During my teaching practice in 2006, I had to take a Sec 3 class filled with rebellious and naughty elements. I think I would have handled them much better if I had taken them at my current age, when my temperament is more mellow and I have already seen “the big picture”.
But I was a 满腔热血 rookie determined to educate people and, more importantly, on an MOE bond.
During a lesson in auditorium, someone threw a shoe. The shoe landed in front of me. I demanded to know who was the culprit and of course no one owned up.
There was a boy who seemed suspicious so I asked him whether it was him. He said arrogantly: “I still have my shoes on. How can it be me?”
I was so triggered that I scolded him until he cried. Later on, the culprit confessed.
The veteran teacher assigned to observe the lesson just sat there through the whole thing.
Afterwards, she remarked that my scolding was “overwhelming”.
I understand that I was under assessment, but when a shoe is thrown at a teacher, the least a colleague could do is to help.