Teaching Moment in My Classroom

I walked to the desk in my classroom and sat down. The students filed in and told me how glad they were to see me back from my vacation. The last young man was shaking all over and told me that he was "going to kill" the substitute if he ever saw him again. I could tell by his eyes that he meant it!!! I learned that he and other students had been reading comments that were going back and forth on FaceBook. It seems that the substitute teacher had no love for students from the Middle East and said so openly. After varifying that it was true, I proceeded to apologize for such people in the world. I told the class that it had come as a shock to me when I first realized that not everyone liked me. We all have to learn to deal with such people. It's not an easy task. I was reminded of the advice my father gave me. He said, "Forgive everyone, but remember that sometimes people are best loved from a distance." I also passed on some other advice I have been given. "The difference between childish people and mature people is knowing when to keep your mouth shut. Mature people Do Not always say what they are thinking if it would be damaging, and not constructive to a relationship." My students learned a ton of new English words! Now, things have settled down and we can learn when to use past participles in a sentence. I was pleased with their conjugation skills today.