Saturday, November 11, 2006

The Miraculous Slap


We often see this scene recurring in different novels and movies; when a girl who has been behaving badly gets slapped by someone who cares for her, then this slap acts as the magical spell or the alarm that awakens the girl from the darkness of the sinful life she's been leading. She goes home crying bitterly, washing her shame and purifying her soul, deciding afterwards never to return to that life and become a good girl again.
Never underestimate a slap! It's true, it can sometimes do miracles!

There was that naughty disobedient boy who was a pain in the neck to all his teachers. He never behaves, never pays attention, never listens to our advices, always playing, giggling during classes, and getting on our nerves. We were trying contineously to find a solution to this kid but in vain, knowing that punishments are not allowed at our school no matter what (I hope the principal doesn't come across this blog by any chance and find out about me so that on the following day I find myself jobless :S). Apparently, the boy was very spoiled, and no one annoys the teacher more than a spoiled kid.

One day, his awful behavior irritated me to the maximum, and when I called upon him to come to me, he came along derisively smiling and there was that look in his eyes: "Na Na Na Nanaaaaa, you know you can do nothing to stop me and I'll keep on teasing you." When he arrived to me, he was still having that smile on his face and looking at me very impudently. I got very furious that I draw my hand back and slapped him so hard in the face! The boy was terribly shocked for he didn't see that coming. The whole class fell in silence. The slap left the boy in a daze, he paused for a moment, then lowered his head in shame, dragged himself to his seat where he sat sobbing all along the period.

When I recovered from my anger, I was very surprised. I didn't expect to ever have the nerves to slap him, and I didn't expect this kid in specific to be moved or affected by anything. Now to see him crying bitterly startled me, but, honestly speaking, made me delighted. He definitely earned the slap, he had to payback for all the hard time he gave me and other teachers. It was quite an exceptional joy to see him sitting quietly in his seat without me having to yell at him every 5 minutes and the other to sit quiet and behave himself.

However, as the period was coming to an end, this feeling of delight turned gradually to that of sympathy and regret. Despite everything, it ain't a good feeling to see the hero defeated :p

The class was dismissed, but I asked the boy to stay in the room. He exceptionally obeyed without question. I was overwhelmed by a strong feeling of guilt. I stroked his hair, looked at him passionately and explained why he was slapped, and repeated for him the same old talk about ethics, good behavior yada yada…but his time, he was "exceptionally" listening carefully to every word I said. When I finished talking, he looked at me and said: "Teacher, I promise I will never to do that again. I promise to behave and to be a good boy from now on; and to listen to everything you say."

Oh my God, I couldn't believe my ears, I was too touched that I nearly teared up.

From then on, the boy has completely changed. He became an obedient good boy. He paid attention, his marks were getting better and everyone was pleased with him. Believe it or not, he became one of my favorite students.

Contrary to what I expected, the boy did not hate me! He loved me more than anytime else, which reminded me at that time of a quote I read in some book:
نحن في بعض الحالات لا نقاوم جنون الاعجاب بقاتلنا
I don’t know what does this quote have to do with all that, but I just remembered it. It is Ahlam Mostaghanmy who wrote that, isn't it?
Anyway, at first, I thought that he's behaving like that out of fear, but the look in his eyes is far away from being fear, I can see kind of thankfulness and tenderness.
Maybe the boy understood in a way or another that what I did was for his benefit, and I do feel that I achieved something. The slap apparently served its purpose.


To be continued…

10 comments:

SimSim said...

the most thing I miss in teaching is slapping kids :ch: looooooooooooooooooooool it was making me feel better loooooooooooooooooooooooool

I still recive sms from them yaa 7ayatee ma azkahom

walek diana sayraa shereraa sweeeeetie I am proud of u :D loool

Diana said...

LOOL @ you :D

2al proud of me :D, terbaytek ma3allemah sekeenah, oops I mean simsim (a)

It's good sometimes to be evil, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

nana u dont't have to worry about that, just tell me were do u teach and i'll convey the massage to the principal verbally :)

Anonymous said...

laaaaaaaaaa2 ella elkaf! it is so humiliating, orfoshi be ba6noh bas la todrobeeh kaf :D kidding kidding, jad kteer sayye2 3al nafsiyyeh

batzakkar immi bzamanat.ha 5ab6atni kaf, I was a teenager, so ba3zorha jad :D mnee7 ma kabbatni men el shobbak...

SimSim said...

it's always good to be evil believe me :ch:

Anonymous said...

7aram!! :(
ma batkhayal ini adrob 7ada kaff! lama kona bel petra i saw them edrobing el 7mar - donkey- bel 3asayeh , kteer boji3 7aram!! i approached the kid a7kilo shway shway 3al 7mar w de7ek!!
he thought i was jocking, i was not!!
:(

nana and simsim ma 7abaitkom bel marrah :mob: :ag: sayreeen evil walkom!

Dino$ said...

omg nana? slapping a kd? ya3ni ma ASAig!! i dont see it at all!! lol ya3ni for u to reach a point of slapping ya3ni akeed il walad bido DARIB!!

i teach kids every saturday wa kolhum bidhum darib but i cant get myself to even scream at them with a serious FACE!! :S which explanis why they never listen!! :S

lady dondon walla i miss u too and hope too meet you again :)

Diana said...

Zaid, Oh how sweet of u, but NO thanx :D

Ola, I know eno mish mnee7 lal nafseyeh :D, but I really had to, ba3deen law ma 2assar 3ala nafseytoh ma kan t'3ayar, for the better of course :D

Rana, I still remember ur reaction when I told u about this before, I know that u think of it as a very cruel action :P

Dina eb3ateely yahon :ch:

Weddo I used to think the same, I still have a lot to talk about this subject, I'll post it soon.

DMWLOOOOOOOL
I will bury ur kids alive eza bya3mlo shee, mwahahahahaa
:P

Anonymous said...

Ya 7aram poor kid :(

I sort of have to agree with you though. You get mixed feelings of delight and then later on guilt, but if it served its purpose, then hooray :D

Diana said...

He is not poor ya hala wallahy, ne7na elle poor teachers min el 3amayel elle bya3mlooha feena :'(

mar2at 3ala khair, and yes it served its purpose.