She was thrown from her horse. Either on the way down or once she was already down, the horse kicked her.
She has three broken ribs, a broken arm, and she may have injured her spleen.
She is in the hospital. Because we have such a tight-knit group, she has actually asked us not to visit. You see, if she didn't say that, we'd all be up there, and I think she wants to take the time to heal.
She has a best friend on staff who did go up to see her last night, and today she reported back that things are looking quite good.
She also related a humorous story back to us.
On the day after my colleague's fall, she was lamenting to her husband how terrible she looked.
He replied, "Oh Honey, you don't look as bad as you do after a day of teaching."
Doesn't that just tell all about our profession?!
15 comments:
Wow...poor lady.
My view of teachers....most are ugly....and most hate their jobs. They blame it on their pay...and I blame it on their outlook.
Letsee...out of the nearly 50 teachers I've dealt with from K-12 I would say I only liked 6 of them. It's the brutal truth. 6 out of 50 is terrible!
And then we get to college. Where so far I've had about 25 teachers....and have only liked 3 of my teachers. You gotta admit...we've got some serious problems with our teachers likeability factor....and they need some plastic surgery too if you know what I mean!! Hahaha. Good thing I don't believe in karma, eh? Oh and I threw in that eh for Canadian morale, eh? =)
Most days, Hippo, I love my job. I really love my day-to-day encounters with the kids.
If there's anything I dislike about my job, it's the way society in general has changed over the years and the resulting "evolution" of my profession.
When I was a kid and I got a bad mark or (heaven forbid!) I got into trouble, I would get it at home. I would pray that my parents would not find out.
Nowadays, though - and I don't think it's only where I teach (although I do think it may be particularly bad here) - if a student gets into trouble at school or gets a bad mark, the parent is on the phone asking the teacher just what he or she is going to do about it.
There seems to be absolutely no accountability for the students anymore. It's all the teacher's fault.
Johnny got 36% on a test where the class average was 78%. He didn't study at all, and all the rest of the class seemed to understand the material, but I guess the teacher didn't teach it well enough. How could Johnny have failed otherwise?
I don't think the point is whether or not you liked your teachers. I couldn't care less whether or not my students like me. I already have lots of friends; I don't need to be friends with 27 10 year-olds.
What is to the point is whether or not you learned something from them, and based on the fact that you are currently in college and repeatedly achieving grades in the A range, I would say you probably learned a fair bit.
I don't plan on winning any popularity contests, or - for that matter - any beauty contests. I simply plan for my students to leave my classroom at the end of the year with a greater knowledge of the world around them and with a larger portfolio of skills than they had when they entered my classroom.
I just wish it wasn't so exhausting to do that.
Well I think you're dismissing the strong correlation between likeability (not necessarily friendlyness) of teachers and better understanding of the material from students. I think there is a relationship...and it counts. I remember my 3rd grade and 5th grade experiences well because I really respected and enjoyed my teachers. I had the best grades in both those years too!
And a beauty contest here and there wouldn't hurt the faculty that bad!
I'm not sure, Hippo, that the correlation is quite as strong as you think.
I've had students come back to visit after encountering high school, and they've said that they are glad that I was so strict and insisted on high standards. Back at the time, I'm sure I wasn't high on their list of the most popular people, but later, they realized that the expectations I put upon them helped them when they went on the higher grades.
And now you mention respect. There is a big difference, I think, between respect and likeability, which is what your first comment was focused on completely. Respect is long term. Likeability can be day to day.
I expect there are many days when my students may not particularly like me, but when they look back at the year we've had together, I expect (hope, at least) that they will look back with respect.
What features did those 44 K-12 teachers display that caused you to harbour such scathing memories?
Glad your friend is ok..
Hope you are having a good weekend..
Thanks, Happy. Yes, I think she is on the mend.
The weekend's going okay. I'm working on marking and report cards. I'm actually at the school right now - 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon - but, as you can tell by the number (and length) of my comments this afternoon, I'm not being all that productive. ;-)
Hope your weekend is going well too.
And Hippo - I just had a thought.
Did it ever dawn on you that, if you had trouble getting along with 44 out of 50 people, maybe you were the problem, not them?
We've had students enroll in our school who have had constant trouble with their previous schools. And, as I was saying before, it was always the previous schools' faults, never the student's.
Hah! ;-P
I don't think I was the problem. My old school-mates would agree with me about my opinions toward those 44 teachers.
The teacher I respected most in K-12....was probably my 5th grade teacher. I hated his guts the first quarter (back then we were on a quarter system). I ditched school a lot...I hated life. But then he spent some time with me which got me interested in a lot of things. And that was my turn-around. He challenged me. And we played football at recess together and I got A's after that quarter.
PS> I never said all the 44 teachers were bad teachers. They were just average to horrible. Most average.
Now in college....most of the 25 professors (other than the 3 I liked) were horrible. They should be fired immediately. Most of them, not all.
I'm sure you and I would get along though. You're not gonna make me go to timeout are you? Have you ever used timeout?
And stop reading to that boy! You've been reading to him for months! I think he knows how to read now! I think he can read the book himself! Matter o fact... I think he can quote the book himself!
No, Hippo, those bad kids never think they're the problem! Neither do their friends.
When it comes to college professors, I know I ran into some duds too. But in college, a lot of the work is individual anyway; those people aren't paid to hold your hand through your education. Because, let's face it - it is your education.
No, I wouldn't make you go to time-out. I have used something similar, though. I've sent students to the hallway or to the office. Why should 25 other kids suffer in a classroom because one kid is being a jerk? And at home, I send the boys to their rooms. In our house that really is a punishment, because our kids don't have televisions, play stations, and computers in their rooms. Sometimes, #1 doesn't mind being sent to his room, because he has a bookshelf full of books in there. Still, though, the deal is that they can't come out until the room is neat and tidy, so I kill two birds with one stone.
And, sorry Hip, but I will never stop reading to kids. Mentok found me some new choices for an avatar. He likes "sexy librarian" ones, but I don't think that really fits my Library Mama image. We'll see - maybe someday when I'm feeling really adventurous I'll try one for a little while.
I had a bad experience reading once.
I was reading...enjoying myself...and all of the sudden BAM! okay so nothing happened...but I uhm....I'd rather read on my computer =)
You poor dear!
You did have bad teachers, didn't you?
;-)
Seriously, though, give reading for enjoyment one more try. Please??
LM, I always thought yours a glamorous profession, remembering how you looked in that terrific salon dress.
I'm sure Mentok would agree.
Thank God, your colleague didn't break her neck that sometimes happens from falling off horses.
LOL! All kidding aside, I hope your friend is OK. Sounds like a painful ordeal.
Susan - I'm afraid I can think of many words to describe the teaching profession, but glamorous is not one that comes to mind.
And yes, I'm pleased my friend did not have worse injuries. I know she could have.
Jamie - Thanks. Yes, I spoke to her today, and she sounds strong and in high spirits. I think her husband has finally talked her into the need to rest and recuperate, so she's trying not to even think about work. A little tough, though, considering next week is report card / parent-teacher interview week.
Post a Comment