skool

Getting an email from a student beginning with the words "I am disappointed ... " is enough, i think, to make even the most conscientious teacher slightly nervous. So when i got that email today, the first thought that crossed my mind was that this was going to turn out to be the most forthright, ruthlessly honest, plain-spoken piece of student feedback i've ever received in all my life.
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Thankfully, it was not.
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The email went on to say, "I am disappointed with my score for the [recent assignment] and would like to find out how I can improve further."
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This is the first time in my entire teaching career a student -- who by the way didn't do that badly, really -- has come up to me asking for extra help after getting a relatively poor (in her view) score on an assignment. i guess that's what makes the difference between students in "top" schools who go on to excel and rule the world, and students in the not-so-top places where i've taught before. It's the difference between excellence and mediocrity (or worse).
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In other news, of all the students i've taught so far in my teaching career, i think i'm liking these kids the most. They're bright, yet humble -- an exceedingly rare combination -- and we get each other's jokes, and sometimes they even win the bantering game. It's the first time i've felt i can actually relate with my students -- which is kinda funny, seeing as the rest of my colleagues seem to think that these kids are slightly weird.
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