I Love You I Hate You

That is how I feel sometimes about this country. My 11th grade class was so kind to tell me about the sessions they are going to have this Friday, next Tuesday and next Friday. That means they will be occupied all three days in their sessions, which are like exams but not quite...I don't really care. Not only are the 11th graders having these sessions, but also the 10th and 12th grades. So for those three days, they will not be in their normal classes. I was thinking, "Right on! I hope I have a few free classes this Friday and next week!" So when class ends I meet up with my counterpart to ask her if, in fact, there were going to be sessions and how it affected me. Yep, my students were correct. My counterparts response, "if you have classes with 10th, 11th, or 12th grades on those three days, you won't have them." This is looking better. I sit down, open my schedule, and see that on Tuesdays and Fridays I have nothing but 10th, 11th, and 12th grade classes. My wish came true. So I have this Friday, next Tuesday and next Friday off completely. I am excited about these unexpected three days, and walk up the stairs to my next class thinking, "I love this place."
Heh, that thought didn't last that long. I step into my classroom for my two classes with 10th graders to see only one student looking at me. "Where are the rest?" "Wait, maybe they will come." That is always the response. I can't wait. Not when class starts at 3 o'clock and it is now five past. I walk around the school, looking out the windows, trying to find my students. I am used to this happening during the optional classes I have after regular school hours. But apparently the students HAVE to come, even though they are called OPTIONAL classes. Go figure, right? I run into the Vice Director and tell her my situation, asking her what I should do about having only one student in my class. I was hoping she would be a little pissed and tell me to go home since, obviously, it would be a waste of both mine and the student's time to make a lesson. Her response, "just wait...take a break...rest..." Damnit! I tell her "I can't wait, this is my class, it starts at 3, not when the students decide to show up." I don't want to rest! That is always the response here when something happens or is running behind. "Just sit down, put your feet up, rest a bit, take a break." I wake up, get ready, walk to school, get there, and someone will say "just take a rest." I just woke up!!! That is just crap...I don't come to work to take a break and to rest. I shouldn't have to wait on my students to show up to begin a lesson. The students should be waiting on me!!! My host mom shares the same opinion and we often talk about the crappy students in schools these days. But anyway...one more student shows up and so I conduct a lesson with two students, instead of the normal 12 or so. Sometimes I hate this place.