This may not be the appropriate outlet for this discussion but I am using it anyway! Today was such a sucky day at work. We were desperately short of staff and I was so in over my head with the group I had today. I held a discussion with a student I have worked with off and on over the last 5 years. The first time I had him in my class he was a 7th grader. He is not a little boy anymore and towers over me. I like him, my heart aches for him, he has been dealt a tough hand. He has come a long way since I first met him and he has experienced things in his life that I am so grateful I didn't as a young person. Today he made my life harder. He does this many days but today just about broke me. I almost stopped caring. I pulled him aside after many times of trying to redirect and encourage him. I asked, "Do you know why I am upset with you right now?" He responded, "Because I am not doing my work today." I let him know that I didn't feel that really affected me, he was the one who needed to graduate. I already have earned my diploma. What I was concerned about was the fact that I felt I deserved more respect than what he has been showing me. He had nothing but sarcastic responses to everything I pointed out to him. I asked, "Have I made an effort to take care of every reasonable request you have made of me? Did I stick my neck out to help you get classes at your home school? Do I show you every day that I care about you and your future? Do you think I deserve more respect than what you have showed me today?" Nothing but sarcasm. I am doing my best to not take this personally and I hope someday he will wish he had showed me more respect. Or better yet, I hope he will show others more respect in the future. It is things like this that wear me down though. I wish I didn't care.
