Such a frustrating day today!

I started work in September at a school in an affluent area, having moved from a school in a more deprived area. The main reason for my move was for more career progression and sixth form teaching. But I find myself really disliking many of the children.

The arrogance is appalling. This seemingly ingrained understanding that the whole world is there purely for their entertainment and pleasure and that everything just appears from nowhere and costs no money. The sense of entitlement, the absolute disregard for anyone who isn't from their socio-economic background, the disdain for cleaning staff or non-teaching colleagues...it's dreadful.

Since joining this school, I don't think one pupil has heldd the door open for me when I am stumblig along with a box of books etc. Not because I'm a teacher and they should, but because I'm a human being and it's common courtesy to not allow the door to shut in my face when they could pause 2 seconds to hold it open.

Today, a pupil happened to sit next to my basket of marking that I'd placed on the edge of his desk. In it was a sheet of stickers. He just took the stickers and stuck them all over his folder. He's in year TEN! No consideration given to the waste, or the cost of the stickers. His response, "I'll get you some more". The arrogance! I've got money, I'l just buy more stickers and give them to you. Obviously these kids have been taught that if you screw up, you just throw money at it and that makes everything all better.

It's been increasingly annoying me over the past few weeks as I witnessthe ignorance. They don't move to one side on the stairs so someone else can pass by, the don't consider others when on the corridor - I student just shoved me out of the way today, and when I challenged him, he said "No I didn't, but I wanted to be past you because I had somewhere important to be". Because when I'm idling down the corridor at work I'm obviously NOT en route to anything important....?!

Sixth form pupils late for lessons because they couldn't find a parking space (In the STAFF car park) or their Daddy's BMW is another bug-bear.

Arrrrrrggggghhhh! They don't know they're born most of them. Ungrateful brats!

Eva_Smith:

In it was a sheet of stickers. He just took the stickers and stuck them all over his folder. He's in year TEN! No consideration given to the waste, or the cost of the stickers.

My classroom is a year 11 form room, and I often come back to find my stickers, highlighters, post its etc taken from INSIDE MY DESK and either strewn around or attached to their belongings. I lock the door at break and lunch to stop them getting in because they take great delight in covering the floor with sweets/food wrappers/assorted crap and their form tutor is worse than useless.

I've been in and challenged them about it (and bear in mind that lots of this is happening when she is meant to be supervising them!!) and her response was "they didn't mean it".  What?  They didn't mean to open my desk drawers and steal my stuff?!

Ours don't even have the excuse of rich kid arrogance.  They're just bloody rude!

Eva_Smith:

Sixth form pupils late for lessons because they couldn't find a parking space (In the STAFF car park) or their Daddy's BMW is another bug-bear.

Our VI form have better cars than most of the staff... and their own car park.  Thankfully, though, my form are well trained and it's rare (I'm not that good!) to see them with mobiles/mp3 players/other contraband around the main site.  Some of the others take great exception to my confiscating such items... I take great pleasure in it :-)

katnoodle:

That is frustrating Eva! I could say similar things about the students in my school but thankfully only a small portion. One thing that does get to me is students coming into the room and adjusting the blinds, opening windows etc. without asking. Is if it's their own front room! I know it's only small but I'm always quietly outraged.

That's another one that irritates me.

Today's gem was, from a year 11 pupil: "Miss, don't you think it would be better if we went to the IT room today instead of tomorrow because most people are not very far along in typing up section 1 of the controlled assessment and to go on to section 2 today would be silly"

 Actually, no, you little turd....I've got a very good reason for wanting to be in the classroom today because I'VE got a teaching qualification and have taught Romeo and Juliet more times than you would dream possible, and I know what the best sequence of lessons looks like.

Scream!

Karvol:

 Don't you think you are getting a bit carried away?

Calling a student "a turd" because he asked for a room change? Do you really get upset over something as inconsequential as that?

Get a grip, it was a funny word to lighten the mood.

And he didn't ask for a room change; he suggested that my planning and lesson sequence was incorrect and that he knew better. This is the level of arrogance dealt with on a daily basis. I find it unpleasant.

Eva_Smith:

Get a grip, it was a funny word to lighten the mood.

So you find calling a student "a turd" a funny way to lighten the mood.

Wonderful. And you still seem surprised at the reaction students have towards you.

Eva_Smith:

And he didn't ask for a room change; he suggested that my planning and lesson sequence was incorrect and that he knew better. This is the level of arrogance dealt with on a daily basis. I find it unpleasant.

No, from what you had written, that is not what was suggested. That is your perception of what was suggested.

Are you sure you are not looking for arrogance where no arrogance exists purely because of your own perceptions of how students will act, based upon their socio-economic level?