Yet Another Soapbox

I'm feeling much better, though still a little sore. I'm down to a cracked rib feeling and can actually sneeze and cough with out feeling like I'm going to die. It's good enough I may even go skiing next weekend!

I'm really ready for a break. The Winter Holidays were a disaster due to the weather, and every time I've looked forward to something since then I've had to pass due to sickness. I'm like a string pulled too tight. I'm cranky. I need a Marguarita.

As much as I love working at this school this year, I'm thinking that disrespect and irresponsibility are nationwide problems. Everything 'sucks'. Everything is 'gay'. There is very little pride taken in work and most students aren't afraid to tell their teachers just how stupid they feel their class is and how worthless the work is. If I had EVER even tried a quarter of what these kids pull I would have been knocked into next week. What is happening to our youth? Why do schools (not this one thank God) feel that dumbing down the material will make the kids feel better about themselves? Why do parents allow them to talk back? Why is everything so 'feel good' when in fact it's lowering standards and making the kids who are trying to be something feel like no matter how hard they work somebody else with less drive is going to do just as well?

Sorry - I love to teach. There will always be little monsters in the classroom. I just didn't realize that as the years keep passing the monsters are outnumbering the hardworkers 2 to 1 and growing...It's very demoralizing and keeps getting harder and harder to deal with. I know teachers retiring based soley on how strongly they feel about this subject, so I know I'm not the only one.

I grew up in a family where education was considered important. Not just because education equals security, but because it was something many in my family had never had coming from another country. My grandparents worked hard to help their children have more than what they'd had growing up, and my parents worked hard to finish school and pass that on. Don't these kids realize how good they have it? Why are they so closeminded? They aren't even willing to look at things from another perspective. It's hard to attempt to relate material to a classroom when they are opposed to it before they even get into the room...or they have so little interest in anything that nothing can even be related.