The One With All the Venting
Today, really, I just need to vent.
Vent #1:
My seniors cannot read. The fact that my place of employment is graduating illiterate human beings is enough to vent about, but that's not what set me off today. Because I know they cannot read, I read TO them. It occured to me today that I basically have a 30-minute kindergarten story time, because, honestly, that is the maturity level of my students. But that's fine. So I read to them because I feel bad that they can't read. I could make them read it themselves, and take tests, and write essays, and fail the whole thing. But no, I read to them, and stop throughout the story to make sure they understand it, and do all of the chapter questions WITH them. I don't even make them read along with me. If they do, they do, but if they don't and they put their heads down or doodle on a piece of paper, that's fine, because if they are participating in class discussion, I can find out who is paying attention and who is not. But none of this is enough. Nevermind the constant complaining about how much work I am supposedly giving them. How about we, instead, talk about how the doodling today turned into drawing cartoons of class members, and of course, immature laughing and discussion while I was trying to read... and then maybe, we should just talk about how one of those doodles ended up being of me. I didn't see it, but I'm almost sure of it. Maybe because the "artist" kept looking up at me and then drawing, and because then he showed it to his friends, and they laughed even harder than they had laughed at any of the previous drawings, (which I was letting slide) and because as I started to walk over, the page was ripped from his notebook and stuffed into his pocket. I felt embarassed and pissed off. And that's what started my bad day.
Vent #2:
Just when I'm already upset about how my kids hate me, I walk into my civics class to find a message on the board. It reads, "Go away Miss Burns, Come back Mr. R!" Thanks.
Vent #3:
And so that takes me to my next vent, because the truth is, I know I'm not a bad teacher. I write interesting lessons and I'm so nice as long as the kids behave and are respectful to me (which they often are not, but I have a HIGH breaking point and let them get away with a lot), and even when they aren't, I am respectful to them. But, as I have mentioned before, the guy before basically didn't teach, didn't expect anything from the kids, and let them basically run amok in the classroom. Now, I'm paying for it because I'm actually trying to do my job. Thanks to you too, Ken.
Vent #4:
So, now, I've had a bad day, and there are just little things that are really pissing me off.
Vent #1:
My seniors cannot read. The fact that my place of employment is graduating illiterate human beings is enough to vent about, but that's not what set me off today. Because I know they cannot read, I read TO them. It occured to me today that I basically have a 30-minute kindergarten story time, because, honestly, that is the maturity level of my students. But that's fine. So I read to them because I feel bad that they can't read. I could make them read it themselves, and take tests, and write essays, and fail the whole thing. But no, I read to them, and stop throughout the story to make sure they understand it, and do all of the chapter questions WITH them. I don't even make them read along with me. If they do, they do, but if they don't and they put their heads down or doodle on a piece of paper, that's fine, because if they are participating in class discussion, I can find out who is paying attention and who is not. But none of this is enough. Nevermind the constant complaining about how much work I am supposedly giving them. How about we, instead, talk about how the doodling today turned into drawing cartoons of class members, and of course, immature laughing and discussion while I was trying to read... and then maybe, we should just talk about how one of those doodles ended up being of me. I didn't see it, but I'm almost sure of it. Maybe because the "artist" kept looking up at me and then drawing, and because then he showed it to his friends, and they laughed even harder than they had laughed at any of the previous drawings, (which I was letting slide) and because as I started to walk over, the page was ripped from his notebook and stuffed into his pocket. I felt embarassed and pissed off. And that's what started my bad day.
Vent #2:
Just when I'm already upset about how my kids hate me, I walk into my civics class to find a message on the board. It reads, "Go away Miss Burns, Come back Mr. R!" Thanks.
Vent #3:
And so that takes me to my next vent, because the truth is, I know I'm not a bad teacher. I write interesting lessons and I'm so nice as long as the kids behave and are respectful to me (which they often are not, but I have a HIGH breaking point and let them get away with a lot), and even when they aren't, I am respectful to them. But, as I have mentioned before, the guy before basically didn't teach, didn't expect anything from the kids, and let them basically run amok in the classroom. Now, I'm paying for it because I'm actually trying to do my job. Thanks to you too, Ken.
Vent #4:
So, now, I've had a bad day, and there are just little things that are really pissing me off.
- Why do students where colored bras with white shirts? It is so trashy! We all think of black bras with white shirts as trashy, but let me tell you, it doesn't stop there. Just because you're pants are bright yellow, that doesn't make it okay to wear a bright yellow bra. You still look like trash.
- I have been working at this school for 8 months, and people still call me Jen. My name is NOT Jen, and it never was Jen, and just because I now answer to Jen because no one knows my name, does not mean I appreciate being called by that name. Also, if I am your co-teacher, it is especially important for you to learn my name. And when the kids point out my name when you "draw a blank," saying "Oh yes, Miss Bird" doesn't make it okay.
- And finally (and totally unrelated to work), though I'm sure I'll come up with more as the day goes on, someone should tell people that it is not cute to put those car ribbon magnets around their antennas. Just because there is a hole, doesn't mean you need to stick things through it. And that message can be forwarded to all men.
posted by Jess at 6:30 PM
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