Pet peeve

I have always considered myself to be a fairly patient person.

Then I became a teacher.

I find myself annoyed by the dumbest things!
For instance....
the pencil sharpener in my room doesn't work the best. You really have to focus on what you are there to do. Not a big deal, really. I mean, the bottom line is that it does work. However, I work mostly with 14 and 15 year olds, who cannot give the poor pencil sharpener the attention it deserves. They have to talk to three other people as they attempt to sharpen their pencil. The result of this behavior is a tidal wave of complaints. Every day. Several times a day.
"Ms. Nies, your pencil sharpener doesn't work."
"Ms. Nies, can I borrow one of your pencils? Mine won't sharpen."
"Ms. Nies, you need an electric pencil sharpener. Yours doesn't work."
"Ms. Nies, is your pencil sharpener broken? I can't get mine to sharpen."
"Ms. Nies, will you sharpen my pencil?"
Or (my personal favorite) there is the ever-pleasant "stand-at-the-pencil-sharpener-for-10-minutes-while-Ms. Nies-is-trying-to-teach-and-make-a-lot-of-noise-and-then-interrupt-to-complain" philosophy that some students seem to find appropriate.

Gah! I have come to despise the sound of pencils being sharpened. Don't get me wrong--I have tried to be light-hearted and joke about these things with my students. I tried to teach them the "secret of the pencil sharpener." You have to hold it just right. Pull the pencil slightly toward you, and don't let it move. Make sure you focus. That was my 1 minute lesson on how to sharpen a pencil. Cute, right? They all thought I was just kidding around. Ha.

So yes, I am bitter about it and even more content to pout about it. I almost feel like making rules about sharpening pencils. Like when it is ok and how often you are allowed. I'm sure that having a good pencil sharpener must be the secret to becoming an effective teacher...I'm not sure what else would go into that category.

Sigh. Like I said. The dumbest things...