Are There No Consequences?

These last few months have been rough. If I could drink, I’d be a few phone calls away from an AA sponsor. Last year, I was spoiled. I loved my students, they loved me. This year, the tables have literally turned. While I do like most of them, I feel badly because they have seen me at my worst. Don’t blame the hormones; their classmates are non caring, inconsiderate spoiled brats who have their parents believing that they have been wrongfully accused. If they were on death row, there would be 9th hour appeals; they are that good at playing the victim card. They are just as good as single handedly destroying the flow of a class and literally tearing away at the education of others.

Now, now, teacher haters. You might want to say that perhaps my classroom management needs some tweaking. I have been teaching for 13 years. Combine those years with those of my teammates and you will see, after just a morning of observations, that we are SO NOT TO BLAME. This is year has been so bad that we placed a group of kids on a behavior intervention plan and while it has helped curb one of the animals, two of the other heavy hitters just don’t give a crap. If this were a zoo, I’d throw my own crap at them. To top it off, when you acknowledge these kids for any wrongdoing, they don’t look you in the eye. Is this behavior the new black? Does this take the place of putting your hands over your ears while screaming “I can’t hear you”? I don’t get it. Apparently, this is rampant behavior amongst this year’s seventh grade. It is as though families are now raising kids that do not have to LITERALLY face consequences.

The parents are just as ineffective, so that is all of the time I am going to spend discussing them.

Now how about this. Josh’s debit card was jacked last week. Someone treated themselves to $1400 worth of mental health care at a facility in Massachusetts, and then hit up some retail therapy (or holiday shopping) at Anthropologie. As a way to test out the card, this person has been charging small amounts ranging from $.17 to $1.00. After numerous calls to the bank, they have finally canceled the card, yet where are the consequences for the customer service rep who neglected to do this the first time? The person getting mental and retail therapy now has received mental help and new clothes and/or accessories and/or house wares. What consequences do they suffer? All the while, it is us who have to bear the brunt of aggravation and a frozen bank account for the time being. I bet the person charging it up wont ever have to look my husband in the eye while he lets them know what a dishonest ass he thinks they are.

I clearly have no holiday spirit. With a baby on the way, it frightens me to think that if people are running around doing what they want now, what will she think of me when I actually provide and deliver on consequences? Who will be the bad guy then?