New work frustration LONG
By NJ Chicaa
@NJChicaa (124692)
United States
September 9, 2025 2:26pm CST
I was just going to title this post "work frustration" but that's been going on for 20+ years.
This is new for this year. Like I need any more.
I'm sharing rooms with 2 different teachers this year. It isn't ideal and they aren't thrilled about it but it was necessary for me to give up my room (I requested it) and admin saw that it was in fact not optional. I've shared rooms many times over the years--either me being the one floating or me having floaters come in. I know it may not seem like it here on myLot but I'm a pretty chill and easygoing person in general. Even when people would do things I didn't love in "my" room I just rolled with it.
The teacher whose room I'm in for 3 classes so far has been okay. She made it clear I had to close the windows at the end of the day. I appreciated her pointing that out because the windows in my old room only opened like 2 inches so I never bothered to open them. It wasn't even a thought for me.
The other teacher. . . oh it is going to be a long year(s). What is strange is that he and I shared the room for a few years back in 2016-2019-ish and it was fine. I learned quickly that he would throw any student papers I left on the desk into the trash
but aside from that it was fine. Now he seems to have developed some more advanced form of OCD. NOTHING can be left on any of the huge lab bench, the remote for the projector must always stay in the drawer, the whiteboard must be erased and cleaned after every period, etc. I don't have a desk in either room so there literally is nowhere for me to stash any of my stuff like pens, post-its, passes, paper clips, etc. I put some snacks and TUMS in his snack cabinet and a couple of drinks in the fridge and, frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't thrown them away yet.
I was telling my work BFF today about it. I have a gazillion colored EXPO markers for the whiteboard. He only uses the classic black, green, red, and blue. Fine. He keeps them lined up like soldiers in pairs at the end of the ledge. Sometimes I use one to write a word that I've said out so the students can see it: "amoeba", "gravitropism", etc. Okay so I'm busy doing my thing, I write or draw what I need to, and I put the marker down wherever. Every time I return to the class the markers are lined up like paired soldiers again. I said to her "it is like that Julia Roberts movie with the ex-husband" and she finished "when she opened up the cabinet!" I laughed and said EXACTLY! The scene is from "Sleeping With The Enemy" but I didn't remember the name of the movie until I was driving back here. But that's why she's my work BFF because she knows what I'm thinking.
So I've been frustrated and a bit more stressed than usual. I deal with enough crap at work. I don't need to be worrying about breaking his non-spoken rules. The kicker (so far in the past week) was today after school. It took me a minute to log off of the computer in the other room, shut the windows, and grab my stuff. Okay let's get crazy and say it took me TWO minutes. By the time I got across the hall he was gone and the classroom was locked. He KNOWS I don't have a key to it yet. Like I was literally across the hall and he KNOWS that's where I keep my work bag and purse. He could have just popped his head in and ask me to get my stuff so he could go. I had to call for a custodian to unlock the door for me so I could get my crap to get back here.
Like I said I've always tried to be gracious and accommodating when someone had to float into my room. It wasn't this bad several years ago with him. But now I'm just going to do what I have to do. I'm going to get a desk in there. I'm going to use EXPO markers in all of the colors of the rainbow. I'll charge the pocket translator in the desktop computer. My work BFF pointed out that I have seniority but there isn't much difference between 19 and 25 years. Still I'm a veteran teacher and so I should be able to do what I need/want to do.
I do not need this extra aggravation. 





7 people like this
6 responses
@DaddyEvil (159348)
• United States
9 Sep
Good luck with it! Some people get set in their own way of doing things and they won't change for love or money! I hope things get better for you quickly!
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (159348)
• United States
9 Sep
@NJChicaa Good for you! I hope it will all work out.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (78625)
• United States
10 Sep
As someone named Karen, you have my permission to call him Karen. 

1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (88817)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
9 Sep
I wish you all the very best of luck in getting things straightened out and I hope things will go easier for you, Virtual hugs,
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (200420)
• United States
10 Sep
Good luck. Someone who is set in his ways can be a real pain in the butt.
1 person likes this
