For the first time ever, a student failed to turn up today. No phone call, no email, nothing. As it happens, I was not particularly bothered and had other things to do, but the principle is important. DNAs as the hospital calls them are a pain in the arse, as they have booked time that could easily be filled attending to the needs of someone else.
I am a very punctual person. i was dragged up to believe that impunctuality was rude and inconsiderate, and gave out the message that your own time is more important than someone else's. So many people today are very inconsiderate of others and live within their own little worlds believing that the whole universe revolves around them.
I suppose that it is the current trend to give kids a sense of their own worth, and that is truly a great change since my school days. Self worth is extremely valuable and essential for healthy lives. The problem is that so many kids are overvalued and have no sense of their place in society. We on the other hand were made to feel worthless and put very firmly into our places at every possible opportunity.
There has to be a middle ground and all of us need to be reminded that we are just tiny parts in a big picture. Our role within that picture may change, but the picture is not about any individual, and no-one has the right to imagine that it does. We all have rights, or so we are led to believe, but those rights are only there while others allow them to be so. We all have responsibilities too, and that is what seems to be forgotten. The world owes none of us a thing, and what we get out of this life is very much dependent upon what we are prepared to put in.
I long ago stopped blaming others for my problems. I am in control of myself and whatever is wrong in my life is my responsibility and mine alone.
My student may come back next week and it will be interesting to see if he has anything to say. I won't mention his non
attendance of course because to do so would be highlighting a failure, and that in modern educational terms is really not good practice.
2 comments:
Any chance that he just plain forgot....or had the wrong date? I agree that his response will be interested, but unlike you, I would mention his non-attendance. Whether it is a matter of disorganization or inconsideration, feedback is essential to the change process.
And a person who is sometime late, I defend myself by saying that I accomplish huge amounts of work more than many of my team members (and they have given me that feedback), so I guess that tardiness as a sin can be somewhat offset by productivity. As long as it isn't chronic or preventing others from doing their job.
Any chance that he just plain forgot....or had the wrong date? I agree that his response will be interested, but unlike you, I would mention his non-attendance. Whether it is a matter of disorganization or inconsideration, feedback is essential to the change process.
And a person who is sometime late, I defend myself by saying that I accomplish huge amounts of work more than many of my team members (and they have given me that feedback), so I guess that tardiness as a sin can be somewhat offset by productivity. As long as it isn't chronic or preventing others from doing their job.
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