Being A Teacher in May

This week I spoke with my mom for awhile on the phone and she asked me how school is going. I replied that my students have increased their ridiculousness ten-fold and are absolutely driving me insane a daily basis. She wanted me to explain further and I had trouble citing all the examples of the things that make me want to pull my hair out on a daily basis, because really, it's the little things.

Except when you're a teacher, the little things in May are the little things your students have been building towards since August. Therefore, there comes a point when you. just. cannot. deal. with. them.

These little things include:

• Writing all over & inside of what were my brand new textbooks last August.
• Drawing on my desks.
• Asking to leave class because they forgot their backpack at lunch. (Really?)
• Ordering in food for lunch and having their drivers (yes, my students are that wealthy) bring it to them.
• Showing up to a test, quiz, or class in general and asking me to borrow a pen or pencil. On a daily basis. I swear my students' lockers eat writing utensils.
• Asking me to move a math quiz so it is not the same day as an English quiz. Even though in three weeks they have five finals in three days.
• Complaining about finals in general.
• Taking a quiz, going to another class for 70 minutes and then banging down my door asking if I graded their quizzes yet.
• Showing up for after school help because they didn't listen in class.

The list could go on and on, and yes, I realize none of it is terrible. But I am just sick of it and them. Yesterday, one class asked why I have been so upset all week. (Yes, they notice this) I told them it always happens this way, because of the stress at the end of the year. But then I said, don't worry I will like you again in June.

The student I was looking at said "You don't like me?"

"No, not you, everyone."

Another student asked, "Just our class?"

"No, the whole grade."

There is just so much to do before summer gets here...in fact my to do list has been separated into four categories to accommodate for everything. Sad face. But like I said, I will like them again in June, it's just this hard time when there is so much to do before summer that I am not finding their crazy idiosyncrasies as amusing as I once did.

However, there's always THIS:

Which, May or not May, totally made me laugh out loud. At least my students are funny in their sassiness. Even if they obviously didn't learn about exponents.