Sentimental Journeys

Few things baffle me more than I would want to admit, and one is the way our schoolchildren think. I wonder what my generation ate and drank during our school days because I remember going to school with the expectation of putting pen to paper—immediately! And sometimes, yes, we use our brains.

Now it is 2024 and I can recall many instances where I had to request, plead and sometimes grovel to a student to write the date and title in their books. What baffles me most, is when the student looks puzzled when I ask, “Have you answered the question?” They reply with a strange look, “err…what question?” At that point, I must pause and remember that I am in a school, that I am a teacher, that I do not have the liberty to express my honest feelings and that I do not want to lose my job!

I smile, no, I grin at the little darling and say, “my dear I mean the question that has been on the board for the last 10 minutes!” The expression on the innocent face reveals an “oh.”

I leave the student to get on with the task and check up on others. When I come back, I notice the page in the student’s book is very clean. It’s spotless. Not a single amount of ink has touched its lines. Absolutely no evidence of any writing or doodling for that matter. I feel the rage growing inside my body. I force myself to grit my teeth, do not utter a word, I tell myself. After a deep breath, I throw a death stare and walk away. One may ask, does this student have needs? Do they need additional help? The answer according to their profile for this task is no. Meaning this ought to be straightforward. If you are wondering what the question was, here it is, and the student was 13 years old.

What is a noun? Give the definition and three examples.