It's Not Just Rude, It's Ruining Your Brain

[LWolf]

23. Yes.

I'm a middle school teacher. My job entails managing 30+ adolescents all day long, making sure we are able to keep up with the rapid pace of our schedule, and customizing my reactions, responses, and help for each individual...all at the same time. While the phone rings, the intercom interrupts, other teachers walk in and need "just a minute," other students from other classes do the same, and so do parents.

My students expect me to be multi-tasking. So much so that I patiently, and repeatedly, have to ask them to wait their turn when they need something...because they assume that I can listen to and answer 6 different questions at once while finding extra copies of lost assignments for others, checking the grade book for someone else, and giving 2 different make up tests...all at the same time.

It can be stressful, to say the least.

And, of course, I'm foolish enough to leave my room open, and stay in the room, during my only duty-free time of the day...my 30 minute lunch. Just so more of them can get access to me for what they need. And my room ALWAYS has students arrive for lunch.

Parents sometimes don't understand why I say I prefer email to talking to them on the phone. It's because I can't have private conversations out loud; I'm never alone. Even when I run down the hall to the bathroom, there's going to be somebody on the other side of the door waiting for me to come out.