Teaching...

1st day of the school year: August 28th, 2009

This was the statement which was racing through my mind after the first day of school. "What the fuck did I get myself into this year!" Then after literally hyperventilating for a few minutes I broke down in tears.... After calming down, I packed up my things and drove home, hoping Day 2 would be much better...

I figured after my first year of teaching where upon I did not break down even once... my second year would be a breeze. Little did I know that my patient, all-loving demeanor with my students would actually come back to wreck havoc on my life as I know it. My principal decided to change me from teaching 9th and 10th grade in the Main building to our outside "2nd Chance Academy"...because I had such good rapport with my students. Who better than me to teach the students which no veteran teacher wanted in their classrooms...

I no longer see any of my friends anymore.
I'm isolated, and alone outside.
The best part is that No one cares...

Actually me bitching on and on about the students would be a dishonor to them.. because even though they are in this Academy due to their severe behavioral and emotional issues, because they just got released from Juvenile detention, or simply because they enjoyed skipping classes and roaming the hallways...they all are students. My students. My lost souls....

I sent home a Parent Survey....

What makes me hate my job... isn't the students. It's the people I either work with or work for. They should make force every supervisor and administrator including the Superintendent of Schools to teach a class at least once a day so that some form of reality enters their waking hours. Because at the moment they are delusional hallucinating zombies wandering our hallways dictating their laws.

Because of the lack of support we teachers receive in our classrooms, emotionally disturbed youngsters receive minimal care and the usual bureaucratic run-around―usually resulting in their being thrown back into the classroom to create havoc for the total learning situation.

For the time being...
I ignore.
I think ignoring is my new favorite weapon.
I ignore, and eventually they calm down.
Big deep breaths.
Everyday.
It is what keeps me sane.