Remember, this is a chat room!

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Home : 2001 : December : 29

Remember, this is a chat room!
By sue d.

I have only been visiting/posting occasionally for a year now, but...
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THIS IS A PUBLIC CHAT ROOM, not a real teacher support group. When a site is open to the public, and is FREE, expect to get a
wide and varied set of responses. As a brand new teacher just out of grad school at 22 (almost seven years ago), I would have LOVED to be able to "vent" on the web. There were times when I took myself so seriously and was absolutely convinced that I knew so much more than any old burned-out veteran teacher (all of whom I criticized unabashedly until the past few years, when suddenly I

realized I was no longer 'new'). Rather than wasting so much time lamenting the fact that this board is not the ideal world of venting, try enjoying the funny posts as I do. It's more like reality to get spell-checkers, moralists, and idealists than not. One reason why I read and post on both the VENT I and II sites is that I can recognize so many common feelings and expressions on both boards. Rather than getting sugary sweet replies from everyone, it is important to understand that all who read this board are JUST LIKE the people in our schools. Lest you lose your grip on reality, there is always someone who will point out your shortcomings and give you advice because they have been there before. Take time to laugh at the alcohol post (see above: Grey Goose= humorous) and the ever-helpful Cathy Dee... without the varied people out there, this would be just like the unrealistic world of college and grad-level education classes.