Something happened today.
I knew I had to invigilate 1 Buck today during my English period for their Maths Paper 1. But I knew that a relief was coming. Every day, we’d definitely get relief classes. It’s only a matter of how many. The problem with that is, we’d find out what classes we had to relieve only on that morning, and if you’re lucky, you don’t have to begin any papers. But if you’re UNLUCKY, you get relief for like, maybe the second period, so you have a mini heart attack in the morning figuring out which paper that class is taking (Physics/Economy/Perdagangan), where the class is (I’ve taken that for granted once, and I entered the wrong class! T.T) etc.
Every morning, it’s like that for us.
So, as usual, I waited for my relief sheet(s) from Kak Ida. Oh, goody. Only ONE relief class today. I gasped.
4 Gemilang.
The scariest class in the entire school. @.@
But wait. There’s something else there. Hm, it’s written 4 Gem/4 Waw. Must be a PJK period. Which means there’s another teacher who has been assigned these two classes! Maybe if I go early I get to choose 4 Waw instead of 4 Gem! I’m terrified of 4 Gem, especially after the chaos that happened yesterday @.@
Anyway, I got there early for relief, but ran into Cikgu Asri, the discipline teacher, outside of 4 Waw. I explained that we both got 4 Gem and 4 Waw for our relief classes. He very nonchalantly asked me to enter 4 Gem on the opposite building instead. Little did he know my heart was POUNDING inside, all the way to the class! T.T I was praying, “Oh, please God, don’t let anything happen, please don’t let anything happen…”
When I reached the class, who was inside the class but Mr. Z (I won’t give his name, because I’m not gonna be portraying him in a very flattering manner here). He was standing at the door when I arrived. Do you know what he said when he saw me?
“Oh, baguslah Cikgu kamu dah datang. Sukalah kamu, dapat Cikgu ni kan?” Then he turned to me and asked, “Mereka suka tak kamu masuk kelas mereka?” while the class jeered and wolf-whistled.
I really didn’t know how to respond. But personally, I felt so…humiliated. How could he say something like that? I was their teacher. When you say things like that, isn’t it a little derogatory? And how would the students see me? And coming from YOU, who are someone quite high up in the administration! >.<
It was really humiliating. And when I set my things down, I had also realized that he had written the wrong time length for the paper on the board. Instead of a one hour and 15 minute paper, he had written “Satu jam“. Obviously, he didn’t even know or even followed the exam schedule we were given. The students wouldn’t know, nor would they care.
And would you know it? Almost the entire class was laughing and talking. Some were working silently, but the rest were just doing all sorts of things. Walking up to go sharpen their pencils, throwing erasers to each other, actually ASKING FOR ANSWERS from a neighbour. Which I think is quite futile, because I doubt their friend knows the right answer anyway. So it didn’t really make a difference. And when I asked them to keep quiet, or sit down, they didn’t really bother. And I was so terrified they’d get mad at me and turn on me or something! :O
What I tried to do was push them into trying their Perdagangan paper. I told them to try, because they weren’t even. Some had just resorted to making patterns on their OMR sheets: AAAAA CCCCC AAAAA BBBBB etc. >.< They had just given up, most of them. I told them to try, because mathematically, you had a 25% chance of getting it right. So why not try, right?
They didn’t care. They really didn’t. And I couldn’t threaten them with getting a zero like I could in the other classes because, frankly, I’m sure they don’t give a hoot that they get a zero for the paper. It’s not like they had a high chance of getting an A.
Which made me really sad 😦
But I seriously could not control the class. And what I was worried about most was that their noise was going to disrupt the other classes who were sitting for the paper. So I told those who were done (and most of them were) to just lie down and take a nap. You know, at least they’re not making noise.
What do you think—did they listen to me?
Of course not.
I was at my wits’ end, and completely exasperated when, lo and behold, the knight in shining armour arrived!
Cikgu Asri came in and suggested we switched classes.
OMG THANKGODTHANKGODTHANKGOD.
The moment he stepped foot into the classroom there was absolute silence.
SILENCE, I tell you. No kidding!
I was so grateful to enter the very-silent 4 Waw. Phew.
From my side of the building, I could see right into 4 Gem. And boy, did they look like they were being creamed by Cikgu Asri. And in just a few minutes, he had them all lying flat with their faces on the tables!
How does he do it? @.@
And about ten minutes later, Pn. Juriah, the PRINCIPAL, walked past 4 Waw. OMG, if she had walked past me feebly attempting to control 4 Gem, I don’t know how I can ever repair my reputation as a teacher! T.T So, seriously, thank God. The timing was just right.
Anyway, after we were back in the staff room, I thanked Cikgu Asri for getting me out of that pickle. Otherwise, I don’t WHAT would have happened! >.<