Murder in the First

My new mantra: School needs to be done, school needs to be done, school needs to be done...
So I think school needs to get out sooner than later because I'm going crazy. I'm not really having a problem with the energy going on right now with my students since I want out as much as they do (and bribes work), but I am having a problem with letting loose my seniors in this world. And I don't mean this in a good way. First off, I believe the problem stems from them having had 4 different English teachers in 4 years. I've had them for the last year and a half and have been trying to teach them literally everything they should have learned since 8th grade but haven't. Talk about a challenge. The wall I've run up against is that they don't care. They really don't care and almost all of them are going to college and they don't even know how to cite work correctly because they'd rather except a bad grade from me than re-work it into something acceptable. Because they're LAZY. Capital L-A-Z-Y! I suppose I have a very hard time relating to accepting 'just good enough'. I talk about pride, I use examples, I mention integrity, but there is just no getting through to a couple of them in particular. And this makes me feel like a failure in that department, especially when I know what they will be up against next year. It's not worth the fight with their mouths when I have brought it up, or the murderous rage that comes over me when these 'lovely young adults' (yeah, right!) can't refrain from calling me names when they begin to question why they are failing my class. As if it's my fault for them not doing the work. Like I tell 'em...I already graduated, it's not my grade!

The only thing making me feel better is I'm not the only teacher in the school with this opinion. In fact, I seem to have less trouble than even they do.

On much happier notes:
1) It's 'Friday' for me and the weather seems to be lookin' good for the weekend!
2) My friend's band is playing in Alamosa on both Friday and Saturday night.
3) It's teacher appreciation week and I got both fresh cherry pie AND strawberry shortcake this week! Not to mention all the other goodies left in the lounge for us...
4) 1 more full week of school! Woohoo!