Kimmy Schemy

Archive for February, 2012

Ralph* is an enormous boy of four. He is tall and fat for his age and he is used to getting what he wants and when he wants. Even his own mother is afraid to upset him lest he would throw up an earsplitting tantrum. When we asked the mother why he developed such behavior, the mother said Ralph’s father spoiled him beyond belief.

One day, I assisted the preschool teacher. Ralph, seeing that I was a new face looked hard at me with a sneer and stuck his tongue at me. Since our program includes behavior modification, I looked back at Ralph and told him it wasn’t nice to stick tongues at people. He stared at me as if he couldn’t belief I had the nerve to talk to him that way. He hardened his whole body, and with red face and closed fists in his sides, yelled at me..

“I don’t want to be nice!!!”

Undaunted, I faced him and gently said..

“Ralph, it’s not polite to yell at people..”

At this, he got even madder, probably because of being defied or because of my calm tone, I couldn’t tell..

“Get out of here!!” he yelled again, angrier and redder this time.

The preschool teacher felt it was time to interfere. As gentle as I was earlier, she said in a kind but firm voice..

“”Ralph, it’s not nice to talk like that to a teacher and even to anyone. Say ‘sorry’ to Teacher Kim and don’t do it again..”

Ralph dropped to the matted floor of the playschool and started a tantrum. He flailed his arms and kicked his legs and screamed. He hit the floor with his fists and kept on kicking. The preschool teacher and I made sure he wouldn’t hurt himself and the other children in the play school and behaved as if we ignore him.

We saw in our peripheral vision how his doting father got alarmed and was about to get inside the playschool but the mother stopped him and assured him that we know what we are doing.

After a while, Ralph noticed that no one was affected by his tantrums. He kept quiet, probably to listen, so the preschool teacher took the opportunity and asked him in her usual gentle voice.

“Are you ready to finish your work now, Ralph?”

“Yes” was the timid answer.

The teacher helped him up and sit down the chair beside me. I gave his paper and handed him a paint brush. He took it, so, I offered the cup of paint as if nothing happened. He worked quietly with an occasional glance at me, and I smiled at him sincerely every time and even asked if he needed any help. He wouldn’t answer but would look somewhere else.

It was the last time Ralph had a tantrum. The next time I assisted in their class, he sat beside me and we became friends after that.

*not real name

Whom is a relative/interrogative pronoun used if it is followed by a subject and an action word.

Example:

The man whom she saw yesterday was my neighbor.

Whom did you see yesterday?

Who is a relative/interrogative pronoun used if it is followed by a subject and a linking verb.

Example:

I don’t know who she was.

Who is used if it is followed by linking verb or action word.

Example:

I know who beat him in chess.

Who are they?

Who is used if it is followed by a clause then verb.

Example:

Who do you think is telling the truth.

Last week, my brother went out with my cousin and some of their friends. I heard that a new bar was opened somewhere nearby and they wanted to try the atmosphere. I know my brother misses the band, being a band member for a long time, and I feel that he has been trying to go back to the music world. We both know, though, that would be more difficult because his musical instruments have already been disposed of; his drum set, his bass guitar and even his beloved keyboard, which is, though not a yamaha dtxplorer, a good instrument just the same. The only thing left is his electric guitar that he plays every once in a while.

No, I’m not lost..

The fact that I quitted my job doesn’t mean I no longer know what to do with my life. I left not because I didn’t like to teach anymore. Quite the contrary, I love teaching, especially small children, and that’s the very reason why I lasted several years in my job. I left because I had to.

What I didn’t like, hate, actually, was to be treated, nothing more, nothing less, but as a mere paid employee. As far as I was concerned, I wasn’t just that. But when you are treated that way, and always reminded that you are just that, you will just wake up one morning with nothing left but the loathsome feeling of being exactly that.

There is more to work than going to the workplace, doing your thing and waiting for the payday to come. There is such thing as doing an extra mile or two not because you expected to be paid, but because that’s what you are and how you do things.

