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Undertoad · 08-12-2003, 09:05 AM

Most teachers are fine and I'm absolutely certain that the teachers we have on the Cellar are excellent. But as a chronically terrible student, and a weak, sniveling little kid, teachers and I never got along too well.

It wasn't that I disrupted the class -- no, I would never even be capable of that. It was that I was not interested in their class because there were so many better ways to learn, and because they were lousy, rotten civil servants stuck in a pathetic system. And also because I was twice as smart as any of them, and they knew it.

1. 7th grade chemistry

Before class I was having fun with my desk-mate Julie, and I playfully pushed her books off the desk. The teacher saw this and was offended by it, and rushed over and hit me with the full force of his backhand. I fell off my chair. I spent the rest of the class crying on my desk.

During these years, I was bullied relentlessly, and now I think this event probably helped start it. And I loved the guy before that, and his subject; afterwards, of course, I had little interest in either.

2. 12th grade humanities

Introducing a work of art to the class, the teacher said "At this point we've gone over these so much, ANYONE in the class should be able to explain what these paintings are about. Even the worst students... Tony?"

The full weight of the disrespect sunk in immediately. I babbled something and pretty much shut down in that class for the rest of the year.

3. 6th grade

I was headed back from the bathroom when I passed by my homeroom, and heard my homeroom teacher - responsible for about half my day - telling the class that if something was missing they should search my desk for it because I was messy and irresponsible. This guy was Mr. Football, having missed out on a pro career because of a knee injury, and he had no respect for tiny, wimpy little me. His constant browbeating left me with little self-esteem. I hated him so deeply that I would pretend-"shoot" him, holding my pencil as if it was a gun. In return, he exposed me as a chronic underachiever, had me kicked out of the gifted program, encouraged others to belittle me, and pretty much set me up for failure.

These people held my future in their hands, and they smooshed it like a bug.

08-12-2003, 09:05 AM	#1
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Bad teachers Most teachers are fine and I'm absolutely certain that the teachers we have on the Cellar are excellent. But as a chronically terrible student, and a weak, sniveling little kid, teachers and I never got along too well. It wasn't that I disrupted the class -- no, I would never even be capable of that. It was that I was not interested in their class because there were so many better ways to learn, and because they were lousy, rotten civil servants stuck in a pathetic system. And also because I was twice as smart as any of them, and they knew it. 1. 7th grade chemistry Before class I was having fun with my desk-mate Julie, and I playfully pushed her books off the desk. The teacher saw this and was offended by it, and rushed over and hit me with the full force of his backhand. I fell off my chair. I spent the rest of the class crying on my desk. During these years, I was bullied relentlessly, and now I think this event probably helped start it. And I loved the guy before that, and his subject; afterwards, of course, I had little interest in either. 2. 12th grade humanities Introducing a work of art to the class, the teacher said "At this point we've gone over these so much, ANYONE in the class should be able to explain what these paintings are about. Even the worst students... Tony?" The full weight of the disrespect sunk in immediately. I babbled something and pretty much shut down in that class for the rest of the year. 3. 6th grade I was headed back from the bathroom when I passed by my homeroom, and heard my homeroom teacher - responsible for about half my day - telling the class that if something was missing they should search my desk for it because I was messy and irresponsible. This guy was Mr. Football, having missed out on a pro career because of a knee injury, and he had no respect for tiny, wimpy little me. His constant browbeating left me with little self-esteem. I hated him so deeply that I would pretend-"shoot" him, holding my pencil as if it was a gun. In return, he exposed me as a chronic underachiever, had me kicked out of the gifted program, encouraged others to belittle me, and pretty much set me up for failure. These people held my future in their hands, and they smooshed it like a bug.