One of the most poignant moments in class was when one of my students insisted her name was "Jamie".
Pronounced as "Jay-Mee".
She spelt it as "Jammie".
In the UK, it is slang for either something with lots of "Jam" (as in the fruity sticky stuff), or someone who is really lucky (Jammy).
Pronounced "Jam-ee"
My sense of humor took over, and I referred to her in class as "Jam-ee" thereafter.
A few days later, I noticed that she had become sullen and unresponsive in the classes.
She would not speak to me, nor even look at me.
I asked her in Korean was she ok.
Emma, a younger (and sassy) student then spoke up. She explained that Jamie was hurt about my making fun of her name. Jamie still looked at the floor.
So, I did the necessary.
I got down on both knees in front of her desk and bowed my head and asked her forgiveness. The entire class (15 kids, boys and girls) were in silence.
I cried tears and I wrung my hands. I begged her to forgive me by banging my forehead on her desk.
Jamie still refused to look at me.
I then handed her my marker pen with a tearful eye. I urged Emma to tell her to write on the board her feelings.
Jamie just about managed to suppress her smile as she stood up. She stalked past me to the front of the class and scrawled, on the board, in big letters, this:
"I love you , Teacher".
Monday, June 29, 2009
Magic
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I have come here today to pay tribute to Blogger, Scientist, and Friend, Doctor AKIKO ITO, who I am told has died at a tender young age. She had been ill for some time. If those in the know wish to share the details, I will leave that to their discretion. This is a tribute.
To me, AKIKO ITO was a young lady with a brilliant mind. When we first met online, around 5 years ago, she answered some questions that proved to me she knew her Physics. I often understood her explanations better than the explanations in the many science books I own and she used to laugh at, because I own too many. Let me admit, my interest in science is that of a lay person, yet in many a chat, I brought up things she knew and understood with ease, which only a person in Physics could know so clearly. Some took her claim to be a scientist as a joke. I can say she's one of the most intelligent people I have ever known.
Even so, her true brilliance was in all the non-science chats we had, where she showed more knowledge than I thought one person so young could cram into a brain, even if that is all they did their whole life. One of my greatest joys was chatting with her. She will be a serious loss to my life.
Her last post was about young students she taught Englishh to. This spare time work she did was one of her greatest joys. She loved young people very deeply. She missed them, once she was too sick to work. I have lost a very great and very dear friend.
Although I may return to post more thoughts here, my fervent hope is all those who knew her, will post their final wishes too. Her boyfriend and cousin, her two greatest treasures, will decide what to do with my post and AKIKO ITO's Blogs. I hope they will leave her Blogs up for at least one year, for there is much interesting science here. AKIKO has passed on. She now has all the answers she sought as a scientist and as a human being. I will miss her. What I want you to know is what a wonderful joy she was to know. I am only sorry I never met, not Doctor AKIKO ITO, but my human friend, AKIKO ITO. She was very special. God bless your soul AKIKO; may you Rest In Peace. I will dearly miss chatting with you. AMEN.
I choose to leave my typos, for one thing AKIKO and I both agreed on, is we did not like to make typos. By leaving mine, this is my sign of her perfection over my imperfection. I think she would understand, then tell me to correct my typo. She had a wonderful sense of humor. AMEN. AMEN.
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