Parent Teacher Conferences - Free Cookies and Coffee, for once, just isn't cuttin it.

So I am sitting here at my first ever REAL parent teacher conference...I am on the teacher end, of course :). I say "real" parent teacher conference because the school had one at the beginning of the year, but (for the entire three hours) I only had one parent show up, and it was the mother of a girl whose father is a security guard at the school. I have had six parents show up tonight, and we are only beginning the third hour of our 5 hour conference schedule. A huge improvement from my previous experience. (My enthusiasm must be shining through.) I have so many things I could be doing right now while I am waiting here in my room to confer with parents... Lesson plans for the week are due every Monday at 8 am. So far I have submitted the ones for today (already happened) and tomorrow. I will get right on that...cough. No, I seriously will. After I vent/express myself a little on virtual paper. Please, I have priorities.

You know, you would think that being a teacher is an easy job. Work from 8 till 4, get the summers off, get to hang-out with kids all day. What isn't to love, right? Well it isn't all as peachy as it seems...

...Professional development meetings where you listen to a woman describe to how to teach a student to read the word "man" using phonics, mmmm, mmmmaaaaa, mmmmaaaaaannnnnnnnnn, man.
...Paper work and modified lessons/worksheets for students on I.E.P.s, or "individualized education plans".
...Parent-teacher conferences that span over half of the working day, in fact, increasing your hours at school to 13 hours in one day, for two days in a row.
...After school tutoring till 5:30 for at least two days a week.
...Required CWG "collaborative work group" meetings once a week during your prep period.
...Constant observations (i.e. people/principals walking in and out of your room disrupting the flow of class with their presence and movement)
...And then the feedback, with people telling you what you are doing wrong and what you could do to get better. I want help, but holy stars, information overload. My goodness yo.
...Grade books not working.
...Paper. Paper. EVERYWHERE. Someone organize me.

I could go on, but my whining is boring me.

So, all I'm trying to say is that teachers deserve a little more respect, a little more prestige, and a little more free time. No not really, what I am trying to say is that I am getting lazy, I am having a hard time making myself care about preparing for class or grading after class, I am feeling undervalued and harshly critiqued, and I am feeling like I will never have what it takes to help a kid change their circumstances through getting a good education. And I am also saying I want more respect, prestige, and free time, but I think those are secondary concerns at this point. I just want to feel ok, and not like a miserable little pib-squeek  of a woman who can't manage a classroom of 14 year old teenagers nor teach basic math after she has earned her degree in the subject. Mahhh, I can't even express correctly. Just stop reading this and come read my heart.

Free coffee and cookies will usually make me happy to stay anywhere for any amount of time, so long as the goodies don't run out. Right now, mmm, not so much.

If the coffee runs out and you would like a half-empty glass of negativity, I have plenty here in Room 216.