Just listened to an encore broadcast of This American Life that showcased how expertly passive-aggressive some teenagers can be. Two young people were interviewing a cook at juvey hall, where theyre incarcerated, about rumors of glass in the pancakes and that someone peed in the pudding. These rumors were based on nothing more than a student putting plastic into a pancake at the dining room table then starting a riot over it. The cook got more and more annoyed over this, then the smirking, smart ass kids said Its clear youre going from 0 to 60 on this and we need to talk to somebody else. (!) This is the sort of behavior that makes teaching so difficult. And parenting, for that matter. It requires superhuman patience - otherwise they have you locked in a no-win situation with their passive aggressive mind games. Either you admit to glass in the pancakes or it becomes all about your reaction. Notice how they deftly take attention away from their wildly inappropriate behavior (starting a riot). In order to be successful in the classroom, teachers need massive training on how to deal with difficult students and maintain their cool under pressure. Even that wont be enough for many. Teaching takes a special breed.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 18:30:48 +0000
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