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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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 Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:10 am Post subject: |
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| Just out of interest, if you were in Holland where smoking cannabis is legal would it be socially acceptable for a teacher to smoke? |
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sheeba
Joined: 17 Jun 2004
Posts: 1123
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| Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:27 am Post subject: |
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| Good point dmb . And what about alcohol in all this . So don't ever tell your students you have tried drugs but is it ok to tell them about your wreckless weekends on the number one killer of a drug- alcohol? |
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sheeba
Joined: 17 Jun 2004
Posts: 1123
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| Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:32 am Post subject: |
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Sorry spelling police  - I meant 'reckless' |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 12:21 pm Post subject: |
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| sheeba wrote: |
| Sorry spelling police - I meant 'reckless' |
I've been wrecked on the odd occasion  |
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Chancellor
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
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| Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Gregor wrote: |
I WAS saying that you should at least be perfectly ready to lie to save your own ass, if need be. There's certainly nothing wrong with it.
I think lying is bad if it can lead to someone getting hurt, or else if you are just trying to avoid confrontation - that shows a lack of character in my opinion. As an American, I run the risk of coming off as arrogant, but I don't mean that we should seek out confrontation, nor should a confrontation necessarily be unpleasant or angry or violent.
No, the lying I am not only willing to do, but also good at, is lying to hide personal information, either to avoid an unnecessary cultural conflict or else to satisfy some random governmental requirement. Hell, I'm PROUD of THOSE kinds of lies, sometimes. |
If you can't be trusted to tell the truth, how can you be trusted in other areas? Doesn't it really all come down to trustworthiness? |
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Chancellor
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
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| Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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| sheeba wrote: |
| Good point dmb . And what about alcohol in all this . So don't ever tell your students you have tried drugs but is it ok to tell them about your wreckless weekends on the number one killer of a drug- alcohol? |
I'm not sure that the relationship between a teacher and his/her students warrants discussing such personal information. |
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sheeba
Joined: 17 Jun 2004
Posts: 1123
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| Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 4:15 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm not sure that the relationship between a teacher and his/her students warrants discussing such personal information |
No I agree and I never said it did . My point is that alcohol binge drinking is socially acceptable in England and I bet there are many FT's who openly talk about their drunken nights with teenagers however wouldn't dare mention 'evil' drugs . I don't see how binge drinking for example is more acceptable than somebody that smokes a few spliffs now and again .
I still believe that it really does not matter what past you have and I think there is no harm in being honset with your students if you feel at ease with those students . Of course that is your decision and it could cause more trouble than it is worth . I personally will always steer away from revealing such things however there's certainly no moral concern over revelations of an unsteady past if they do slip out in my class . Students make their own decisions.
I kind of like the following quote from a work called 'The Prophet' by Kahil Gibran .
'If the teacher is indeed wise,he does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom,but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind '
For me this is so true and when teaching I won't tell students 'oh drugs are dangerous' and all that claptrap . It's not for me to pass on that information to students but them to find out for themselves . Whether I take , have taken or will take drugs makes absolutely no difference to students learning English as a foreign language . |
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Chancellor
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 1337
Location: Ji'an, China - if you're willing to send me cigars, I accept donations :)
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| Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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| sheeba wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I'm not sure that the relationship between a teacher and his/her students warrants discussing such personal information |
No I agree and I never said it did . My point is that alcohol binge drinking is socially acceptable in England and I bet there are many FT's who openly talk about their drunken nights with teenagers however wouldn't dare mention 'evil' drugs . I don't see how binge drinking for example is more acceptable than somebody that smokes a few spliffs now and again . |
Both suggest a certain level of immaturity.
| Quote: |
I still believe that it really does not matter what past you have and I think there is no harm in being honset with your students if you feel at ease with those students . Of course that is your decision and it could cause more trouble than it is worth . I personally will always steer away from revealing such things however there's certainly no moral concern over revelations of an unsteady past if they do slip out in my class . Students make their own decisions.
I kind of like the following quote from a work called 'The Prophet' by Kahil Gibran .
