During my first year or was it my second year at University..(my memory fails me..), I had to complete a few weeks of teaching practice. To start with, I was placed at a primary school with a coursemate.. No `real' teaching was done at first since we basically had to observe the teachers in action and jot down all possible tips we could get from the classes we were in.. What the teacher did, how she did it.. was it a good thing.. We had to be REFLECTIVE..
Anyway our first class which i recall was with the little ones.. maybe aged between 5-6..
Things I remember:
The kids were adorable creatures with 1001 behaviours..
The class was a colourful array of papers and objects.. (with tiny chairs & tables)..
.. and of course the phrase used by one teacher still fresh in my memory: silly billy
Whenever a child made a mistake or was behaving badly.. the teacher would say.. `Oh, you're a silly billy aren't you..' or 'Don't be a silly billy'.. And till this day, I just love that phrase - cuz it rhymes and doesn't really sound insulting.. just kinda cute..;)
Whether the children were able to take that comment positively I have no idea.. but kids I suppose are more forgiving than adults..
As a human being who is far from perfect.. I have had my share of silly billy moments. And though you feel like kicking yourself when that happens, you just have to wear that title for a while.. at least until the guilt, shame, sadness, etc.. washes itself away from your conscience..
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