Worlds Collide

There are some days when I wonder why I am here – in my job.

I want to say I love my job all the time. I wish I could say that. I love it – most of the time. Most of the time.
However – there are some days when I just wonder . . . .
“Why am I here?”

Between the bureaucracy from the county and the &$%@-ing BS from Guidance and Administration – AND the student who think they are just entitled to everything, I really wonder – what am I doing here?

And people wonder why the education system can’t get (or keep) highly qualified teachers.

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You know, some times, I hate living in the Mid-Atlantic. Most of you know I live in the Washington, DC metro area. For anyone who has missed the weather along the eastern seaboard of the US for the past week, let me just enlighten you, mmmkay?

Early last week – normal for March. Around freezing in the morning, warming up to 40 to 50 during the day, then dropping back down to around freezing. That’s how it works in March. Usually.

Wednesday – it was about 50 degrees in the morning, when I went to work. It got up to 81 degrees during the day. No, really. 81 degrees. O_O Riiiiiight.

Thursday – nearly that warm during the day. Upper 70’s. Yes. Yet, by Thursday after school – IE, 4:00 pm – I was wishing for sneakers and a coat. I had worn sandals and a no-sleeve shirt to work – with no coat. It had been that warm.

Friday – it rained all day. It had started Thursday afternoon and just kept going. We’re talking BUCKETS here. Buckets and buckets and buckets. All day. I leave work. It’s not rain. It’s ice. No, really. I get to my car and I have to SCRAPE it. Well, brush off the accumulating ice, but still! Holy crap! It had just accumulated on my car and not the road. This was about 3:00 pm. I go to a doctor’s appointment. The doctor’s office is near where I live. The ice is mixing with snow. No, really. I go into my doctor’s appointment. When I come out – the snow is starting to pile up on the grassy area – and the pavement surface. Meh?!

What the hell. I mean, I’ve heard of CRAZY weather – but this was just RIDICULOUS! AHHHHHHH!

And I’m still cold. Dammit. I do prefer cold to heat, but – wow. Nutty, nutty weather….

(with apologies to my German readers for my horrid, horrid German attempt….)

So…
Did you ever want to be Chris Tucker from Rush Hour?
“Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth?!”

The guy who empties my trashcans here at work just came around. He usually crosses the room to get the small trash can I have under my desk. Which is cool. Yay for that.

However, I said to him as he was emptying the big trashcan by the door. “There’s not any trash in the small one today.” Because, really, there was *a* candy wrapper in it. Why waste the energy, right?

He said, “Oh, okay.”

Then proceeded to CROSS THE ROOM and ask for the small trashcan to empty it.

O_o

o_O

O_O

HELLO?! IS THIS THING ON?!

Christ.

>___________________________________________<

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?

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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?