Creativity is a funny thing. We seem to value it very highly in our private lives but dismiss it too easily in our professional ones.
(more…)Tag: Professionalism
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June 13, 2023
A former student of mine left me quite a nice card and a gift when she visited the school last week. It got me thinking about the impact I have on my students.
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A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, except, in this case, if that name is “Al”
I’ve never really had a nickname that’s stuck. In elementary school, there was a kid named Gurtej who kept calling me “Al”. I hate being called “Al”. Isn’t the name somewhat anachronistic? I have nothing against the name, in fact, I attach a certain affection to it, but it’s not my bloody name. My name is, just, Aly. Three letters, two syllables, and spelt with a “y”. (more…)
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A Survey for Mr. G. Tutors
Hey folks, today, I’m going to ask you for a favour: can you please complete this survey?
The survey is to help me get some information from you so that I can put together a functional, relevant, and informative tutoring website. The idea is to create a knowledge and resource base built on the real learning needs of today’s students and their parents/guardians.
The survey shouldn’t take more than about five minutes to fill in, and I’ll be grateful evermore.
Thank you very much!
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My Fear of Ursula
On Thursday, I spent the day watching movies with children. The students at the school I was working at were having an activities day, and one of the activities was a movie. (more…)
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Oh, To Live in Toronto
I moved to Toronto because I want to live in Toronto. For the last little while, it would seem that all I do is work in Toronto. This is problematic because I am, very much, someone who enjoys leisure. (more…)
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Life is So Cra Right Now
I’m not entirely sure of how to spell “cra”, as in “cra-zy”, but there it is.
Tonight, for the first time in four weeks, I have some time for myself. I decided to cancel all of my evening tutoring sessions for this week, in order to give myself some time to get things done and get in touch with myself again. That I decided to blog, opening up my thoughts to the internet, is uncanny.
Last Friday, I lost my phone. This meant that I missed a brunch, birthday party, and a few other things that I had to do. I’ve yet to reach out to the necessary people and explain what happened, offering my sincerest apologies for not getting in touch and for falling asleep by 21:30 every night. I think I have tomorrow afternoon off, and I’ve already started making a list.
Teaching is really hard. It’s so hard. By the end of each day, my trapezius is tense and my shoulders start curling in toward my chest. Stress. My feet smell worse than an abandoned slaughter-house, and the moisture in my shoes and between my toes is palpable. On my feet all day. I haven’t the time to shave in the morning, or stop at Starbucks for a coffee. I’m tired. I spend my evenings marking and lesson planning, while trying to appease a lonesome and seemingly tireless cat. The day doesn’t end. My lunches consist of pita bread, hummus, pre-cut vegetables, and ready-made soups. I’m not eating properly. I opened the unfinished bottle of wine last Thursday. It’s oxidized.
I’m not even sure of what to write about. So much of my day flies by so quickly that I barely have enough time to make a note about it on my clipboard. I have so many bloody emails, phone calls, and text messages to respond to. I haven’t turned the ringer on my phone on in nearly three weeks. I check it in the morning while I’m riding the elevator down to my car, and then again before I plug it in, still 94% charged, before I go to bed. I mostly just unlock it so that the notifications disappear from the lock screen.
I wasn’t prepared for this. This busyness. This constant mulling over the future of students. This constant change in challenges to face and resolve. This never-ending desire to go for a quiet, unrushed pee and finally have the chance to sit down during the day.
Never before have I wished for an MFD (multi-function device) of my own. I want to be able to print and photocopy when the need arises, not in anticipation of a lesson that I may not get to.
I also want some real quiet; I want to be able to listen and hear nothing. Is this the sort of pleasure that one finds in a hyperbaric chamber?
I could also, probably, use a good lay.
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250 2″ x 3.5″ Statements of Purpose
I’ve been waiting, increasingly impatiently, to get to work. I’m not going to complain about how long it is taking me to get working, but I’m left a little disenchanted. (more…)
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I Hate Deadlines
I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.
— Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt
I’ve come to despise deadlines. I’ve never been one to strictly adhere to a schedule, but I’m starting to develop a complete intolerance for deadlines. As I see it, suggested timelines are the way to go. (more…)
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The Romance is Dead
It happened almost abruptly. Our love affair had to come to an end. After years, so many years, I decided that it was time to start moving on. I still want to be friends. Really close friends, if possible. I’ll still call on you when I’m feeling weak and lonely and in need of the comfort only you can bring me. I’ll probably be drunk. (more…)