Becoming Bitter

I have been teaching middle school for student teaching for the past 4 weeks. I have learned a lot of things about middle school teachers as well as middle school students. This whole experience has taught me a lot, but I feel like it has also made me a very bitter person. I NEVER want to teach middle school. Every day I have to yell over students who don't care if I'm talking. I have to give instructions 501 times. I have to keep students from poking each other with pencils and hitting each other with books. These kids do not respect me. They do not listen. They are not motivated. And they flat out just don't seem to care.

I feel like everyday I come home, I am a more angry bitter person than I was the day before. Each day, some of my happiness and joy in teaching lessens. It flat out sucks! I love teaching, and I really loved teaching my high schoolers at the beginning of student teaching, but it's a struggle to wake up every morning and feel motivated to teach these students who don't seem to care about anything.

Now I realize not all the students are like that. I have some amazing students that keep me sane while I'm there every day. To them and their parents I am SO grateful! I wish I could have whole classes full of students like them. They help me see the joy in every day. They are definitely the bright moments I've found in teaching middle school.

I don't want to be an angry teacher. I hate yelling. I don't like having to lecture a class on listening to instructions. I don't enjoy telling students over and over to stop talking. I especially don't like be backtalked and disrepected. Why can't parents just discipline their children at home?! What ever happened to good values and morals at home? Parents blame the teachers because their children aren't doing well or are misbehaving in class. They say that the teacher isn't doing their job, but could it be that it is something at home? Why can't parents partner with teachers to make sure their students/children are doing well? It's not always the teacher's fault. Before the blame is thrown on this underpayed and underappreciated teacher who is trying to educate your child to be the future of America, take a look at your own methods of raising your children? Are you teaching them respect? Are you disciplining them? Are you teaching them the importance of a good education? Don't leave it all up to the teacher. Yes, we have your children for 7 hours a day, but a good foundation begins at home.

I am ready to be done with student teaching. I look forward to the day that I get my own classroom and my own students, but it makes me sad to know that these types of problems will always plague teachers. I pray that God keeps my attitude positive and keeps me from becoming an old angry bitter teacher. I hope that I can enjoy teaching all the days of my life!

Trying to stay joyful,
Katelyn