I was shocked. I had been having a problem with a female student whose attitude had suddenly skyrocketed from disdainful to downright defiant, dang it. I needed some advice and so I went to visit her guidance counselor, a friendly young man whom I did not know well.
I explained the incident which brought me to him and proposed holding a meeting with her.
"You can do what you want, but leave me out of it," was his reply.
Now that gave me pause. Was he not, in fact, the very person appointed to guide this particular student? And she did, indeed, need guiding in this case.
"Beg your pardon?" I shifted in my seat.
"I've only seen the sweet side of her and I want to keep it that way."
I didn't think at the time that this was, um, allowed. For a guidance counselor to refuse to guide. Or meet, shall we say, with a student. But being new, I said nothing to anyone else and handled it on my own.
Months later I recounted this to my department head who looked at me quizzically.
"That should not have happened," she flatly said.
And that would lead me to the conclusion I inevitably felt with my gut the whole time: I was swindled.
Being a new teacher (or even just a young teacher, I've found), you will discover that people will do things and say things to you that they never would to a seasoned teacher. I do not as yet understand the point of shirking responsibility, or speaking rudely to a teacher - however new or young. The only option I've decided upon is that in certain circumstances people simply do not want to do the extra work. They know you are new and inexperienced and therefore you are not sure exactly what is acceptable and what is not, and they will take advantage of your naivete.
What do you think? What are the other reasons for this phenomenon? Please comment...
