A top ten list

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Home : 2004 : January : 7

A top ten list
By Connie

Hi,

Yours is a very good analogy. My "problem" is that while I still enjoy teaching, I am getting increasingly discouraged by mentally unstable parents who think nothing of bringing their tardy child into my classroom
while I am teaching, wanting a mini-conference right there and then saying "I'm going to the principal right now" right in front of my kids when I tell the parent I can't leave 6 year olds in the middle of a lesson to talk with them about a minor homework issue. Geez!
I really do love teaching and think I am very effective, but crazy parents are getting crazier as the years go on.

The above is just mild compared to other things I have experienced or observed. We cater WAY TOO MUCH to mentally unstable parents because voters control the purse strings. In reality, most parents want the kind of classroom I can provide, but a few crazy ones ruin it. I am seriously thinking of calling it quits in 1-2 years.

Here is what I won't miss:
1.Classroom holiday parties
2.Parents who need a parenting class
3.Peers who don't show up for their duties on time
4.Kids running and shouting in the hall and only a handful of teachers caring or trying to do anything about it
5.The politics of teaching
6.Stupid committees that I get stuck on and they never produce anything that is used
7.Buildings being terrorized by wild children who have parents who threaten to sue
8.Powerful parents who volunteer in hopes of getting the scoop on who is the best teacher for next year
9.State testing mandates
10. The general lack of respect for teachers. Folks, we older teachers can tell you it wasn't always this way!
Connie