Bitch blanket.

::burrows frow in Hec fashion::

Sorry to commit such a craven request for ego-soothing, but my mood upon returning home from school was, "The kids hate me, I have no control over the classroom, they think my class is boring, I'm a terrible teacher." And, okay, you guys don't have any way of knowing whether I actually am a crap teacher or not, but you're pretty much all I've got -- I'm not the worst teacher in the world, right?

Oh, love. You really really are not the worst teacher in the world. When I was on my first placement, my mentor told me that in her first year of teaching, she figured she was doing okay to break even at a ratio of one goodish lesson to one lousy lesson - and that was with elementary kids, who are a much more enthusiastic and obedient audience.

What age are they, and what do you feel are your main problems with behaviour management? And what are you teaching them?

Because it will start off satirizing barbarian comics and then it'll become Pope and then it'll get all whiny and eventually it will die alone, unmourned and unloved. And then I'll have to haul the carcass out to the trash.

But it's an organic way to deal with the impending summer ant problem.

I'm not the worst teacher in the world, right?

I'm fairly certain that I have had at least four of the all-time bottom 100, and, really, compared to them, you could stand at the front of the classroom mocking your students' names and biting the heads off live kittens and you'd still be about fifty brazilian times better.

There are systems for filing? Honestly, the only thing I ever really file is my file of Ego-Boosting E-mail with...compliments and good responses to my fanfic and stuff for when I think I'm Unlovable and a Talentless Hack, too.(It helps, although I'm not telling how often I go in there.) Sometimes I find jokes about men funny. But less so as I get closer to more good ones.

But it's an organic way to deal with the impending summer ant problem.

She's got a good point there.

The preceding rant is in no way connected to any Buffistas who are presently or ever have or may in the future work for Microsoft.

Sweetie, I work for them, and I hate MS Word. Possibly more than you, even.

Emily, you are a very very good teacher. Please stop doubting yourself.

JZ, did you see my Spidey 2 review? You didn't say anything.

Emily, I am confident you are not the worst teacher in the world.

Aimee - no furrows. Seriously.

As nice as the auditors are, they are making me realize how many shortcuts I've been using just to get by over the last year. I am getting next to no support from my accounting manager and I have no clue when/if my assistant will be back (her treatment IS going well).

All this is what adds up to my big sigh today.

you could stand at the front of the classroom mocking your students' names and biting the heads off live kittens and you'd still be about fifty brazilian times better.

I'll admit, stories about the teacher who kept jars of urine in his closet actually did make me feel a bit better -- like there's quite a long way to fall before I reach "bad" if that's the standard.

What age are they, and what do you feel are your main problems with behaviour management? And what are you teaching them?

Er, 15-17, getting them to actually do the work I've given them, and geometry. To be fair to myself, the kids that drive me the most crazy are the ones I just got a couple weeks ago after the unexpected departure of their sub, who himself was replacing a teacher put on administrative leave. So I'm their third teacher this quarter, which is seriously unsettling. And everyone agrees that I'm pretty much just babysitting them until the end of the year. But they have to pass a final, and I am trying to teach them the stuff they'll be tested on. I wouldn't even mind if they took the worksheet, had it in front of them to work on when I came by, and chatted/did work when I couldn't see them. But these kids have NO SUBTLETY, and I can't really just let them get away with doing nothing all period and talking while I'm trying to teach.

Except today it was actually the kids in one of the classes I can usually handle who(m?) I overheard saying that my class was inconsistent and neverending. And, okay, math. Not just math, but math specifically for students who've had little success with math before. But... still. Ouch.