I made a little girl cry today.

Of course it wasn't deliberate and I found out later that it wasn't really my fault but I still felt like crap. Kind of still do.

I teach a class with four kids aged four or five. Three boys (two smart but boisterous, one low level and fairly quiet) and one girl (sweet and well behaved, but lower end of mid-level abilities, low confidence).
We were running through the vocab, chorusing the new words. She did ok with a few simple words, but a three syllable word came up, and it was all too hard. She froze, I slowly sounded it out, but it was too late. The lip started trembling, I could barely manage "hey, its okay" before the tears burst. :bawling:
The parents are always in the next room watching through the window, so I tapped on the glass and beckoned her mum into the room. There's not much in a 4-year-olds world that can't be fixed by a hug from mum. Mum stayed for about ten minutes, helping her settle and rejoin the class, helping with the words, and was able to leave after a while. Things were okay for the rest of the lesson.
I spoke with her mum afterwards (who, thank goodness, speaks English fairly well) and she explained that she had scolded the girl just before the class (I don't know why) and this had thrown her confidence and led to the tears. I feel a little better for this, but not much. When a cute sweet little child starts crying in front of me, and I am the trigger, if not the whole cause, of it, no amount of rationalization can wholly wipe away the emotional reaction. :(
I know I have posted some callous-sicko sounding stuff here, mostly about how to weigh heads, but really, I'm not mean.

ahh well, I'm purged now. Thank you cellar.

Just wait, ZenGum. One day she'll make you cry and you will be even.

That's my prophecy to you.

Gee thanks heaps, I feel sooooo much better now. matter of fact, YOU have made ME :cry:

:p

:lol:

Well I guess if all the kids I have made smile and laugh also return the karma, that aint so bad.

Teaching Vocab? And I thought only "southerners" said ain't;)

:lol:

What's really funny is that I debated whether to use an apostrophe and make ain't.
I used it purely for theatrical effect. And we all knows, there aint no apostrafee in aint. Thats mah ejamacashun torkin there.

word to ya, brotha

I use ain't. In England you use the apostrophe :)

Glad to know it has worked it's way across the globe. :D

Though I'm sure it's been around a really long time

.......yes.....from here to there. Though, in fairness, apart from in the South it's usually pronounced a little differently. In the North it tends to be more of an "ant" or "int" sound. It's difficult to convey, but part of the sound gets swallowed.

I found mold growing on my toothbrus since I didn't use it over the weekend (I went home from college).

But the real question is, why is there mold on my WIRELESS MOUSE?

:eyebrow: you need some better ventilation and a more sterilized living area


blech:greenface

Would it make a difference if it was a pig ugly child?
When I talk to my cats, I use the cat-speak I heard growing up. Aren't you in my Dad's voice becomes amcha, and ain't (a word I don't use otherwise) becomes ent (i.e. "So you ent done nuffing wrong then ah? You'm not guilty then amcha?") It's vaguely Dickensian.

Mold grows when there is moisture.

The real question is why is your mouse moist?

It's the underside and near the trackwheel. No idea man, seriously. My hands aren't wet when I use it. Baffling.

That, to me, sounds so "ebonic".