Last week today, I had one of the grandest experience in my life so far, with student impertinence. It was the same class as described in my earlier post. I was thinking, things were progressing much more smoothly this time compared to the previous week. I thought too soon. It started with the trouble-making group, led by the head troublemaker (code-named: hantu panjang; abbreviated: hp/hantu) asking to copy the examples I was giving the class to do from my diskette. Now, this request is not something new to me, lots of others have asked too. So I told them "No", and patiently explained that if they were to try out the examples projected on the screen (as they should for a practical lab class!) then they would learn! Mindless, non-thinking copying process will not help them become smarter. Fine - they kept quiet. I thought that's it. End of the issue.
Ten minutes later - someone from the hantu's group asked if they could copy my files into their thumb drives. OK, it's not the drive issue, it's the teaching methodology issue. I had to explain again to them, why getting the complete softcopy of my examples is not in the best interest of their learning. They were giving me rubbish such as they couldn't understand my teaching in class, so they want the examples to take home and study ( helloooo... if you can't understand the examples while I'm explaning them in class, how could you understand anything just by looking at it by yourselves, using the limited thinking abilities you have, at home?) And furthermore, I elaborated, if you tried the examples I gave when I asked you to, you'd have a copy there right in the computer you're using. Just save that, and you'd have your own copy. The detailed concepts and also other examples are there in the lecture notes (which, by the way, they have complete copies of - and usually nobody takes down additional notes during lecture). And ... (while I was still elaborating, they lost interest in me, and were already discussing other matters amongst themselves). Fine. I continued with my teaching.
Another five minutes passed. It was nearing the end of the class time. The grand master of the art of troublemaking, the hantu, stood up at the back of the class (I was in front) and spoke in a loud and menacing voice "Just let us copy into our thumb drive!" (Ahem, bad grammar is rampant amongst students here). My blood was boiling, gurgling, by now. I decided I will not take anymore nonsense from a piece of waste matter. I said quietly, "For the last time, NO. If you think that I am being unreasonable, please look for your HOP" (Note: HOP==the small boss above me, but below the big boss) And then, comes the impertinence of the millenium (reader, are you ready?). Hantu said in a voice that suggests intimidation and threat, "YOU REALLY WANT THAT?" I told him, "Go ahead"
And went he did! A stupid move really. He talked with the HOP for a while, and probably to make his case appear stronger, he called 2 more friends to join him. But when the guys came, they said that he was harsh and impulsive towards the lecturer instead. Cool. When I had a private talk with the HOP later on, I spilled the beans on his attitude, behaviour and bad manners. Put him in the worst light there possibly is. If he doesn't make it for this paper, no one will question me.
One would think that after the awful string of events that Friday, the hantu would put a check on himself and the kind of words that came out of his unfiltered mouth. Oh, but no. And today, during the same practical lab class, the question came out again. "Can copy using my thumb drive?" The Hantu strikes again! Of course my answer was no. And thank goodness he had brains enough to decide not to pursue the matter!
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