Because of my job and the fact that I don't want to send my students into therapy as adults, when they get on my nerves or take out their drama on me, I just smile (or give them a blank look). Mind you, on the inside, I'm singing the chorus to Dennis Leary's "I'm an Asshole," replacing the "I am" with "you are an" asshole. (Yeah, I know you are giggling like little kids because I'm cursing.) Well, lo and behold, maybe my mask needs to be put aside for some good ol' fashioned grrrrr! According to scientists in Germany, that fake smile is causing some of my stress.
"Every time a person is forced to repress his true feelings there are negative consequences," Zapf said. "We are all able to rein in our emotions but it becomes difficult to do this over a protracted period."
To be honest, I know my blood pressure goes up when I'm in those situations, but I have to be professional, right? I like treating people kindly and feel awful if I think I've hurt someone. However, maybe I need to be a little more honest about my feelings.
(H/T: UPI)
4 comments:
Your Job in all appearance, seems to be the hardest one in the world.
As angst filled as most kids seem to be now days and the drama driven exploits from TV I do not know how you Teachers do it. As I have gotten older my own ability to process BS has diminished completely.
I really think society has lost the ability to be as honest as we need to be with each other.
Take it easy because vacation is just around the corner.
One month from tomorrow, I will be a free woman and I can go far away from this place, do what I want, and not have to answer to ANYONE.
I'll miss my kitties, though. They keep me warm at night.
Whenever a kid tells me he/she is sorry, I say, "No, you're not. You're just sorry you got caught." They still don't get that if you do right by people, you will never have to say the empty "sorry."
Biting sarcasm works for me.
Like the time a young college student repeatedly said she didn't understand Locard's Principle.
I knew she got it -- she had that slightly sly smile turning up the very edges of her lips -- she just didn't want to do any more work for the day.
...So I scheduled her for mandatory tutoring session after class. Yeah, she caught on real quick after that, but she still had to come to my office.
I count to five. If I get to five, then we have a detention and I call home.
I once detained an entire class.
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