Seeking Guidance

“Mr. Pearson?”

“Ah yes, Brian, isn’t it?”

“Yes sir.  May I speak with you for a moment?”

“Certainly Brian, take a seat.”

“Thanks.  I’m…having some problems, and I thought I should come to you to talk about them.”

“Well that’s what an Assistant Principal is for, so fire away.”

“Well, I’m having problems with my Theatre I class.”

“I see.  You’re not the first person to get stuck with a class they didn’t necessarily want.  What sort of problems are you having?  Is the curriculum too tough? Or do you just find the subject boring?”

“Oh no, nothing like that.  I love the subject matter, and I actually signed up for Theatre.”

“Well what seems to be the trouble?”

“It’s the students sir.  I’m really having a hard time with the kids that are in Theatre class with me.”

“I see.  What is it that they are doing?”

“Well unlike me, most of them didn’t volunteer to be there.  They don’t really like the subject, and they get bored.”

“And when they are bored, they act out, right?”

“Yeah.  And some of them just want to sleep, which seems really stupid to me, because we go to school to learn, right?”

“Ideally, yes.”

“Others text under their desk, or try to do homework from other classes, which seems really rude and stuff, but even they don’t bother me that much.  I guess I feel sorry for them that they can’t just pay attention and learn new things like I was taught to do.  But others just want to talk all class, and they disrupt the learning process for the rest of us.  I’m trying to engage in the learning process, but I can’t keep up with the lesson with kids talking and laughing all the time.”

“So you are being distracted in your class?”

“Yes!  But that’s not the worst part.  Many of the kids in my class, not all, mind you, but enough to cause a problem, are just so awful.  I mean they’re just so hateful, and cruel, and full of spite.  They act so…so…”

“Mean?”

“Exactly!  They are so mean to each other, and mean to me.”

“Has anyone threatened you?”

“Oh no, it’s nothing like that, I’m not afraid or anything, it’s just that it gets so exhausting  sometimes.  I don’t know if you know what I mean, it’s just that there’s only so much spite, malice and hatred you can absorb before it begins to wear away at you.  It just makes me so tired and frustrated, it’s hard to even come to school most days.”

“So are you saying you don’t want Theatre class anymore?”

“I don’t know!  I really love the subject, and some of the kids in my class are great.”

“Well what do you want to do?”

“Is there any way you could move those kids out of the class?  The ones that don’t want to be there?”

“How many kids would that be, do you think?”

“Uh…like 75% of the class?”

“So you must see that such a course of action is impossible?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay then.  How about we just change your schedule for next year, and make sure that you don’t have Theatre I anymore?”

“But, but…what other class would I teach?”