Is teaching difficult?

Teachers seem to have great jobs, except for being surrounded by dummies everyday. I guess that makes it difficult. I don't mind dummies, except when they want you to continually tell them how smart they are. Kind of the same way I feel about lazy people. I don't mind you being lazy, but please don't try to make me tell you how you are such a hard worker. I find that frustrating.


One of the problems in teaching is that no one really wants to hear the truth. No parent wants to know that their child is a little shit, though that might be what they are. Then when the same child is sleeping on the couch at age 38, wondering why he is unemployed, the parent wonders why is he still here? Let me tell you why: it's because he was a little shit at ages 13 through 18.




Fortunately for teachers even the biggest dunderhead graduates at about 18. I am sure most little 18 year old shits turn into 19 year old shit (and I have seen quite a few in my day), but at least at 19 I no longer have to deal with them.




Just recently a student goofed off and stapled her test the wrong way. She also stapled it three of four times so it was hard to take apart. She did all of this on purpose of course. When I took it apart and it ripped she complained. I told her if she hadn't stapled it like an imbecile then it wouldn't have ripped. What great offense she took to my comments. How could I call her an imbecile? Then I had a boy who acts up in class. When I wrote comments to his parents that said this what did he do? He acted up in class to complain about my telling his parents he acted up. What a pair of mooks.




To be honest: I think it is time for a long vacation, or maybe a year away from teaching. Today I actually met with the principals at the school to propose a sabbatical year off for all the teachers who have been here for a while. They seemed receptive. I wish there were one in place now. I think I am ready for one.