Right now, I’m still in the process of getting used to being on my own. But it won’t take long, I’ll be back to teaching as soon as I find some ways how to manage my time: children, housekeeping, blogging and yes, teaching..

I used to smoke when I was in college. Let’s say there was once in my life when I felt like I was being ‘cool’ and ‘in’ if I do the things other people did, like drinking and smoking. Unlike other people who found it difficult to stop, however, it came naturally to me. I just woke up one morning that I no longer enjoy smoking cigarettes and that I no longer want to do it. There even came a time that I felt irritated every time I smell cigarette smoke. The only explanation I could give was that I outgrew it or that I simply got tired of it. Still, I could not say that I would never smoke cigarette again, especially when I heard about swisher cigars. Maybe someday, I would have a chance to try it and decide for myself if I like it.

Pronouns are used to substitute for nouns. The nouns they substitute for are called antecedents. There are three cases of pronouns: Subjective (or Nominative) Case, Objective Case and Possessive Case.

Subjective Pronouns are used:

• before or after linking verbs (am, is, are, was, were, etc)

Example:

It was I.

The visitors were they.

• before action words

Example:

She visited her mother in the province.

I punched him in the face.

Objective Pronouns are used:

• after action words

Example:

The girl kissed him in the cheek.

Her mother put her to bed early.

• after prepositions

Example:

She sent the books to them.

She went with him to the park.

Possessive Pronouns are used to indicate possession or ownership

Example:

I found her pet under the chair.

Their house is right across from ours.

Lynnie* was a cute little girl of nearly five years when she was first enrolled at the center. She seemed to be pretty smart, too, except that we couldn’t talk with her. She mumbled unintelligible sounds as if she was talking with imaginary friends and was having such a real good time at it. What more, Lynnie couldn’t keep still, nor does she have eye contact with any one.

The little girl’s parents are a young couple, both of them are nurses. Though her father is working at a private clinic somewhere in the city, he has plans to work abroad where his wife works. Lynnie has been living with her grandmother who doted on her. For grandmother, Lynnie is the prettiest and smartest girl in the world, so, she overlooked Lynnie’s difference from her classmates. Lynnie’s short attention span she attributed to the girl’s over-playfulness and Lynnie’s difficulty in speaking she blamed to her own inattentiveness and laziness to talk with the little girl. We understood all of that, and we knew that it was wiser to talk with Lynnie’s father instead of her grandmother.

Incidentally, Lynnie’s father brought her to the center one day. Our preschool teacher talked to him and asked him if they already took Lynnie to a specialist concerning her speech, which, we thought, was the most obvious. The father admitted that he already considered taking the girl to a specialist as he was afraid the girl might have ADHD, but the grandmother was loath to the idea and kept on insisting that there was nothing wrong with her granddaughter. And since it was the grandmother who pays all the bills, she has the last say in the matter.

We simply wish we just imagined the whole thing and that there was really nothing wrong with Lynnie, otherwise, we will just end up feeling sorry for the little girl and feeling sorry for ourselves for being not helpful enough.

*not real name

Noun can function as any of the following:

Subject in the sentence. The subject is what is being talked about in a sentence.

Example: The chairman arrived late in the meeting.

(The sentence is talking about the chairman)

The chairman arrived late in the meeting.

Direct Object. The direct object is the receiver of the action.

Example: I saw the chairman at the meeting last night.

(Chairman is the object of the action word saw. Who was seen? The chairman)

I saw the chairman at the meeting last night

Indirect Object. The indirect object is to whom the direct object is given or done for.

Example: I sent the chairman an invitation for the meeting.

(Invitation is the object of the action word sent. To whom was it sent? To the chairman)

I sent the chairman an invitation for the meeting.

Object Complement. Object complement complements the object.

Example: The homeowners elected my brother chairman of the association at the meeting last night.

(Chairman complements brother which is the object of the action word elected)

The homeowners elected my brother chairman of the association at the meeting last night.

Subject Complement. Subject complement complements the subject and usually comes after a linking verb.

Example: The guest speaker in the meeting last night was the chairman.

