Remember that mean Bengali teacher of the EO's? It looks like she's gotten under their skin good and proper, because on Saturday, after the Niece's birthday party was pretty much over, the EO was in the midst of a boisterous game with some of our friends' kids who had stayed back for some good, old-fashioned adda.
Now they're being really noisy and loud, and they were all in the thick of the game, when suddenly, the EO detaches himself from the group, sidles up to me and plaintively says, "Mamma, please transform me from Bangla to Hindi."
I would have laughed at the cute swap of words in his sentence had the pathos of his plea not gone straight to my heart instead. I asked him why and he said, "Because Bangla ma'am is so mean and Hindi ma'am is not mean. So please will you transform me to Hindi?"
My darling son! If I had the power to 'transform' you into anything I would have 'transformed' you from a six-year old into a six-month old...
This won't make any sense to you now, but chin up, this too shall pass...and hopefully sooner rather than soon.
On What Is Happening in Bangladesh
3 months ago
6 comments:
m4 u indeed have a lovely marshmallow heart child! do tell him KG mashi thinks he is already very 'hindi' and that I am coming soon to give a whack to that Bangla teacher of his, all the way from Au :D
i am not sure if this will help EO at this stage but do share my theory of the benchmark with him. I always struggled with Urdu and I had the Urdu teacher from hell one year (she had taught a generation of Babars and knew its just not in our DNA to absorb Urdu..our nightmares continue to be that we are sitting in the middle of an Urdu exam)...once that year was over I told myself no matter how tough my life gets I will not be encountering her again...I repeat the same litany today No Matter How Tough My Life Gets I NEVER Have To Appear For an Urdu Exam EVER EVER!!
Though I do wish I had thought of the transformation theory, sigh.
Awww....poor EO. These things can be so difficult for parents, I feel. I would have felt so helpless in your place.
Hope EO learns to cope. He will, u know. Part of the growing up process.
awww, Ma sadkay.
transform..:)
I remember the time when i thought my mommy could do that...
Now its my turn I guess, I wish I could transform my over-weight, aging mommy to the mommy of those days... where she had that kinda power and juju in her.
and its so sad when language teachers are mean. Dont they know what power they have?..
Why are some teachers so insensitive that the child feels this way?? I hope this passes too!! My kids couldn't speak in Hindi and went through some trauma too, one teacher wanted them to write essays - learnt 'by heart' from a guide book.
Language learning can be such fun... if only the teacher wants to make it fun, and doesn't rush the entire class to reach milestones together. Our system doesn't leave much scope for an individual child's leanings and learning at his own comfortable speed... :(
@KG: Hurry up and get here already! The EO and I are waiting! For you and that whack!! :D
@Aneela: The teachers from hell...isn't there anyway we can send them back there?
@Mon,Ansh: Yes, it is part of the growing up process and it's painful...for him to go through and for me to watch.
@Annie: You know, I think these teachers do know about their powers and their influence...they just don't care. After all, what does it take to be nice and to show a little kindness and love?
@IHM: Yes, language can be made so much fun. And I've met this teacher; she's so insecure about English and kids loving English more. Ummm, did she ever stop to think that maybe she could change things around a bit? That she has the power to make kids love the language as well as her??
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