The Quirks

Today's blog was going to be about the single best thing about my job which, as much as I moan about it, is probably the best I've ever had (aside from handing out clubs at the Pitch n' Putt to the two customers an hour the place usually attracted): my students. This week, they have been having six classes a day in a foreign language, various evening seminars they are required to attend, a curfew that means they have to be in their rooms at 11pm (which I'm not wholly against, to be honest), and all of this whilst dealing with what is, for most of them, their first experience away from home following High School. It wouldn't be unreasonable of them to be angsty, negative, tired, unenthusiastic, even rebelliously disruptive. However, I go to class everyday to find them (after some gentle prodding) receptive, eager to work, respectful, creative, and fun. We did our first stint of conferences (one-to-one meetings) with them today. Even though it was at the end of a long day, towards the end of a long week, it's still my favourite part of DDE. It's a proper chance to get to know them, figure out their strengths and weaknesses, pick up on a few of their glaring inaccuracies that may well go undetected amongst their classmates, and make sure they're comfortable with asking questions when they need to.

I was going to write about that: their cute wee notes; the funny things they write in assignments; the times they get me tongue-tangled in class; how they make me care less about the other things at work that bug me. I was. But then I got a concrete offer from Cairo English School, started having several conversations simultaneously, got wickedly tired from not having been able to sleep all week, and realised that it has crept up near midnight without my noticing it. So it's just going to be this, for the simple fact that now I can tick 'blog' off my to-do list. That's just how cool I am. Goodnight all.