So, needless to say, I am dying to get back into the sewing room. I have so many projects swirling around in my head and I have no time to make them come to fruition. It's torture, I tells ya. Torture!
The only good thing about the end of this semester is bidding adieu to a particularly difficult student. Every once in a blue moon, I run across a kid that stretches my considerable patience to the limit. That.Was.This.Kid. However, to put it in perspective, I had 73 other students that were wonderful to be around. So, the odds are still considerably in my favour.
Any other teachers out there with a student (or twelve) that just drives you batty? Tell me about it, so I don't feel like I'm alone in my misery. *sob*
16 comments:
I'm a pre-service teacher, and last semester I took a class on assessment. I'll definitely agree with you that writing exams is worse than taking them. That was... less than fun.
Since I'm not in a classroom right now, I don't have any kids driving me crazy, but I want to teach middle school, so someday I'll have a few dozen driving me crazy too.
Deep breaths!
Those odds are pretty good, but still not much fun when you have to deal with a pain every day. Hopefully this one child doesn't grow up to be the annoying adult in a work environment...cause there is always that one "co-worker" that fits the bill in every section! Hoping you can get some sewing time in to make you feel better :)))))
You are most definitely not alone. A friend of mine is a principal in a 2-room primary school. Her colleague just can't deal with difficult kids. Her district got re-drawn last summer, so she'd have less of the easy kids. And she's been spotted by the local battered women's shelter as a good person to send those kids to. She was explaining to me she's got SEVEN of these kids, the kind who alone can blow an entire class. Think about it, seven. That's fourteen insane parents too :-).
Sheesh. But hang in there all the same, teaching's no picnic no matter what the circumstances... You'll soon get a vacation, and you'll be able to sew your fingers to the bone.
I'm also a high school chem (and bio) teacher. Our school year is starting tomorrow after the summer hols. Marking exams and reports are the worst!!! Writing not so bad but still not great. But this is all put in perspective when the kids text you with messages like 'thanks miss. I couldn't have done this without your support'. Sweetens the pill, yes? Another pet hate is when you put your heart and soul into making a lesson interesting and motivating only to have a couple of them sit there like zombies. I tell my students that the first lesson that they need to learn for my classes is to laugh at my jokes, whether they think they are funny or not. At least then we can all pretend we are having fun!
What a timely post - I was just reading it as I was lamenting about 2 students who are making me thinking about taking a leave of absence due to incredible stress....sigh.....thankfully, the rest of them do make it worth getting out of bed everyday.
You might also find that you have made an impact on that particular student as well. One of my Dad's cousins, a nun now in her 80s, taught school for years. One of her problem students came back to thank her years later to tell her what a difference she had made in his life. So you never know.
Right there with ya, Shannon! Today I gave the AP Statistics exam and the Algebra 2 exam. Kids still trying to turn in old assignments, and begging for a "bump up" in the grade book. "But, but, but... can't you just check and see what decimal it is after the (89) or (94)???" My most stress-inducing kid is staying in my class for the rest of the year, so I'll raise a glass in June (if I survive)!
Oh "THAT KID" is out here in Edmonton, Alberta too. I teach Jr. High (grades 7 to 9) and we just finished term 1 report cards. I've got some fairly pointed report card comments....
Hang in and hopefully the new term goes well,
YEEESSSSS! Lately mine hasn't been one student in particular, but an entire class. For the past four years 5th period has been...ugh! Even though it's different students every year.
Just have to share...Yesterday I had to defend/explain why a student's grade of 54% with 48% attendance wasn't enough to pass. Her comment, "You graded on my attendance? If all my teacher's graded like that, I'd be failing everything." I'll just let that one sink in.
I teach multiple levels of the same subject, so THAT KID never goes away... *sigh* (At least not for two years. Sometimes three or four.)
And mirroring one of the comments above, it's third period that consistently makes me cranky the last three years. Weird. Conversely, the last period of the day has been a delight.
Ha, good timing. I am sitting down today to start marking 44 assignments. I love teaching, I hate, hate, hate marking. Is that clear. As to the kid who spends the entire term on your last nerve, I have had some doozies. Decided a while ago to just expect one in every class and so far have not been disappointed. Hang in there sister.
a fellow teacher here who also dislikes marking! Partly because I dislike the methods employed to assess learning and evaluate accomplishment.
Not to mention how tedious it is!
I UNDERSTAND the stress of a particularly difficult student. Finding creative and new ways to deal with difficult and misbehaviours can be tiring.
I teach at an institutional school for juvie kids....my whole class can be difficult at times. Sometimes, there isn't even a full moon and the whole class melts down! ;)
The nice thing is that you are the grown up with the opportunity to impact the child's learning, for the remainder of their lives, what an honor!
Hang in there!
Ok I so needed to read all of these comments today! I have a few little angels making me stark raving looney tunes this week. One of them has went and changed his schedule for NEXT 9 weeks so he doesn't have me anymore. Because I wouldn't give him 100% on a (crappy) project!!
It's almost Friday. It's almost Friday. It's almost Friday.
my word ver is ...MOOKS. ha. That's what I'm gonna start calling THOSE KIDS. Mooks. :P
Yes, every one has THAT student. This year, I am teaching remedial Algebra I. Some of the students are taking the class for the THIRD time. Motivation is low. Behavior issues are high. Some of the students are wonderful. They are really trying, but just doesn't work for them. Then there are the others... Sigh. Clearly, the system needs to be fixed because a student should not be taking Alg I for the third time, but I could write a book on the subject.
i have a young lady living with us who has a very troubled past and none of it her fault. She has sytematically driven her teachers nuts but when I decided to take things into my hands and explain to them what her back gound was things started to change . She never found out that they knew as she was very ashamed of her background . One of her greatest teacher foes actually has become a very significant other in her life and she is now studying to be hairdresser and is so much happier . Hang in there you are doing a truley irreplaceable job .
8th period! Argggggggg! I make myself say "radiant positivity" in my head 3 times before addressing discipline issues. I say it about 3000 times a class.
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