Dana From Decatur Offers Tips for Dealing with PTSD (Post Traumatic Student Disorder.)
First, you need to re-establish your self worth. This can be difficult, since your school has probably made it abundantly clear that Snowflakes rank way above Adjuncts, TAs, and maybe even Proffies in some cases. Try to ignore the fact that they value the little brats' input before your own. No, really. I dare you. Just try.
- Just don't take it personally. Easy as pie, right? You know, when the plagiarizer not only fails to feel guilt for wasting your time and assuming you far stupider than you actually are, but he actually blames YOU for his plagiarism? Just brush it off, man. It's not personal. Those students showing blatant disrespect in their evals and their classroom behavior? It's not personal. The student who showed up on eval day after missing 50% of the classes, only to write "She was horrible. She should be fired," the insults about personality and attire--they're not personal either. They just SEEM personal. Deeply, deeply personal.
- Or try adopting Bitchy Bear's attitude: well, I don't care. Teaching means nothing to me anyway. Try to maintain this mantra while ignoring the fact that your livelihood depends on teaching since you are just a temporary worker. So, if you stop caring about teaching, you will probably have to stop caring about eating too. But who needs food, anyway?
- Are we still recommending that we ignore the fact that with 85% (I'm being kind) of our students being lazy, ignorant, entitled, lying cheaters in some way, shape, or form, that we as teachers are confronted daily with a horrific vision of the future and humanity more generally? Yes? Okay, well, I guess you should ignore that too, then. Repression can be healing. Try reading some "uplifting" stories from the ridiculously blind--maybe Katie from Kalamazoo is a good start.If nothing else, it may temporarily re-direct your anger.
- If all this fails? Drink.
