Mawnin

It's amazing what sleeping late, awakening to the realization that you're missing a meeting that you didn't want to go to, and then a breakfast of coffee and waffles with ice cream will do for your mood. I feel a lot better.

The meeting was at the Middle School, for the mentors. It was their annual kick-off meeting. Having been to two of them, I knew exactly what they'd say, and I didn't need the platitudes of the principal, the guidance counselor, and possibly the school superindendent. Truthfully, I don't know if I'm going to do that this year -- I've mentioned why, in earlier posts. I suppose I will, but with a different attitude toward what I expect of the mentee -- which, since I've already told him, is likely why he's not responded to any emails from me, other than the very first one, at the beginning of the summer, and one at the end.

I learned years ago, and intermittantly have to be forcibly reminded, that things are not as easy as they appear from the cheap seats. Motivating anyone is difficult; motivating a kid, without even the edge that biology gives, is more so. Though my image of middle school teaching is idealistic, I've come to realise that for most teachers it's a long haul from September to June. I still expect more from them than they're apparently capable of delivering, though, even with that observation. Some make the effort; most don't. I am willing to believe that they want to, but time, environment, and the strictures of a rigid bureaucratic environment make that difficult, to put it mildly.

And I still recall the irritation I felt when the guidance counselor told me that I could not wait for my mentee in the hall, because 'people might not know who I was', despite the cute little MENTOR name tag. Ah, yes.