Teaching can really bite.

I've been getting a lot of sub work lately, and mostly it has been fine, but yesterday was a BAD DAY. There are some days that conclusively confirm that I will never become a full-time classroom teacher, and this was one of them.

I just get so tired of dealing with the slackers who will literally do nothing all period until you physically open their book, point out a paragraph and say "Read this and write down the answer for #1." (Typically it still takes them 5 more minutes to write anything down, even after you basically point to the answer.) Every general requirement class of freshman or sophomores seems to have at least 4 of them- they would literally sit there and get nothing done all 80 minutes of the period if I let them. Oh wait, did I say do nothing? They're certainly distracting others at the same time, that's something.

Then there are the kids (usually 4-8 individuals, almost all boys, but there's frequently one girl worse than the boys) who act out. They'll get some work done, but constantly disrupt other people at the same time. They are more physical than the complete slackers, steal someone's hat, get up and wander around, bump desks together, throw things, whatever; and they are louder. It is very hard to help students who actually need assistance, because you have to spend the whole time babysitting the brats instead. Between the two groups (not even to mention the kids who get very little done because they are constantly sneaking their phones out of their pockets to text, which is completely not allowed, but you KNOW they'll throw a huge fit & make things worse if you confiscate their phone) I felt like I was bashing my head into a wall the entire time. I'd really rather bash their heads into the desks.

The whole day felt frustrating and useless, and that was only because of two periods! The other half of the classes were perfectly fine, but the 2 bad classes eclipsed everything else. Oh, and then I got called a bitch for taking another student's paper away from a guy who was copying it. The owner even requested that he "Give it back!" which is unusual, since most students have no qualms whatsoever about letting someone cheat off them. One girl threatened to "have me arrested" because when she turned in her paper crowing "I got it finished" I asked if she copied, because I watched her do just that for both of her assignments, including the very obvious "I can't give your paper back right now, because the teacher is watching-- oh look, she turned her head, here I'll throw it across 3 desks to you!" So subtle, these teens; like a very sneaky sledgehammer.

There is a huge problem with our education system, and I'm so glad I don't have to deal with it every day. Parts of the problem are insufficient funding, bad administration systems, and a few tenured less-than-stellar teachers, but the MAIN problem as I see it is asshole students. They are what make learning next to impossible in public schools.

Kids have been brought up to think they are special no matter what, and that you get rewarded even if you do nothing, even if you actually make it harder for others to learn effectively by being disruptive. Some students will sit there quietly and power through their assignments, knowing it's their JOB to do it, so they get it done (more common in the upper level classes; most senior classes basically need no guidance to get work done). Nobody ever loves every minute of their job- but so many of today's students feel they shouldn't have to do something if they don't like it (good luck with that attitude in the working world). They face no consequences- they aren't going to receive the grade they deserve (F), because otherwise the school (already struggling to survive) would lose funding, not to mention the teacher would then have to deal with the jerk for an additional semester.

The parents seem to put no pressure on these kids to do well, and they lack any internal motivation to achieve, so why would they work at anything when there is no incentive? Skipping and drug use are ridiculously common at this school (and probably most like it) for the same reasons. Why care or put forth an effort or expend energy on something that doesn't float your boat?

And that's why I will never be a full-time teacher. For every good student you meet who truly learns something and is happy about it, you meet a brat who sits through the whole class without getting anything accomplished and so very clearly don't care about getting an education and see the time they are in school as wasted. (Yeah, sure kid, drop out of "useless" high school and see how far you get in life.)

My only hope is that the ones who do try will be successful in the future, and that people do truly reap what they sow in life. I do hope the losers can change, because at this point, they're fairly horrible people. I know that seems harsh, but dammit, you spend 3 hours with obnoxious 16 year-olds who just don't give a shit & love to cause problems and see how optimistic you end up.