UPDATED!
I took down the second half of the post as some teachers and classmates had some objections to the points I made, and I saved the bottom half to a draft. If you want to know what i wrote email me or something.
ANYWAY…
Here’s something for you to chew on as food for thought before I leave.
I quote from one of my favorite villians in the Marvel comic franchise.
Mr. Sinister: “No, no. You got it wrong. Courtesy is a given. Respect, however, must be earned.“
Words I couldn’t possibly agree with more.
A few days ago during a certain lesson a teacher was discussing some issues about our so-called ‘defiance’ toward some teachers, and everything came out like a whole bula-bula (Sorry, Survivor) of vomit (for lack of a better analogy).
The question was, Do We Respect Teachers just because they stand in front of our class to teach? Or do we give them respect when they show they are worth respecting?
For me, it’s the second. Definitely the second.
A lot of my classmates raised their hands to the first statement. And they feel that it is because the teacher is older, is senior and is supposed to have more authority.
Well, I agree that the teacher is older, more senior and does have more authority. In which case, I give him all due COURTESY.
Which means I actually phrase my questions with utmost politeness instead of barking them out like a wild hooligan. Which means I actually stand up to even ask questions. That is called courtesy.
But respect, is a whole other thing. Respect comes with trust, and it comes with showing that you have the right to be treated exclusively, and you have the right to be seen as someone worthy to teach and impart experience and knowledge.
Some teachers, I feel, don’t deserve any respect.
To this date, however, I have NOT met any such teacher, though I can honestly say I have had teachers who have come close (not any in Sec 4 year, thank goodness), or, who have DONE actions that have made me disgusted and left me utterly speechless and disrespectful of that person.
For example, getting water poured on me by a certain teacher.
So I was sleeping in class. I was tired. Stayed up all night last night to do an assignment for another teacher. A biography trailer isn’t that easy to produce you know. And then when I accidentally sleep in his class, I get water poured down my head, my neck, into my shirt, and onto my worksheets and textbook.
How pissed I was.
I’m very big on a person’s maturity. What he does, and his actions, show to me how he thinks, and whether or not those thoughts are like an adult.
I was really angry. My dark side came out for 20 seconds. (I’ll tell you about my dark side in another post. Think Niki/Jessica from Heroes, only without superstrength)
For the rest of the lesson I gave him courtesy. But not respect. The moment the bell rang I got up, and left. No goodbyes, no sorry, no excuses. I left the classroom for recess.
Of course, I still respect that teacher. Because he HAS shown me that he is worth respecting, that his experience is marvelous and amazing. But that action alone, has knocked him down a few notches in my eye.
It may seem funny to you, to have water poured down your head and neck. Oh, but wait till it happens to you.
It was not funny. I was not laughing. I was furious. And that action alone nearly destroyed my respect for that teacher.
A little understanding is in order. Stayed up all night, did a project. Just a little doze for a coupla minutes wouldn’t have hurt anyone. Consequences of not staying awake in class are all mine, anyway.
I do appreciate him trying to wake me up. JUST THAT HE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT WATER?
Can knock my head, like Mr Joseph Wong does. He’s also a teacher VERY deserving of respect. Can shake me violently, like what some teachers do. All that I don’t mind. But getting me all wet, is a whole other thing.
Humans are all rational, thinking creatures. Why the hell should we give a person respect when he or she doesn’t even show us COURTESY in the first place?
Hence, my lack of respect to him. Of course I eventually apologized, because I don’t want a grudge to be formed, because he’s going to leave soon. But what he did will forever stick in my mind.
Some teachers I tremendously respect, like the two Year Heads I have had in my four years in RI. Some teachers like the Mrs Tans (both) have shown that they are rational, thinking and worth our looking up too.
Everything we do, think or have an idea of, all stem from our understanding, and whether or not that action we take is logical.
The whole pouring-of-water on my head thing was completely out-of-the ball park. I would like to say, again, I respect the teacher a lot, but each time I think of the incident my blood boils slightly.
He couldn’t feel how I felt? Openly humiliated? With water pouring down my head and onto my desk and worksheets?
I am suddenly roughly reminded of the principal from Nan Hua, who was forced to quit after him whacking a girl’s hand becomes big news, especially when the girl’s godsister or someone reported it, with filmed evidence.
This is way bigger than that.
At the same time, I’m not a wuss. Hardships toughen you up, and make you see more of the world. But I have to date, never seen an action like that. No one, not even the teachers that Alaric, Shawn and various friends have mentioned, have ever done such a disgusting (yes, it was quite) thing.
I think my fury taught the teacher that him pouring water down a student’s head is in no way a good method to wake him up. It is rather insulting, freezing, and is illogical and reeks of obvious childishness. Perhaps he was trying to appeal to the rest of the class. To do what, I wonder.
Clap? Cheer? Laugh?
Boy, wouldn’t it be humiliating and embarrassing! Boy, did he THINK OF THAT BEFORE HE DID IT!
Everyone must use some reasoning and logic to THINK through things before they do it right. No one just does things out of feel-like-it, however random those things and actions may seem.
When a person lacks thought before he performs an action, he becomes a moron.
Not a rash person, because a rash person takes the quickest and often most violent pathway to complete something. He is still thinking. But one who completely lacks thought and understanding of his surroundings… that we can call someone who is mentally unsound.
Take the Virginia Tech shootings. The guy, Cho, he was ILLOGICAL. Not rational, not thinking. In which case, a mental hospital is in need.
In that case, we can also use our logic and reasoning to determine a person’s stand. Courtesy and respect are very much different things, and we will begin to reason which one a teacher really deserves, based on what he does. Once a person sees the difference, what he or she sees from then on in every ‘teacher’ will also change likewise.
For better or not, is another story.
