Rants far and wide

well, I guess if you assumed it was about you *shrug*

:huh: You've really gone off the deep end, haven't you? *sigh* Ok. Have a good day.

Connor L. wrote: :huh: You've really gone off the deep end, haven't you? *sigh* Ok. Have a good day.

Well well. Now isn't this looking familiar.

If you fight, you break the rules of the thread. This thread is for non-harmful rants, like how I'm really angry at (undisclosed candy company) for making it so that my peanut butter cups always get stuck to the packaging.

I'm bummed when I put a lot of effort into my work and it doesn't seem to be appreciated by those who I present it to.

ok, here goes: last week, I received a letter written by one of my students (or rather: his dad). He accuses me of all kinds of shortcomings in my lessons (e.g. that it usually takes me 3-6 weeks (!!) to return tests, that he wants more difficult / elaborate tests, that he hasn't been able to develop a feel for the language because I explain too much in German, that I don't give enough homework and if I do I don't follow up on it in the next lesson, that I never prepare my lessons etc.). This letter also went to our headmaster, demanding a talk. Now I should perhaps say that the particular student was asked to leave a week earlier because he didn't have his books along and, as a consequence, received an unexcused absence. So the whole things was some sort of (remarkably well constructed) revenge plot. Turns out, his dad is a teacher himself and knows where to hit so it hurts.

That particular student gets fairly decent grades, but has a clear problem with his behavior in class. There's absolutely no participation on his side, he never says a word (to the class / me, that is - he spends his entire time chatting with his neighbor). He can reproduce well but never produces anything - as soon as I demand some sort of more elaborate piece of work during class, he stops working altogehter. The allegations are largely ridiculous and don't contain a single piece of constructive criticism. I've had this particular class for 2 1/2 years now and none of them ever complained and during our regular feedback sessions none of the above has ever been mentioned by anyone, including that particular student.

Anyway, I know this is just one of the around 180 students I have in various classes and complaints aren't frequent. I pride myself in working with and listening to student wishes. If that person had a real problem, he could have come to me years ago and we would have found a solution in no time. The issue now is, however, that I have to invest countless hours in meticulously reconstructing the last 2 1/2 years with this class for the headmaster, including every single date when I returned tests, the entire classroom preparation etc. I have to compile a dossier with all the info - this'll take me at least 15 hours of work (which, in turn, I don't have for preparation). This leaves me a bit helpless - there's nothing I can do (short of hiring a lawyer because the student, or his dad, are trying to destroy my good reputation), so I'm complying. This whole matter interfers with my work, my private life, even my meditation. I know I shouldn't take it this seriously, but I've worked as a teacher for only 5 years and have never been confronted with anything like it and thus don't really know how to handle things well. I'm relatively shure the whole thing will resolve itself in that upcoming talk and I'm more than willing to work with the student to resolve the discrepancies of perspective we're apparently having, but it still worries me to no extent.

Anyway, this was it - just typing this makes me feel better.

Jamie Stick wrote: I'm bummed when I put a lot of effort into my work and it doesn't seem to be appreciated by those who I present it to.

plussed,

or when they complain yet do not have anything better to offer, and then when given an opportunity, they only do a half-arsed job.

Connor L. wrote: :huh: You've really gone off the deep end, haven't you? *sigh* Ok. Have a good day.

Connor, if you thought something was about you then you ought to have asked for clarification first before coming to a conclusion.

Sure, that's very true. My statement was unconnected to her response. It's all good. I've blocked Brenna on all my social media. I'm not going to engage her for a while.

I really freaked myself out this morning.

Needles and medically prescribed self-injection below:


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I hate smart people acting stupid so they can get away with acting irresponsible.

I hate people useing political correctness to manipulate people so they can get their way.

I hate whinnies and weenies.

I hate liers and dishonesty.

I hate dissoluteness and the delusional.

This isn't directed toward anyone in particular. It's just a broad based people thing.

Now that is a rant!!!!

:woohoo: :laugh: :lol:

I hate smart people acting stupid so they can get away with acting irresponsible.

OMG! I used to do this a lot. I hated being the guy everybody looked to, so I started acting stupid so people would leave me alone.

(Wow, that's a humble brag if I ever wrote one... sorry. hahah)

Jamie Stick wrote: I really freaked myself out this morning.

Needles and medically prescribed self-injection below:


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I admire anyone that can give themselves an injection.. I can barely look at a needle.

Connor L. wrote: Sure, that's very true. My statement was unconnected to her response. It's all good. I've blocked Brenna on all my social media. I'm not going to engage her for a while.

Id be interested to see how you do that since we are not connected on any social media.

I was going to leave this be, however your response is intriguing. So what you're saying is that you decided to randomly accuse me of "going off the deep end"? And that you made that statement not because of any response I made... but because... why precisely?

Seems rather unnecessary. And you, a minister and everything.

I hate when I get angry and then I can't think straight but I think I'm thinking straight so I do it anyway and then afterward, once I've calmed down I'm all "WHYY??!?!!?"

Connor L. wrote: Sure, that's very true. My statement was unconnected to her response. It's all good. I've blocked Brenna on all my social media. I'm not going to engage her for a while.

That doesn't seem very Jedi?

I'm seriously frustrated--not even angry, beyond angry to just plain disappointed--that threads I think have great potential very often get derailed in the most spectacularly negative fashions. This is why we can't have nice things.

I almost moderated this thing right at the get go, but figured there was at least a slim probabikity it would go well. Shows what I know.

If we closed off every potential 'bad news' thread probably more would be closed before they get posted in.
Compared to other sites, we're not that bad.. and if there's a lesson to be learned, better to have learned it, I think.
Instead of allowing a thread to go sideways by sitting back and just watching it divert, we should post and bring it back to the OP and disrupt any off topic discussion or argument.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neMFtbpr9fo