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Friday, July 20, 2012

This is the problem

I witnessed a conversation yesterday that I still can't really believe was real.

At the summer program where I work the kids arrive about an hour early and they all have breakfast downstairs in the cafeteria.  Yesterday morning a girl needed to finish a project so she asked her counselor for permission and came upstairs.  She walked in, told the office secretary why she was there, who had given her permission to come up, and then started working on a computer in the workroom [note: this was not a teacher's lounge type room, it was an open computer lab room] where I was.  She walked in with a huge smile and said good morning to me.  I asked her what she was up to and she told me about the project and then got started.

About 20 minutes later, one of the other teachers walked into the same room and immediately said to her, "What are you doing here? You know you're not supposed to be up here this early.  Go back downstairs now."  She started to tell him that she was working on a project and that she had permission.  He cut her off and didn't even listen to her.  He told her to stop making trouble and to leave right now.  She continued to try to explain and he told her to stop giving him an attitude.

SERIOUSLY?? I just sat there stunned that this was really going on  Even as I'm writing this it still makes me angry.  I just quietly told her to save her work and just come into the library and I'd do my work in there with her while she finished up.

Later in the day at the weekly meeting that same teacher complains about how bad the kids are and how much attitude they have.  Maybe it never to occurred to him that if he dislikes kids so much he shouldn't be a teacher.

I genuinely like kids.  I think they're such funny and interesting little people. I think it's unfortunate and sad though that in most places I have been it seems like I am in the minority of people that feel that way.

1 comment:

  1. I have seen this a few times in my years of working with kids as well. It always floors me and frustrates me. I have seen adults instigate kids to arguing or to an attitude and then get on to them for arguing or for getting an attitude.
    What amazes me is these adults are always in wonder as to why kids don't respect them or have a desire to respect them.

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