feel better

one of the amusing/ironic/vexing things about my current teaching situation is its tendency towards hyperbole. most ppl wouldn't believe my reality unless they stepped into my classroom and saw it. i wish i could say that the pictures i paint are caricatures, but you would be amazed, awed, to see my students. my university supervisor put it best, i think, when she said, at the end of a long day of observing my class, "the news should be here to film this! this is movie-stuff!"

so, it seems that while i am failing at my original purpose of making the world a better place through teaching, the process of teaching itself has become my way of helping ppl feel better about their own lives and jobs. are you feeling insecure about your job? having a bad day? doubting whether you chose the right line of work? depressed about the turn yr life is taking? having an existential crisis? no worries. talk to me for a few minutes about my job, and you are guaranteed to feel more adequate and happy! 9 out of 10 friends or family members left feeling more satisfied with themselves and more ready to take on the obstacles in their life after a 30 minute conversation with me. 

the 10th person left feeling depressed and distraught, and soon after quit her day job. she was a 7th grade special ed teacher at my school. i can't take responsibility for her decision, but she ended up getting a job as a travel writer and is now, by my estimation, grossly happier. 

happy ending,

stephan!e