Talking of names... It only just struck me today, as I was passing out classwork books to my year 11s......actually let me start a bit further back. One of the sub teacher's magic tricks I have yet to master is the ability to learn 300 names in a week. I am rubbish with names and my pupils know it. The trouble kids I (ironically) have no trouble with. I usually know their names in 30 minutes - but the quiet ones... usually i have just about learned their names by the time I leave to move on to a new school. Right now I rely on a less than reliable pupil to help me fill in the register for my form class every morning.
I do try. Really I do. One of the little things I do to try and memorise is making a point of handing out classwork books myself - it gives me a chance to relate the name on the book to the face on the pupil and where they usually sit in the classroom. It adds a minute or two to the beginning of the lesson but it works for me. But names are still a problem for me.
I've also come to realise that pupils are obsessed with names. Namely christian names.
'what's your name Sir?'
'mr Campbell.'
'your first name.'
'mr.'
'nawwwh... what's your real name.'
'why do you want to know?'
'we know all our teachers' names.'
'well then, let me be different.'
'why?'
'because it's important to be unique.'
'yeah - but what's your name?'
I have no problem with pupils knowing my name - I just have problems with the inevitable few who love to push boundaries. Maybe if I didn't make such a big thing of it they wouldn't care less. I've tried that though and it still results in a couple of mindless comedians yelling my first name across the playground to... actually I'm not sure why. Maybe they have their reasons.
Today as I was handing them back their work, the books had arranged themselves into an order which made me notice something I hadn't spotted before:
Matthew... Mark... Luke... Jonathon...
I made some comment about the names, how I had a biblical name too; which led to them asking what it was,
'1st and 2nd Corinthians'
For some reason they didn't laugh.
7 comments:
From what I know... Your name is not Paul. LOL.
It was a great joke, though, one they couldn't get. I love it.
habukkuk?
You're horrible with names.
For example:
Who sat behind me and Megan?
And who sat to my left?
Karen. They didn't just not get it - there was actual tumbleweed blowing through the classroom as they looked at me.
Seanog(182). um duh. Not that I should be expected to remember pupils from two schools ago but, Jordan and Adam sat behind you and Megan, and to your left was Andrew and Stewart (or sometimes Phillip) You chose easy ones. Like I said, I have no trouble with the loud ones.
Now can I slip off into the night quietly or will you keep dragging me back?
And Kylie - I love Habukkuk. That would be a great name to have. It has something of an Amish feel to it.
It WAS a great joke (per Karen.) Coincidentally I have a biblical name too... the book of Brazen was kept out of the King James Version by monks in the 3rd century due to her capriciousness in uprising the masses...
See, I can tell bad jokes too. ;-)
Hmmm... I'm thinking they wouldn't have got that one either - it'd be alright until we got to the word capriciousness. They wouldn't have a clue. Kids have such tiny vocabularies these days don't you think? Personally I blame the teachers.
Lol Phillip
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