This is going to be a rant. And it might be long…
I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I’m wondering if the youth of the nation is just getting stupider, more idiotic, less intelligent, or just plain lazy. I teach high school students. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. Which means, at this point, they’ve had anywhere from 8 to 11 years of school. That’s a lot of school, right? Right.
Today, and this coming week, is exam week. Each student is being tested on everything we’ve learned throughout the entire semester. For those of you who don’t do semesters in high school – everything from the first two quarters. IE: From September until January. And yet, this one student does not even seem literate, and also seems to think I’m an idiot pushover.
Why am I so disparaging about this student?
- The student keeps asking me questions which the student knows I cannot answer. Meaning, questions about the material itself. And, the student stands there, expecting me to tell the student what the student wishes to know.
- Some of the questions the student asks are already explained on the exam. The student just did not appear to read that particular portion of the directions – or problem.
- The student always insists at least one question is something we’ve *never* done before. Ever. And gets that teenager, pissy, “You are being an utter pain in my ass.” look when I say, “Yes, we’ve done that. More than once.”
Here’s the biggest kicker:
I’ve gone through this with this same student for *every* quiz and test I’ve given since September.
So – tell me…
Is this (and other students like this one) just unintelligent, completely confused, lazy, or just a fucking IDIOT who expects people to just break down and give out the answers necessary to complete a quiz/test?
GOD.
If I have this student again next semester, I might quit.
I really might.
Anyone want a live-in teacher?
If you just go ahead and assume that everyone’s stupid, then you’ll be alright.
Wait a second, I think he was in a class I visited last year!!! *LOL* And yes, it’s definately a growing and spreading problem. Thank goodness for metal detectors at the doors.
I think it’s a combination. Teenagers I’ve spoken to in the past couple years (not many, I grant you) not only despise the very idea of thinking, but have been handed so many things in life that they expect to be handed a free pass in school too.
It will not get better until parents get it through their heads that their kids are not “extra special,” require consistent discipline, AND must be actually taught a few things. Don’t hold your breath.
Now, live-in teacher? What would be the subjects?