(Chairman complements the subject in the sentence which is the guest speaker and it comes after the linking verb was)

The guest speaker in the meeting last night was the chairman.

Appositive. Appositive renames the subject in the sentence.

Example: My father, the chairman, arrived late in the meeting last night.

(Chairman renames the subject in the sentence which is father)

My father, the chairman, arrived late in the meeting last night.

Object of the Preposition. Object of the preposition is the noun that comes after the preposition.

Example: We waited for the arrival of the chairman.

(Chairman is the object of the preposition of)

We waited for the arrival of the chairman.

On the second week of January of this year, as I was taking charge of the reception desk, I entertained the inquiry of a couple. The first thing they asked was whether we cater to children as young as two years old. I told them right away that we prefer older children as younger ones tend to cry, look for mommy and do not follow teacher’s instructions, which are contradictory to the real purpose of the program we offer. So, I suggested that we wait until the child turns two and a half years, at least.

Then, they asked me if our teacher speaks in English, so I said ‘yes’ as the medium of instruction is in English, but I also admitted that if a particular child speaks in vernacular, then our teacher may speak likewise, so that they will understand each other. The mother asked again, what if they prefer that our teacher speaks with their child in English, so I said yes, the teacher would because basically, English is the medium of instruction in our center.

But the mom said that, what if her child is not English-speaking, as they don’t speak English at home, but they prefer that the teacher speak to her child in English. So again, I said, yes, the teacher would because generally, the teacher speaks in English as medium of instruction.

Well, at that point, I didn’t know who couldn’t understand whom. Couldn’t I understand her? Or couldn’t she understand me, because it seems like I just repeated what I already said.

But since, their child is only two years old, even if we satisfy their requirement, we still don’t encourage them to enroll. So, I just gave them our contact number and said to call us when their child got a little older. The mother thanked me but before they left, she asked me one last question: if I can recommend a school that teaches English language only to her two year old child. I answered if there is such school, I personally don’t know any.

She thanked me one last time and left.

So, what did she want again?

(I understand if parents want their children to learn to speak English fluently. What I don’t understand is the almost obsessive way they want their children to learn. If parents really want their children to speak in English, then, they have to speak to their children in English, themselves, or they have to let them watch English shows  or English films. Even if they enroll their children to English language schools only to speak in vernacular at home, then, the purpose may not be served. What can two hours of English speaking do against 22 hours of speaking in vernacular?)

The possessive form of noun indicates ownership. It is formed by:

• adding apostrophe (‘) and s after the noun

Example:

tail of the animal – animal’s tail

the bike of Rico – Rico’s bike

• adding apostrophe (‘) to singular and plural nouns that end in s, es and ss

Example:

names of the heroes – the heroes’ names

the dresses of the ladies – the ladies’ dresses

• adding apostrophe (‘) and s to names ending in s, es and ss but with only one syllable.

Example:

the bag of Tess – Tess’s bag

the pets of Ellis – Ellis’s pets

• adding apostrophe (‘) only to names ending in s, es and ss with two or more syllables.

Example:

the friends of Carlos – Carlos’ friends

the job of Remedios – Remedios’ job

• adding apostrophe (‘) to the last name in a compound noun for joint ownership

Example:

room of Candid and Mika – Candid and Mika’s room

(the room belongs to both Candid and Mika)

the parents of Alexandra and Marzelle – Alexandra and Marzelle’s parents

(meaning Alexandra and Marzelle have the same parents)

• adding apostrophe (‘) to each name in a compound noun for separate ownership

Example:

bags of Candid and Mika –Candid’s and Mika’s bags

(there are two bags, one belongs to Candid and the other one belongs to Mika)

the parents of Alexandra and the parents of Marzelle – Alexandra’s and Marzelle’s parents

(referring to Alexandra’s parents and Marzelle’s parents)

• by placing the sign of possession to the last word in a compound noun

Example:

the children of my sister-in-law – my sister-in-law’s children

the speech of the officer-in-charge – the officer-in-charge’s speech