Tuesday, October 26, 2004
What a hectic day it has been! Phew...
To the obnoxious Dough (again a metaphor for that detestable group of peeps who has consistently screwed me over on numerous occasions but is also the reason for my existence in the office, the clients, that is.), wtf is wrong with you? Screw you!
Some breeds of Dough are pretty kind to me, though and to you out there, you know who are you, thank you.
I chanced upon the blog of this temporary employee of mine, who helped us out last christmas and has been providing some temp help on an ad-hoc basis since. She mentioned the names of a few clients and co-workers and coincidentally, her blog came up during one of my googling sessions during which I googled names of co-workers, clients etc as part of my research to gather intelligence (which I do periodically), and to some extent, see if anything interesting associated with these peeps come up.
I learnt that she was also a part-time English Language teacher. Suffice it to say her usage of the English Language will make the Queen Mother turn in her grave, and possibly resurrect every deceased member of the British Royal Family. (at this point, I find it appropriate to mention that I mean no disrespect to the Queen Mother or the British Royal Family, quite to the contrary, I have the utmost respect for Royalty, of any origin for that matter.)
Dear temp, if your writing is any indication of your proficiency in the Language, believe me, it's not very complimentary. This in itself, is an understatment. It would be more accurately described as appalling (which by the way means bad, in fact to the point that it shocks people). That's how bad it is. And I am not even talking about the style of writing here, not to mention that it's highly affected, like you were systematically spewing synonyms (spew poison to kill spiders if you have to, don't poison the language skills of the young kids you are teaching, many of whom are still in their formative years) from the thesaurus. Anyone who knows, reads, writes and speaks enough of English to proclaim herself / himself good enough to be a English teacher should know that certain words, though could be loosely classified as synonymous to each other, have different shades of meaning and sometimes vary in intensity and thus would be more appropriate under certain circumstances and not others. Some words encompass certain shades or implications that are not apparent in or not embodied in other words which generally would be thought to be similar in meaning. This is the beauty of the English Language, and of any Language for that matter. Please do not think I am being a snobbish snot (oh dear, now even my style of writing has been 'affected' by hers, note the pun - albeit not a smart one, but let it pass). It is not my intention to impeach your credibility or your effectiveness as a language teacher. Nor is it my position, as I have yet to fully grasp the language myself. If there is a way of telling you this in real life in a tactful and diplomatic manner without sounding condescending and hurtful, I would.
The mistakes that you make are as fundamental as can be. Confusing 'advise' with 'advice'? I hope you know the difference between a verb and a noun. And simple usage of plurals and singulars? Not to mention hordes of spelling mistakes. More examples available, but I don't want to write more, lest I blow my cover oneday. I would have expected the school that you were affiliated with have its teachers accredited by some national / state language sanctioning or accredidation authority that sets minimun standards that teachers must meet before they can materialise as a language hazzard in young kids' lives.
Now, I feel like a sanctimonious and pompous bitch. Well, at least I didn't go up to her and tear her self-esteem to shreds.
To the obnoxious Dough (again a metaphor for that detestable group of peeps who has consistently screwed me over on numerous occasions but is also the reason for my existence in the office, the clients, that is.), wtf is wrong with you? Screw you!
Some breeds of Dough are pretty kind to me, though and to you out there, you know who are you, thank you.
I chanced upon the blog of this temporary employee of mine, who helped us out last christmas and has been providing some temp help on an ad-hoc basis since. She mentioned the names of a few clients and co-workers and coincidentally, her blog came up during one of my googling sessions during which I googled names of co-workers, clients etc as part of my research to gather intelligence (which I do periodically), and to some extent, see if anything interesting associated with these peeps come up.
I learnt that she was also a part-time English Language teacher. Suffice it to say her usage of the English Language will make the Queen Mother turn in her grave, and possibly resurrect every deceased member of the British Royal Family. (at this point, I find it appropriate to mention that I mean no disrespect to the Queen Mother or the British Royal Family, quite to the contrary, I have the utmost respect for Royalty, of any origin for that matter.)
Dear temp, if your writing is any indication of your proficiency in the Language, believe me, it's not very complimentary. This in itself, is an understatment. It would be more accurately described as appalling (which by the way means bad, in fact to the point that it shocks people). That's how bad it is. And I am not even talking about the style of writing here, not to mention that it's highly affected, like you were systematically spewing synonyms (spew poison to kill spiders if you have to, don't poison the language skills of the young kids you are teaching, many of whom are still in their formative years) from the thesaurus. Anyone who knows, reads, writes and speaks enough of English to proclaim herself / himself good enough to be a English teacher should know that certain words, though could be loosely classified as synonymous to each other, have different shades of meaning and sometimes vary in intensity and thus would be more appropriate under certain circumstances and not others. Some words encompass certain shades or implications that are not apparent in or not embodied in other words which generally would be thought to be similar in meaning. This is the beauty of the English Language, and of any Language for that matter. Please do not think I am being a snobbish snot (oh dear, now even my style of writing has been 'affected' by hers, note the pun - albeit not a smart one, but let it pass). It is not my intention to impeach your credibility or your effectiveness as a language teacher. Nor is it my position, as I have yet to fully grasp the language myself. If there is a way of telling you this in real life in a tactful and diplomatic manner without sounding condescending and hurtful, I would.
The mistakes that you make are as fundamental as can be. Confusing 'advise' with 'advice'? I hope you know the difference between a verb and a noun. And simple usage of plurals and singulars? Not to mention hordes of spelling mistakes. More examples available, but I don't want to write more, lest I blow my cover oneday. I would have expected the school that you were affiliated with have its teachers accredited by some national / state language sanctioning or accredidation authority that sets minimun standards that teachers must meet before they can materialise as a language hazzard in young kids' lives.
Now, I feel like a sanctimonious and pompous bitch. Well, at least I didn't go up to her and tear her self-esteem to shreds.
# posted by Oddball @ 9:05 PM 
