It's 11pm on a Tuesday night - hump night...as in "it's the middle of the work week" in the UAE.
I'm feeling weird and inspired simultaneously so it's time to write something however long or brief this post ends up being when I'm done typing. I'd like to take this opportunity to document some hilarious "fails" that I've experienced in my personal, day-to-day and in the teaching world.
Fail #1: Random Fog Day
Due to a fog on a random day there was only a few students for Period 1. Normally all the students who are present would run around the school and play until the fog lifts and the rest of the kids arrive. However on this particular day the four sixth grade boys who were present decided to come into class. Surprised by this I jokingly and also sincerely said, "Oh! You came to class. You must miss us huh?" Not missing a heartbeat the boys replied, "A/C!"
They came into class because of the refuge that the a/c in our classroom offered, nothing else. FAIL!!!
Fail #2: LG Washing/Drying Machine
I bought a brand new washing/drying machine and after only 1.5 weeks of being functional it decided to flood my kitchen for a total of 6 times! I called the customer service of both the store I bought it from and LG many, many times - they sent out servicemen to repair my machine 4 times. I finally had enough of it and kept demanding for a replacement - after insisting this numerous times they gave in and said they would give me another new one.
I got a brand new replacement on a Thursday afternoon after a long work week, thinking that it must be my lucky day that it came just in time for me to do laundry on the weekend. I was just so excited and had too much faith in the brand that is LG that I decided against my best judgement and threw in some really nice bed sheets and pillow cases into the thing. After only 1 minute of washing, the machine made some funny vibrating noises, sounded off some music, and displayed an error message!!! The "Life's (Not) Good" saga continues even after a month of this hot mess!!! FAIL!!!
Fail #3: Professional Development
Apparently every English Medium Teacher (EMT) at my school has to lead a PD before the end of the school year. Even though my coteacher and I have only taught here for maybe 6 weeks, we were not exempt from this and got thrown into the fire. Up to the challenge we prepared a PowerPoint and a small packet of materials on teaching writing for our workshop. Upon arrival into our classroom, one of the EMTs said, "Got something good for us?" I answered, "Absolutely! It'll be the most stimulating PD you'll ever attend!" He responded, "We'll be the judge of that." (We are a sarcastic bunch.)
My coteacher and I were trying to get our attendees to brainstorm qualities that they look for in a great piece of student writing, they gave us a funny look and said, "Are we talking about our kids here or our kids back home?" This was followed by cricket, cricket, cricket. Then there were more awkward silence and reluctant involvement throughout the 30-minute PD. When we were done, they gave us a big round of applause!?!? Come on now, stop playing...I saw some of you nodding your heads and dozing off! FAIL!!!
Hashtag: End of School Year Blues, Hashtag: Nobody Likes PD, Hashtag: Teachers Can Sometimes Be the Worst Students, Hashtag: Jaded and Cynical
