Teachers' Day

Am looking forward to it considerably less so than last year. With experience comes cynicism, and the realisation that students aren't what they so meticulously and self-consciously make themselves out to be. I wonder if they realise that we aren't that stupid; that we spend more time talking about them than they do about us. Like the colonial powers, we have our native spies and informers. And we have our ways of getting back at you (notice the shift from the third to the second person): not through grades, but certainly through university recommendations, testimonials, progress reports, recommendations for scholarships, college awards, and internships, and rankings.

• So-and-so is bright, but lacks intellectual curiosity and thus would not benefit from a Harvard / Yale / Dartmouth education. Moreover, s/he comes across as manipulative, selfish, and a grade-grubber.
  

• Alas, so-and-so fits the stereotype of the elitist and arrogant Rafflesian very snugly. Every conversation I've had with him / her has shown this to be true. For example...
  

• So-and-so has demonstrated an appetite for hard work, but little more than that.
  

400 essays coming in soon. Quota per day is 25, so that's around 16 days.
Posted by kungfuzi at 7:57 pm |