The moment I gave up on my job

[physicsteach]

A student - a junior in Enriched Physics - asked me for help today. OK, fine. We're analyzing graphs, and this student needed to find the slope, for you English types out there the slope of a line is the "rise," the change in the vertical axis, divided by the "run," the change in the horizontal axis

Comments

[chemteach1]

ouch.

[fiareynne]

...I tried about five times to come up with something reassuring to say, and I just... wow. I don't know whether this kid knew the answer on a fundamental level, and just wasn't making the connection between what you were asking, in context, and the actual solution, or if he was just really that clueless, but in any case, I can see how that would be hugely, hugely discouraging.

But there have to have been bright stars in the dark of night, right? Students who have reminded you why you do what you do, and why you love it? Focus on them, and think about what their futures would look like without teachers like you to guide them. I don't think of myself as particularly bright, most of the time, but I shudder to think how ridiculously ignorant I'd be if I hadn't had the great teachers I did.