Job Discussion Forums

[Gordon]

Humming. I don't even know I do it, but when I am in a good mood, I start to hum a song.

[enigma]

[Aramas]

When tutoring I sometimes repeatedly bang my head on the table and say "ARGH!". Fortunately I then go on to point out that I'm just frustrated by my own inability to communicate simple concepts (like integration by parts, or derivatives of infinite series'), not the student's inability to grasp them.

[Joachim]

My inability to write in a straight line when using the white board, no matter how much I practice and no matter how hard I try.

My penchant for using my own favourite music as "listening/gap fill" activities

Being messy

My shamelessly bad drawing

[foster]

Apparently, I tend to use certain phrases over and over again, so when they are being little *beep*, they know what I will say before I open my mouth and they minic me, which makes me angrier than I was before.

My kids don't get my alternating water/Coke drinking habits. I have either one or the other with me. One minute,they think I am healthy and then they think that teacher will get fat(ter).

Also, little noises I make when fed up, happy or the like make them laugh.

[stillnosheep]

[Deborann]

My students (3rd and 4th year university students) complain that I "SHOCK HORROR" make them think - that the assignments I give them cannot be downloaded from the internet, and they find it hard! Their Chinese teachers do not do this.

The first years tend to have a view of me as frail - and therefore I will regularly have volunteers carrying my briefcase or bags back to my apartment. I have no idea how they arrived at this concept - we are often talking of my adventures in wandering around China on the weekends or any breaks. I think they don't think I can feed myself either - they invite me out to lunch or bring me food from their home after the weekend (good change from the teachers canteen food though!)

All of the classes must surely be fed up with me constantly intoning "You cannot make a mistake in my class - you can only give yourself an opportunity to learn. So try, have a go!" However, they are now at the stage - again after repeated nagging from me to correct my Chinese, and any other mistakes - willing to tell me when I have got it wrong. They are also beginning to get in and have a go.

Other things I do - get carried away and forget the break in the middle of a 2 hour class (they now get me water to drink) - or have to be reminded when the class is over. They come to the group I am working with and tell me they are going - it works. First time it happened the poor souls were stuck there 20 minutes into lunch hour

[Capergirl]

[zaneth]

Capergirl's taken? Lucky bahstard.

Oh, I whistle, which frightens people a little because there's a suspicion against it in Russia. They say that you'll lose your money. I'm a bit cavalier about it though, as it seems I've already lost my money. But some people are afraid it will rub off on them.

[Capergirl]

[waxwing]

feminazi slappers

now that's my kinda collocation!!

Move over 'Spice Girls', here come the 'Feminazi Slappers!!'