Hize n Loze

Today was a day of highs and lows. In fact, reflecting now, many days in my life as a teacher are. One moment you have just had the best class or received the greatest news, and the next you are struggling to be heard over a nosiy class and feel that it is all coming crashing down around you. My high today was when a student I had been helping with a resume told me that his prospective employer said it was the best resume he had ever seen! Hopefully, that will secure him the job he wants. I felt that it was really great to get such positive feedback, but even more importantly, it was wonderful that this student (who was in my class last year) appreciated me enough to come and tell me that... and to thank me for my help. Even writing about it now, I feel happy. Then the low hit! Like the iceberg under the surface. It was the third lesson with the same Year 8 class, and for the previous two lessons they had been quite good. However, in this lesson they were noisy, ratty, attention seeking, FARTING!! and giving me evils (Little Britain reference). I made the fatal mistake of reflecting mid-lesson and thinking "What do I look like and sound like to these students right now?" and I answered myself with whiney, boring, we are sick of you after two lessons already, argumentative essays are boring and you have no control in this class. Great! So I just stopped teaching them. I went and stood at the back of the room, arms crossed and told them to work on their essays themselves if they weren't going to listen. After organising and implementing a seating plan they were meant to work perfectly. I feel more and more that these students respond to yelling or getting their own way and that there is no other options with them.
Also this week I had students from one year 8 class complaining because I talk about the other year 8 class with them. What gets me is that they ask what are we doing in that class!!! On top of all that, I have also had a school (and school-work) refuser brought back into the class that he was moved out of in Term 2! WHY?? THAT DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE!!! Apparently after he was moved out of my class he just didn't come to school for 6 weeks! He can almost recall every Doctor Phil, Home Improvement and Blue Heelers episode from the last six weeks though! I'm just getting sick and tired of battling every lesson to get students to do the work. Perhaps it is because I was a self motivated student and therefore I don't understand it. Perhaps it is because I really do try and make lessons fun and practical and relevant and it makes no difference. Perhaps I am frustrated that the teacher who just does questions out the the book and boring tasks doesn't care that his class is disruptive...and I do! It is days like today that make me want to work in a nice private school where students come to class on time, willing and ready to work, with all their materials and DON'T SPEND HALF THE LESSON DRAWING TEXTA BEARDS ON THEIR FACE!! (And then I get told the the Year 12's do this too!!)
What makes it worse is I was really starting to like my classes and my school. Yesterday I had a really great day and even had energy at the end of the day to come home and wash my car. Then today happens and I feel low and flat again. And then my cleaner rang and said she had been offered full time employment and can't clean our house anymore or suggest someone who can! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'd even been counting down the days!

Cure: Blog...breathe...curl up with a book and hide away somewhere quiet. I think it's time to go for a brisk walk. Every step of the way screaming the internal mantra "FIVE MORE WEEKS! FIVE MORE WEEKS! FIVE MORE WEEKS!"

Bye for now,
M x