I'm down from the ledge

So I got a couple of emails after my last post, basically from dear loved ones who think I may be "going off the deep end." (Now that I type that, does that expression make any sense? How do you "go off" the deep end?)

Anyway, I assure you I'm not going off the deep end. Do I have a bad class? Um, yes. Perhaps the worst I've ever taught. My plan is to start writing these kids up, and if that doesn't work, I might have to bring out the big guns. (I'm not really sure what the "big guns" will be. Too bad it can't be actual big guns.)

Some other questions I've been asked are these...

1. Have you considered a career change?
Yes, I have. However, before I completely change careers, I'm willing to try teaching in another, ahem, environment. But, hello, economy--hello, teacher hiring freezes. That kind of knocks out teaching somewhere else AND doing something other than teaching.

2. Have you considered being a stay-at-home mom?
I'm going to say something that I hope is not taken the wrong way, but I don't think I could be a 100% stay-at-home mom. I think I would go nuts. I love my daughter, and I really, truly admire women who are stay-at-home moms, but I also think I need a "task" outside the home.

It's also true that while I'm not really rolling in the dough, I do bring in a decent income to supplement Darryl's main income, and that has allowed us to do some pretty cool things. Could we change our lifestyle so that Darryl's income would be enough? Probably, but may I remind you...hello, bad economy. Not exactly the right time to ditch a career.

3. When did you stop loving teaching?
I don't think my love for teaching has stopped. I've told Darryl that if I could go in a teach a class like my fabulous 5th period (not to be confused with the horrible 6th period I wrote about yesterday) all day long, I would look forward to going in to work everyday.

There's an expression that I've heard teachers use on occasion that goes something like, "Teaching would be awesome if it weren't for the students." Sadly, there is some truth to that. I'm finding that apathy is reigning supreme with most of my students. And that, my friends, is a problem that I think originates at home, and there isn't much I can do about that.


So there you have it. I promise I'm better. Today is a new day. Even better, tomorrow is the weekend.