Teaching.....the Profession Where One Feels the Urge to Shove Pencils in His Eyes

Yes, I know the title is sexist, but I am referring to myself and I hate using the his or her construction.

I have returned from my final class of the day and want to clean my brain with a handy wipe. I used to love teaching and facing new challenges and watching students faces as that light bulb went off over their head. Nowadays I feel like I mildly tolerate it as I deal with students who feel they are owed something as a result of a flawed and benign educational system that, despite its best, well-intentioned efforts, is being run into the ground by a governor whose lineage must be filled with slack-jawed illiterate morons.

That being said, I find it insulting that I often have to stand in front of a classroom and deal with neo-Gen X'ers who can't seem to grasp the basics of life and school, like following directions, and who seem to want to take the lazy way out in terms of critical thinking/analysis in favor of a more Seussian-Jack and Jill approach to ideas. Hell, even Dr. Suess was more analytical than some of these students in their verbal and written rhetoric. I try to be patient, but the struggle to remain calm while disseminating information/knowledge and wanting to scream and tell some of them to drop out of college and not waste their parent's money is rough. It is amazing how the student body has changed over one year. Last year, I had a good group of students who were like sponges willing to listen to and cut apart any and everything that I threw in their path. They had their own voices and used them in loud proclamations. This year, I have students who actually think "specific" is pronounced "pacific" and argue with me over whom is correct.

My one saving grace is my comp class at the University of Tampa. They are an amazing group of students, each with their individual personalities who make no excuses for who they are or what they think. They are hard working, even if they do fall into the whining trap sometimes. I look forward to that class. They are engaging and make me laugh every class we have. I love being able to have open discussions with them and know that they will not only get what I am taling about, but also argue over issues and points. They make it worthwhile. Private university students are of a different ilk. However, my preparatory writing students at the same university seem to have a VERY tough time understanding that English grammar follows certain established rules. I find that I repeat myself OFTEN on the simplest concepts and constantly have to reinforce the notion that just because they learned to speak and hear the language a certain way does not mean it is correct. I had so much less trouble with my affectionately called "ghetto kids" at HCC in Ybor. They were willing to admit that what they knew was wrong and although they scoffed at some of the rules, they understood what knowing proper grammar meant in the hierarchy of things.

I try to look at all of this as just another challenge; something to help me grow as a teacher. But I find myself uneasy in classrooms now and impatient to get out and get home. I think I have overstayed my welcome in academia and need something else to keep my mind going. My mom was right....I am a HUGE jack-of-all-trades.