I’m past my mid-way through the semester mark. So far, the students are good people… without the ability to communicate effectively.
WITH that said…
I have learned a lot this semester… I’ve learned that some of my students think that when school is tough, they make the other option to enlist in the military (you know, as opposed to studying, turning in their papers, and passing tests).
My frustration has hit all sorts of new levels… from anger, to frustration, to happiness, to utter disgust.
Most recently, a student came to me to complain about one of the tutors she saw. This particular tutor is also a teacher at the school. The student, who has taken me before, told me that this woman called me a bitch, difficult, and gave her a hard time about having me as a teacher. In other words, she crossed the line between being a tutor and shooting off her big goddamn mouth.
Furious, I went in to speak with our supervisors in the tutoring office. I should’ve shut the door, but I was angry. First of all, I don’t even KNOW this person, so who are they to tell MY student that I’m a bitch… that I’m too difficult… and that my expectations are too high. Uh, we’re teaching COLLEGE… and there’s nothing wrong with have expectations set higher than high school. But, to defame me to a STUDENT? Oh helllll no.
When kids complain about their teachers to me, I cut them off. Professionally, I do not feel it pertinent to bad mouth a teacher, especially ones I don’t know.
The supervisors’ mouths fell open as I described to them (um, angrily, and loudly) how I am thoroughly furious with this individual because how DARE SHE tell one of MY students that I’m a bitch. If she wanted to SEE me be a bitch, I could SO oblige her… but that it makes me angry because she has NO IDEA what I do for these students and to TELL one of mine that I’m a bitch who expects too much…
Furious wouldn’t define my rage… and the one supervisor shook her head and looked to the ground and the other looked angry.
My demand… I want a verbal apology from this woman, someone I’ve never MET before… for slandering my good name at that school… and how dare she… yadda yadda.
Actually, I played angrier than I was… I was mad, don’t get me wrong, but I was more insulted than furious. But, in order to get things done at this school, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to go big.
However, in hindsight… I should’ve shut the door first.
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Today, it’s raining. I have NO idea how the kids are going to go trick-or-treating, if at all. I have three bags of candy (of which we eat 2 and we can barely give away 1)… anticipating NO ONE coming to the house… so I can sit and grade the rewrites of essays I received two weeks ago (that were horrid).
Enjoy your weekend and have a safe and happy Halloween!
Posted by terri t. on October 31, 2009 at 11:28 am
That tutor did cross the line, especially if she is paid for her tutoring…..might have been even better if you had taken the student in with you to tell what she was told by the tutor…. Wonder if anything will be done about this.
Hope the trick or treaters are few at your house so you can get those papers graded….I am half of a mind to go get more candy but maybe I won’t need any more anyway. It’s dreary and overcase and rainy today here too.
Posted by twisterjester on October 31, 2009 at 11:51 pm
I hope the admin actually does something about the tutor. It crossed way beyond unprofessional into outright slander. In this state – one of the few good things about this state in legal terms – it’s considered an assault when you call someone by that or comparable names.
Sadly it’s unlikely that there will be any consequences for the person who really should experience them
Posted by G on November 1, 2009 at 7:27 pm
My comment to the supervisors of the tutoring office is that she is not a school counselor, nor is she a supreme commentor on ME or my character/persona as a teacher at that school.
Stupid people get jobs like mine, too.
And, it frustrates the shit out of me.
Speaking of. Remind me NEXT semester to NOT give papers. I’ve widdled down from 5-7 pages to 3-5 pages and now I’m hovering at an uneasy 5-8 paragraphs, which is STILL too much of a chore for my students.
*cries*
Someone dropped the proverbial ball of education and it certainly wasn’t me!