Pet Peeves

I get annoyed rather easily.  I used to like to think I was just a laid-back gal who didn't let much "ruffle her feathers."  Recently (if you consider the past 4-5 years "recent") I've discovered that my feathers are, in fact,  blown around quite a bit more than I realized .  I have caught myself saying, "One of my biggest pet peeves is when....." on a regular basis.  Since school started this year, it's pretty much daily.  Perhaps it has to do with the group of students I inherited this year, or the interesting (for lack of a better word) teammate I'm stuck with, or the overbearing parents who just show up in my room and tell me how I'm supposed to do my job.  Go figure.  Anyway, it seems like today has been wrought with annoying "injustices," so I thought I would vent by sharing a few of them.  In no particular order, here are three of my big ones:

1.  Hovering.  I cannot stand it when I'm having a conversation with someone and a third party buzzes around us like a fly at a picnic.  If I am obviously engaged in meangingful (or even pointless) dialogue with somone other than you and you absolutely require my attention at that precise moment, either politely interrupt or just go away until I'm available.  Do not stand there awkwardly, appearing either to be too scared to speak or to eavesdrop on a conversation to which you were not invited.  It is weird, rude, and just plain creepy.  (P.S. - If you decide to interrupt, you had better have a good reason.  I'll just leave it at that.  It's a whole other issue.)

2.  Repeating myself.  I sincerely enjoy talking.  Anyone who knows me will tell you that I could seriously have a conversation with the proverbial brick wall and be thoroughly entertained.  But while I enjoy hearing myself talk, I also believe that what I say is important (or at least worthy of your attention) so, when I say it I expect you to listen.  This is mostly directed toward my students who, even after the 17th time (seriously) I tell them to turn a paper into the appropriate basket when finished still have to ask, "What do I do with it when I'm done?"  Duh.  Not to mention that it's the same basket you've put EVERY single paper you've ever done in my class into.  That's just one example of many that happen daily.  AGH!  I'm sure teachers everywhere feel my pain. 

3.  Excuses.  I now have a sign posted in my classroom that says "Excuse Limit: O."  I just love it when I give my students time in class to finish an assignment, it doesn't get done, so they're assigned to finish it for homework.  Inevitably, they come in the next day with well-rehearsed excuses such as, "I didn't have a pencil" or "I had soccer practice" or (my personal favorite) "My mom threw it away because she thought I didn't need it."  Really, people?!  I'm sure soccer practice took an hour out of the 4 you had after school.  Your homework took 15 minutes - you're telling me you didn't have 15 minutes to do it?  And who is your mom to decide what you need and don't need to keep for school.  Not to mention that YOU knew it was homework and YOU let her throw it away! The funny thing is that it takes them longer to put their excuses together than it does to just do the assignment.   I think I could write a book of excuses my students think up, and this is only my 5th year of teaching.  I can only imagine what's in store in the future.

I'm sure this won't be the end of my ranting on pet peeves.  But while I'm at it, where exactly does the "pet" come from in "pet peeves"?  That's kind of annoying, too.  Til next time......