If you think Primary 1 children are adorable, you are right and sometimes, it is hard to imagine what little monsters they can be. Two very interesting thing happened to me a week ago and I am once again reminded of 2 things. No.1 - I am reminded of how human I am and how my very own human nature behaves. No.2 - When there's a right action to take, just do it. The wisdom to handle it will come from God.
Here's the story. We had a computer class for the P1 and one of the boys was punished by my colleague. He was stopped from using the computer until he behaves himself but he didn't and continued disturbing the girl next to him. I hit his hands but he still tried to mess up the girl's typing so I raised my voice at him and grabbed him, intending to make him stand in front of the class. He began talking away(it sounded more like a defence than a protest) and he held on to the pillar. I took his hands and legs off the pillar but the little fella kept talking and held on to the pillar again for dear life. Ok, I thought there must be something in those words and asked for translation. It turned out that all he wanted was to sit in another PC because he dislike the girl, and that is why he refused to do his work and disturb the other girl.
I was stunned by this 'bizzare' reason and situation and I didn't know what to do. So my very unrighteous human nature took over and I asked my colleague what he'll do. "So how? What do you think?", pretending to know-it-all and make him feel that I am testing him in classroom management. He looked at me uneasily and you know that he does not know what to do. The old-self-me asked him a second time, hoping that I can get away with this sticky situation but his reaction is still the same. Come to think of it, if I were him, I would expect the "smarter" foreigner(who's supposed to teach me "everything") to make the right decision.
So the chips fall back to me - should I allow the boy to sit on another PC as requested or not? Time is ticking away and I can't be staring blankly back at my colleague, can I? In a split second, as if given instructions by another person to relay a message, I told the boy that if he wants to sit on another PC, he must behave himself and not talk. These words also came out, "If you're nice to us, then we will also be nice to you. But if you're naughty, then you are not nice to us and we will also not be nice to you. You understand?" He nodded his head and said yes to everything but I wondered whether he really agreed or just conveniently said 'yes' to get out of the situation. He was also angry and upset at the same time. Anyway, I think that he really understood it all when he said goodbye and thankyou to me in the Khmer way(both hands clasp together like when we're praying) at the end of the class. (Not many from his class did that) And by the way, the word 'nice' is used because it is easiest for them to understand and good for 'children talk'.
After lunch, I saw the boy again and he was all smiles to me, and we talked a little bit in my limited Khmer and his limited English. I really thank God that He gave me the wisdom to handle that difficult situation and how He showed me how vunerable we can be in moments of "danger". That the ugly side of us will rear its head out again in these moments but it is indeed a good reminder of how frail we are. And how we must continuously seek God for help in our weaknesses and do away with more of our flesh.
Ask Him for Wisdom - James 1:5
Put off the old self and put on the new self - Ephesian 4:22-24
Here's the story. We had a computer class for the P1 and one of the boys was punished by my colleague. He was stopped from using the computer until he behaves himself but he didn't and continued disturbing the girl next to him. I hit his hands but he still tried to mess up the girl's typing so I raised my voice at him and grabbed him, intending to make him stand in front of the class. He began talking away(it sounded more like a defence than a protest) and he held on to the pillar. I took his hands and legs off the pillar but the little fella kept talking and held on to the pillar again for dear life. Ok, I thought there must be something in those words and asked for translation. It turned out that all he wanted was to sit in another PC because he dislike the girl, and that is why he refused to do his work and disturb the other girl.
I was stunned by this 'bizzare' reason and situation and I didn't know what to do. So my very unrighteous human nature took over and I asked my colleague what he'll do. "So how? What do you think?", pretending to know-it-all and make him feel that I am testing him in classroom management. He looked at me uneasily and you know that he does not know what to do. The old-self-me asked him a second time, hoping that I can get away with this sticky situation but his reaction is still the same. Come to think of it, if I were him, I would expect the "smarter" foreigner(who's supposed to teach me "everything") to make the right decision.
So the chips fall back to me - should I allow the boy to sit on another PC as requested or not? Time is ticking away and I can't be staring blankly back at my colleague, can I? In a split second, as if given instructions by another person to relay a message, I told the boy that if he wants to sit on another PC, he must behave himself and not talk. These words also came out, "If you're nice to us, then we will also be nice to you. But if you're naughty, then you are not nice to us and we will also not be nice to you. You understand?" He nodded his head and said yes to everything but I wondered whether he really agreed or just conveniently said 'yes' to get out of the situation. He was also angry and upset at the same time. Anyway, I think that he really understood it all when he said goodbye and thankyou to me in the Khmer way(both hands clasp together like when we're praying) at the end of the class. (Not many from his class did that) And by the way, the word 'nice' is used because it is easiest for them to understand and good for 'children talk'.
After lunch, I saw the boy again and he was all smiles to me, and we talked a little bit in my limited Khmer and his limited English. I really thank God that He gave me the wisdom to handle that difficult situation and how He showed me how vunerable we can be in moments of "danger". That the ugly side of us will rear its head out again in these moments but it is indeed a good reminder of how frail we are. And how we must continuously seek God for help in our weaknesses and do away with more of our flesh.
Ask Him for Wisdom - James 1:5
Put off the old self and put on the new self - Ephesian 4:22-24
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment