Humiliation 101

Today, I started class and asked my students to sign up for their placement tests next week. They take a placement test at the end of every semester to see if they can move up to the next level of ESL or into the nursing prep classes. So anyway, I innocently mentioned signing up to take the test and that is when all hell broke loose! Let's just make it simple by saying that they were upset that they had to take the test. And by 'they' I mean about 4 students who were very vocal. I started out well defending the rational behind taking the test. I was calm and collected and tried to steer the conversation back to the class at hand but they wouldn't have it. They went from the testing, to the curriculum, to my teaching style, shredding each to pieces in their scorn. I was a bit shocked, this tirade kinda came out of nowhere. After about 35 minutes of this, I hate to admit that I started crying and had to leave class. Thus the title of this post. I had to call a coworker downstairs to come take over my class. I thought she could get them to do their class work but it ended up that they just continued complaining about me to her. I went home for an extra long lunch break to bask in the indignant support of my husband and really didn't want to go back to face them. But I had to. One student came to apologize. But he wasn't one of the ones who said anything, but it still made me feel a little better.

Here is a picture of the papers I began grading tonight.


One of their complaints was how I was behind on grading which is one complaint that actually has some merit. So I swallowed my indignation and brought my grading home to do during my free-time. YUCK!