'If the teacher is indeed wise,he does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom,but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind ' |
Unless you're part of a Christian sect where one's "testimony" is an important element of the faith, I think the past belongs in the past.
| Quote: |
| For me this is so true and when teaching I won't tell students 'oh drugs are dangerous' and all that claptrap . It's not for me to pass on that information to students but them to find out for themselves . Whether I take , have taken or will take drugs makes absolutely no difference to students learning English as a foreign language . |
Yes, the course of instruction is the English language and not morality. |
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sheeba
Joined: 17 Jun 2004
Posts: 1123
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| Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Unless you're part of a Christian sect where one's "testimony" is an important element of the faith, I think the past belongs in the past. |
Fair enough . That's your point of view . I think of the past a lot . It has shaped me in many ways and made me what I am today. I don't have strong Christian faith but I am still learning about my religious beliefs . I've learnt an awful lot from my past mistakes . I had drug/alcohol habits and suffered with what goes with that lifestyle . It's really those feelings from the past that give me strength inside now especially when I look at how far I've moved on . I can't and don't think I ever will forget the past and that has nothing to do with religion. Maybe that's just me ! |
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sheeba
Joined: 17 Jun 2004
Posts: 1123
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| Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:45 pm Post subject: |
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[/quote]Quote:
I'm not sure that the relationship between a teacher and his/her students warrants discussing such personal information
No I agree and I never said it did . My point is that alcohol binge drinking is socially acceptable in England and I bet there are many FT's who openly talk about their drunken nights with teenagers however wouldn't dare mention 'evil' drugs . I don't see how binge drinking for example is more acceptable than somebody that smokes a few spliffs now and again .
Both suggest a certain level of immaturity.
| Quote: |
Agreed . Both do suggest a level of immaturity . But they are issues that surround our students' social world AND plenty of TEFL teachers are immature too.That's not a fault , just a stage of life .
I find it a difficult area to deal with sensitively and that is probably why I started the thread . Young adult learners can be very inquisitive sometimes and I think it is important for a teacher to choose their words very carefully . Teachers can't be expected to always answer with the right answers but we can at least try and prepare ourselves .
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sheeba
Joined: 17 Jun 2004
Posts: 1123
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| Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
I'm not sure that the relationship between a teacher and his/her students warrants discussing such personal information
No I agree and I never said it did . My point is that alcohol binge drinking is socially acceptable in England and I bet there are many FT's who openly talk about their drunken nights with teenagers however wouldn't dare mention 'evil' drugs . I don't see how binge drinking for example is more acceptable than somebody that smokes a few spliffs now and again .
Both suggest a certain level of immaturity. |
Agreed . Both do suggest a level of immaturity . But they are issues that surround our students' social world AND plenty of TEFL teachers are immature too.That's not a fault , just a stage of life .
I find it a difficult area to deal with sensitively and that is probably why I started the thread . Young adult learners can be very inquisitive sometimes and I think it is important for a teacher to choose their words very carefully . Teachers can't be expected to always answer with the right answers but we can at least try and prepare ourselves . |
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guangho
Joined: 16 Oct 2004
Posts: 476
Location: in transit
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| Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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| denise wrote: |
A question that I commonly get asked that for me is more awkward than the drug question is, "Do you believe in God?" Or, as it is often phrased, "You believe in God, right?" Uhhhhh... What is the correct answer for a non-religious person in a very Catholic university?!?!? I refuse to flat-out lie and I get tired of deflecting the question with my standard, "Well, in the US there are many different religions, and really, my family just never went to church when I was growing up, so..." Sigh.
d |
Easy. Don't lie.
Teaching is about communication. I'm not saying you should revel in your atheistic glory, but a simple "No" and an explanation may be enough. |
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denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
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| Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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| guangho wrote: |
Easy. Don't lie.
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 Uh, I don't, and Mr. Jones ripped me for it a few posts back! Seems that telling the truth is frowned upon by some people.
Where I work, a "no" would be OK, but an explanation might not be...
d |
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Lynn
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 696
Location: in between
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| Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 12:10 am Post subject: |
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"Teacher, have you tried drugs?"
"No" and sometimes I add, "not yet" (this is the truth)
I don't think I've ever had a student ask if I believe in God.
I don't want to know all the details of my husband's past. When I was young I used to beg him to tell me how many girls he slept with. He never gave in. I am so glad he didn't. |
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anospi
Joined: 03 Dec 2004
Posts: 152
Location: Perth, Western Australia
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| Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 2:53 am Post subject: |
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I was asked by a student if I believed in God. The strange thing was, this question was asked when I worked in Cambodia, by a born again christian in a room full of buddhists. I was totally suprised as he asked it at the start of a 6am class and I was still half asleep. I think I replied with something along the lines of "My religious beliefs are very personal, and I'd rather not answer that".
Not sure if that would work with the drug question though! |
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