How I managed to torment the Teacher From Hell yesterday

I hope she is not plotting to have me murdered or anything.

@TheHorse I'm sure she's not.

@just4him It's weird to feel disliked. I don't have that many "enemies."

@TheHorse there'd be a huge diff'rence 'twixt discipline 'n yellin' 't young'uns. the latter does nothin' to build their self-esteem 'n teaches 'em that bullyin' 'tis alright. 'tis a shame ya say nothin' can be done. 'tis the youth that pay the price.

@crazyhorseladycx 'Tis the human race that pays the price. When I get old and some surgeon has to fix my brain, liver or heart, I'd rather it be someone with skill, compassion, and self-confidence.

She's good friends with a teacher who has been there for 20 years. Her friend is a disciplinarian as well, but doesn't seem to hate kids like this lady does.

Heh. I know nothing!

By the way, "right up her nose" is not an expression I've heard before. Is that Australian? Or have I just been living in a cave?

No, they call me Colin or Mr. Colin (or Teacher or Daddy).

@TheHorse So why did they say the Horse is here?

My very presence is torture for her. I get compliance from the kids without yelling at them, let them learn through guided play, not "lessons," and actually enjoy my work.

@TheHorse very nice . But this also means that she is not qualified to be a teacher there yelling is not ok .

@Kasjnak I don't know how (or why) she became a teacher.

It was great to see the kids.

It's a "preschool." The kid range in age from one to six. Some go to Kindergarten and then join us in the afternoon.

@TheHorse Preschool, is it like a school lite? Easy start? Here it's Kindergarten from 1-5 and then school from 6. The first year is supposed to be more play and learn than school, but I'm afraid it's mainly normal school from the start.

Some people seem still to have the notion that kids are inherently evil and have to be "beaten" into submission. If I were President of the United States, I'd require all parents to read Alison Gopnick's "The Scientist in the Crib" before conceiving. Kids do what they do to learn about the world, not to frustrate their parents. If you frame their behaviors as "seeing what will happen" (for example, being 1 1/2 and dropping your spaghetti on the floor), you'll have a different attitude toward kids.

Sometimes I get tired of being the "nice guy" and doing what everyone else wants. If I were to get "cocky," I'd say, "This lady has no idea that I'm a fairly well-known developmental psychologist who has worked with children in the most under-served environments, and published several scholarly papers on everything from teaching reading to underprivileged children to teaching racial harmony to children in ethnically diverse environments." But I'm not that cocky, so I'll just do my best with the kids. They are a delight.

She does.

Those words, or something similar, have gone through my head.

I really do enjoy talking to them and listening to their stories.

@TheHorse Only people who love them should work with children.