road rage

For the first time since this journey commenced, I experienced a burst of road rage. Seriously, I need to learn how to discipline without getting wild-eyed and shaky, or else I'm going to pop a vein. In that heated moment, I tossed aside all thoughts of cultural appropriateness, and now I'm left contemplating the appropriateness of "cultural appropriateness" when it comes to disciplining in the classroom. Isn't respect for teachers a universal rule that transcends cultural differences? Perhaps it's just my desperate need to justify my very wild-eyed and shaky actions today that makes me believe this question is rhetorical. But then, perhaps anger makes me irrational. I guess this is all part of learning about myself, as a person and as a new teacher, for I never had cause to yell at anybody before. Note to self: I have a temper.

It's so tempting to use this blog to vent whatever anger remains - that is, whatever hot air that did not already exit my ears as I huffed and puffed around and around the school track this evening. But I think blogging can also be a great way of giving thy self a good, hearty pep talk.

So don't get me wrong, I do love teaching and I do love my students - every one of them. They're like my children! Okay, so we're basically the same age, but still... Rotten attitudes might continue to piss me off to no end, yet nothing will stop me from smothering all of my kids with (platonic) teacherly love. After all, there's no such thing as a "bad" student!! Right? Right!