Needy people part 2

I popped in here a while ago complaining somewhat about needy people on my team of teachers here in Russia. One of them had a genuine need today and I am in a quandary.

I received a phone call this afternoon from someone crying hysterically and then we were cut off. I recognised the voice of one of my teachers, an older lady who has been the bain of my life since she arrived with her constant complaining. I immediately called back and she managed to tell me that she had been bitten badly by a dog. Fortunately she was near the plant where we teach each day and I was home in my flat, also near the plant. I told her I would meet her there and hurried out to meet her.

She was patched up by a kindly nurse at the factory surgery but was told she needed to go to the hospital. Neither of us speak Russian well but one of my students who had called in the office to do some work offered to drive us to the hospital and help interpret. I was relieved that Nikolay was one of my intermediate level students and he did a wonderful job for us. She was treated with anti rabies injections, after an arduous half hour of form filling and has to return to the hospital for a course of injections over the next few weeks.

Whilst I was in the hospital with her she clung to me like a child, obviously in shock, my hand is slightly bruised from her grip. I held and comforted her, at odds with my growing impatience of her selfishness a few days earlier. It was a strange feeling, not something I've experienced before because I had never met a truly selfish person before, nor had to be the sole source of comfort to such a person. My heart went out to her and I gave her what she needed surprisingly, when I thoght about it later, without a second thought. I've been checking on her this evening and she seems much better, she hasn't thanked me once, I'm not waiting for it you understand but I'm trying to illustrate, to you the reader, what kind of person I'm dealing with here.

A few days ago I arranged a team meeting for tomorrow to address problems about some negative student feedback, most of which is related to the classes she takes. Her classes are boring, she doesn't explain things fully etc etc. I believe I'm a competent manager as well as a good teacher, my years in the Civil Service have given me the experience to facilitate meetings and solve problems with the valuable input from my team, but tomorrow I do need to be firm and honest with each of the teachers.....including a very needy person who has just been bitten by a crazy Russian dog.