I don't think the ninth graders really understand the concept of other people's time.
It was vocabulary test day. (They have a vocabulary warm-up every day. At the end of the unit, they take a test on those words where they place the words in sentences.) After, I was giving them time to make sure they were caught up with all the work (and checking to make sure I hadn't made any errors in their gradebooks--the grading has been a mess for reasons beyond my control).
After we finished the test, a student asked if he could go "visit" one of his teachers. I pointed out that she had a class and she wouldn't have time to "visit". He did not see my point.
Seventh period. Class had just started. I was going over the announcements for the day when there was a knock on the (unlocked) door.
A student from earlier in the day was there. He needed "help" with something. Um... I have a class. I don't have time to stop to help one student while 30 others are waiting for me to teach class.
(If he had come to me at lunch, after school, or before school, that would have been different. Then I could take whatever time he needed.)
I shooed the boy away and went back to my remarks to the current class. (They seemed to think me rude. I guess they didn't want to get their test started.)
I just... Do they not realize that I can't stop everything for one student when I've got a class? Apparently so, as another boy did that just the previous week.
(The school has hired a new teacher for the class. As soon as his paperwork has cleared, he'll take over the class. Likely, by the time you read this, I'll be out of here and on to other subbing assignments.)
Probably you are right that they don't get yet that their needs don't trump your time or the needs of others.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, they have not learned this yet. I suppose I shouldn't be as surprised as I am.
DeleteA positive is that he came for help for school work. Not like he just wanted to "visit" you! I wonder if that student was going to drop in on the teacher, or skip out somewhere.
ReplyDeleteHe might have planned to skip out. I would find that preferable to him just going to visit the teacher.
DeleteI keep hearing how 9th readers are the worst
ReplyDeleteI didn't get much of a chance to hear them read, but their emails are atrocious.
DeleteI mean. Obviously they didn't want to take the test. They'd prefer you to do anything else!
ReplyDeleteUgh... As for the key chain. No worries! You do great work and I still enjoy my fingerless gloves.
ReplyDeleteI'll get that in the mail tomorrow.
DeleteWell, you knew it was me commenting. Well done. I'm embarrassed at not realizing it counted as anonymous.
DeleteIt happens. Besides, you're the only one waiting on a keychain, so it couldn't've been anyone else ;)
Deletelol
DeleteAgain........wow they really don't understand someone else's time....or they do, and they simply don't care?
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I believe it's the former. There's a different attitude when they don't care that they're taking up someone's time, and they're not displaying that.
DeleteI don't recall being able to simply drop in on a class in progress were it not at the request of another teacher. This new wrinkle in school ways would drive me up a wall.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why it's happening, either. It shouldn't be. They shouldn't just be out of class. But some of them are taking a very long time in the bathroom, so I assume that's how they're getting out of class. (If I had remained in the class, there would have been a discussion of when it's appropriate to come to the room to ask questions.)
DeleteI think most kids think they're the centre of the universe at that age. And some probably fail to unlearn that...
ReplyDelete