And now for something completely different…
I actually find many (though not all) of the GEICO commercials pretty clever. I think my favorite is the “Drill Sergeant Therapist.” It reflects what I often wish I could tell my students. Things like, “get over yourself,” and “suck it up” rattle around in my brain when someone comes in with the same lame excuse for why their performance is subpar and why I should give them a break anyway.
Don’t get me wrong—when there is a genuine issue, I’m the very picture of compassion and empathy. Jesus does not bruise the tender reed or quench the smoldering wick, and we are to do likewise. It is the 21 and 22 year olds with the maturity of a junior high student that make me long for the times when you could speak your mind. I have found ways to communicate with them at least some of their shortcomings. They don’t always like it, but usually by the time I’m finished with them, they at least acknowledge my point, and a few are actually grateful, which keeps the hope alive.
Still, extraditions from ‘MambyPambyLand” are all too few and too late these days.
SDG
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