Friday, July 17, 2009

Teacher's Apology to a Student

"What must be used to avoid a "Plagiarism?" asked a class teacher to the students in the classroom. There were ten students altogether taking each of theirs seats and I was sitting on the nearest chair by her desk. I gave an immediate answer to her question without carefully thinking the answer correct or not. The answer I offered was that "Firstly a vocabulary has to be changed. All class including the teacher burst out laughing. But I didn't notice what's wrong with my answer.

I was still reading the course text book by ignoring their laughter and the second attempt was made to provide another supportive answer that "and a word order can be changed". At this time, all students seemed not to be able to stop laughing. Some, I think, might produce even tears. My head was upright and I was puzzled why they couldn't help laughing so violently. I looked at all them and asked what my mistake made them all to have such a laughter at me. Some students stopped laughing though some were in difficulty to do so. The teacher, trying to be serious, explained that she didn't mean to me. She might probably think that I was outraged at the way I had been treated. If so, it was absolutely wrong. There was something unmentionable in my heart dealing with why I was upset.

It was 12:00 pm when the morning class was over. My heart was till burning and there was something indigestible there. I set out the class without speaking to anybody and went down to the ground floor where I usually have my lunch. When the college post office was passed, a black men who is in charge there said "Hello". I replied him with the same word but with different mood. In fact, he looks a good man but I was still annoyed at the situation experienced in the class. I continued till I got at the college grocery where two bananas and one cafe latte were bought for lunch.

When I was standing up nearby the grocery taking the coffee and bananas in my hand, I suddenly happened to see my teacher coming to me. Taking me somewhere nearby, she apologized by saying that she didn't laugh at me to be upset and that she was very sorry for her behaviour. But I was really surprised to be apologized by the teacher. I didn't even know how I would reacted to her and I said that I was OK, no need to have such an apology to me. I had no an idea what to say more.

She went back and I climbed down to the lower ground for my daytime meal. I was alone and quietly having my lunch there by reckoning about something happened a moment ago. I was really pondering how British people respected others and human-rights. And I was reflecting back on the teachers in Myanmar whether they were ready to apologize their students at such a situation. May be some but most of them might not.

2 comments:

mabaydar said...

That was so true. In Myanmar, due to the religion, we have been brain implanted saying that teacher are same with parents. But I guess even though i believe in my religion, some of the teachers are not really rational in myanmar society.
They consider they are always right just bcoz they are teachers.
Even if they wrong, they won't apologize to their students, unless the student is upper class almighty's child.
They are not good example to students.

By the way, I still wondering why they all laughed at you. If i were you, I would have asked the reason for laughing at me.

Anonymous said...

Anyway, your English writing is really good enough. I am sure you didn't change vocabulary from somewhere for this post :)This s your originality. Cheers!!

TD