I got mentioned in today's Grumpy Old Bookman blog link here and I feel as if I've just won my first Costa! Wow! Thank you!
Today I did supply in a Primary School. I am a secondary school teacher, but I was nervous as hell waiting for the kids to arrive. (I've taught classes with small children before, in case you think they're allowing defective teachers in schools, but I taught music, which I'm vastly confident of.)
A tiny maiden comes up to me, and says:
'Good day, Mrs WONG! I've never heard such a strange name before!' and she gives me a few heart-shaped stickers. Huh? The teaching assistant corrects the mistake: they were told the previous day that a Mrs Wong would be taking the class.
I taught them my name, first, and then writing, literacy, and numeracy. Learnt a lot in the process.
For literacy, they learnt about descriptive words, for example the big castle, and how to find settings in stories. None of the fairy tales they later had to analyse, however, had the settings in words (e.g. 'Once upon a time, in a field, there was an Ugly Duckling.'). It was either implied, or in pictures. I don't know if this really matters, but it bothered me.
Children are wonderful to teach - they are beyond sponges. They will soak up information and ideas with the greatest pleasure. I could've folded that square into six parts and told them the bits are called possums, and they would have learnt it, just like that. Which is also a scary thought. Do parents really know what their children are learning? I think I might be a painful parent one day.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Dagse (why won't blogger let me make a kappie?). I work for the publishers Macmillan in Johannesburg, and got to Grumpy Old Book Man via Macmillan's chief executives blog:http://charkinblog.macmillan.com/.
When I saw your name, I just had to look you up! We know Reading very well, our local chairman lives in Basildon. So you are a teacher? My daughter has just done her overseas bit; first England and two years of teaching English in Korea.
All best wishes, I'm bookmarking your blog.
Hoe gaan dit!
Nice and warm, I hear. Yes, I'm a music teacher(used to work at the National School of the Arts in Braamfontein) but we're relocating to Edinburgh, that's why I'm doing some supply. I take it your daughter is back in SA? Good old home country, still miss it, but not a lot.
You seem like a very useful person to know - if you don't mind me being honest - what do you do at Macmillan? Are you an author?
Thanks for bookmarking me! Tot later, Maretha
This is what it says below my emails:
>>>>>>>plak
Cory Voigt. General Manager, Southern Africa, Palgrave Macmillan.
Also representing Berg Publishers,Harvard University Press,Houghton Mifflin (college)and MIT Press .
>>>>>>>klaargeplak
In short, I run the academic/professional/reference business in Southern Africa. I visit universities, conferences, libraries, labs, etc. work with authors.Off to see the maths dept at Tukkies in a few minutes.
My daughter is the PA to our SA MD.Macmillan has 3 divisions: Education (schoolbooks),Pan (novels,etc)and Palgrave My section)
Now I'm getting very excited! Good old Tukkies - when is the last time you've published anything about music in South Africa? For my Master's dissertation, I wrote about Afrikaner women in music in 20th century South Africa. There is almost nothing published on the topic, and I am seriously considering doing my PhD on the subject as soon as we've relocated to Scotland. But I'm getting addicted to writing stories, and I'm also interested in education...so little time.
AND this weekend there is a 15% incline, 2k hillock that's begging to be conquered - do you cycle, since you seem to know something about bonking...?! The amazing German cyclist, Jens Voigt - any relation?
No, look it up; bonk is a euphemism for sex. Which is why I said letterlik!!!
We do not publish any academic stuff in SA. Our trade dept publishes a lot of SA stuff, but nothing on music.Our school dept is publishing music for secondary schools
I hope to go to carlo Mombelli's concert which is part of his doctoral degree in composition at Wits on Friday. I believe a bunch of stars such as Jonathon Crossley, Johnny Fourie, etc will be playing
Saturday's BY bylaag in BEELD had a v interesting article on Afrikaans women in SA politics. will be over 3 weekends. do you get BEELD?
Yes, I read the Beeld every now and then, find it depressing. What is the name of the article? I'm v interested, couldn't find it, though.
Of course I know about bonking and the bonk! It was meant as a tongue-in-the-cheek comment, nou ja. I've never heard of Carlo Mombelli, but I know Jonathan Crossley - he also taught at NSA - what a fantastic musician. I am a bit out of the SA scene, but still interested in what's happening. Could I please contact you via your email? I found it on the Macmillan website.
Yes, no problem (email me direct)
Post a Comment