I'll admit it, I've had a shitty week. Things have happened beyond my control that have made me already slightly miserable and feeling frustrated because of the situations that I've been put in. However, something happened today which put me over the boiling point, and its blame rests solely on parents who don't give a rat's behind (and that's putting it politely).
I had been teaching three students three times a week since October of last year. I took them from a teacher who didn't care about teaching, and openly mocked the materials he was teaching them. Myself, being in the middle of my first contract, and still caring a great deal about the material and presentation, immediately showed these kids that I not only cared about the system, but also about their learning. I taught them not only the crap that was in their books, but also about the good stuff that books for some reason leave out; (like if you're stuck in the woods, and your compass breaks, you'll always know the direction of North, because its the one side of the tree where moss usually grows the most (open to argument).....
That might be making it seem like a sham, but I taught them a lot, and sooner rather than later, I really cared for these kids. I taught them all about "Dead Poet's Society", and taught them to appreciate books that may seem boring at first, but if you look beyond what the letters.... They devoured it. These three kids showed more growth and aptitude for learning than any other kids I taught. Most importantly however, they were appreciative. They said thank you, had the most polite manners, and knew when to say "Thanks for all you're doing.." when I needed to feel appreciated. And now? They're gone.
They've switched academies, or I should say, their mothers switched academies. Its most likely that one mother believed that she could get a better deal somewhere else, and got a group discount by taking the other two students with her son. Normally, if I had less students, I couldn't care less; the smaller my class size, the better. But these three? They had no clue they were leaving my class. Their mothers told them some bs about them missing the next class because they're visiting some relative, or some family visit, because as far as they knew, they were coming to class next Tuesday; these mothers didn't even tell their own kids the truth. Another teacher who taught them essay writing and myself bent over backwards for these kids, and we've never pushed kids harder who've responded for each push....I really hate these mothers right now....
Its taken 19 months, but I'm starting to think I need a good, long vacation... mostly just from these moms.......