Teacher's teacher

Three fourth year college students came to ask their grades because they are under probation. As their English teacher, I asked why they never informed me that they were under probation. After some explanation I told them to come as a group, write all the names of those who are truly under probation. So they came back with the list: List of students underprobe. Underprobe? I told each senior student to write the words “under probation”. A certain Joy wrote “Under Probetion; Richel wrote “Under provision” and Sharie wrote “Under probesion”.

I gave them another chance: Joy wrote “Under Provetion”; Richel wrote:”under Provition while Sharie wreote “Under probession. With disillusionment written on my face, I gave them a third chance so Joy wrote “Under Probition”, Richel wrote “Under Probhetion “ and Sharie wrote “Under probission”.

Not that Spelling is the end all and be all of one’s education but definitely for the fourth year students who are already preparing for the in and off campus teaching, their inability not to spell correctly the words “under probation” is a cause of alarm. Their so-called attempts to spell it again and still misspell it even more is a cause of greater alarm.

With fatigue I closed my eyes. . . and prayed that challenges in real life are the real criteria that will measure the education we have accorded them. These students may not know how to spell many words but with the many years spent in school, they already know thousands of words so what is “under probation” compared to these countless other terms (I hope).
I need not be disillusioned nor become cynical because of fatigue. Life is greater than misspelling some words.