“If you had to describe E.T. in one word, what would it be?”
“Inquisitive…..he was curious”
“Is that a good characteristic?”
“”Of course it is.”
“Then this picture must be flattering.”
(Students felt secure enough to make fun of me and still have respect)
WHAT THE PICTURE REVEALS
1) I AM wearing a 3 piece suit so pic must have been taken around 1970
2) Picture reveals that my home form, 13D felt relaxed enough to write “Mr. Skeoch alias
E.T.” and sign collective name 13D
3) The caricature was draw by me. Big nose, big mouth, brush cut. I think I was teaching Voltaire’s book Candide in
which the boy Candide toured Europe with his teacher whose name in translation was
“Big Mouth”, a name my students enjoyed.
4) As a group we were relaxed enough to do give and take….i.e. join a conversation.
“Why did Voltaire put ‘Big Mouth” in his novel?
5) Famous line in the book? “If this is the best of all possible worlds, what then of the others?”
6) My comment? Read Candide, you’ll love it because the chapters are only a couple of pages long.
7) What was my own personal discovery about teaching? I remember my shock those first few days
as a teacher….the students all called me “Sir”….and they did this for my entire testing career.
What did “sir” mean to me? It meant the kids respected me. As a teacher if you are respected then
all things are possible. If there is no respect then nothing is possible.
i.e. We had a teacher at Parkdale C.I. who just could not get respect. One day when I slipped out for a coffee
I found him sitting on the step of his portable classroom.
“What’s wrong?
“The students have taken control.”
“HOW?”
“I was having difficulty with them.”
(The classroom was full of noise and kids jumping up ad down…and laughing…hooting even)
“God awful noise they are making…how did that happen?”
“I lost control and said “What do you expect me to do…”stand up, sit down, act like a fool?”
“Then all hell broke loose…they began jumping and sitting .jup and down…hooting.”
“Odd.”
“Worst thing is that they have now locked me out of the portable classroom.”
“Call the VP”
“Are you kidding. he will think I cannot teach…have no respect….so I will lsit here until the bell goes.”
(And he did. He was still siting there when I cam back with my coffee. The hullabaloo was continuing…
he never got respect and eventually gave up teaching. Very sad. Nice guy.)
alan
P.S. THE PICTURE WAS REATURED IN THE PARKDALE YEARBOOK AS I REMEMBER