teacher's seat

teachersseat
Originally uploaded by skitbraviking.

I sit here now in front of a blank screen, just as my students will sit before a en empty page to write an essay in a few weeks time for quarter exams. This was the first picture I took with my new camera after it had arrived that afternoon (10.15.04).

If I allow my mind to wander when thinking about my job, I end up thinking too much and getting angry, irritated, burnt out and generally feeling as if I am being taken advantage of in some way or other. Sometimes I think of my students and how innocent and sweet they are and how I can help them and it makes all the ugliness go away. Usuallly this happens. But not always. Nevertheless, I keep going, not always sure why. I suppose all careers make us feel this way at some point or other, yet teaching seems to drag us (teachers) into it at even greater frequency than most other profressions.

Yet what this is all really about is the social and academic education of kids. Socialization and rationalization. All kinds of kids walk through the door:

>there's Jamal (white boy), who after calling in a gun hoax to the school, is skating on thin ice with administration, but is a down right great kid, can have adult conversations but is lazy to the bone when it comes to school work

>there's the smart kid who is a complete delinquent and doesn't even try to hide it but we get along well, far better than he does with his other teachers

>one of my favorite kids, an Asyrian girl, who I have nicknamed Helen of Troy, who's cosmopolitan, smart, a great leader and in love with Brad Pitt

>there's a little-man boy: Pat, who is reserved but smart, even if a little lazy

>then there's Jasmine, a black girl from the west side, who loves her grammar, is full of sass, and not super ambitious but I want to see her shine shine shine and out shine 99% of the population and do something with her life that will both make her happy and make me proud to have known her during her budding years

>of course, a sweet little Vietnamese student who was on my soccer team last year and just needs lots of love and is really smart and sort of knows it but really likes to play the devil but only because he wants a few precious moments of your attention

The list could go on, and on. But having mentioned just these few, I know why I am doing this and I am ready to do it again tomorrow. And the day after. And so on.