Magic

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".

Jehangir Khan - another cool swearword

Being a polite and humble subject of the human race, I find it hard to swear in the normal way. So I use interesting and verbose words to substitute. You have already "Flaviana Alfar", here is another "Jahangir Khan". He was a World Class Pakistani Squash player. Kinda has a ring to it, just like Flaviana Alfar.

Anyway. Here's me.

Name of Akiko. Nuclear physics student, who has studied at frumious bandersnatch type of places, but always comes galumphing back.

"This gubblick contains many non-sklarkish English fluzpahs, but the overall pluggandisp can be glorked from the context"

See? How a scientist gets side-tracked.

However, more on this blog presently. Sometime in an undated future I will get into those things that REALLY bug me - the blown gaskets on the scattering chamber vacuum pumps.

After that, I can launch into good stuff after I deal with those gaskets in Manchester.