What gets my Goolies

I haven't posted for ages, so it's time I got back in the swing of things. Since the last time, we have got another dog, a West Highland White Terrier, who joins our wonderful Border Collie cross, and are heavily into flyball - but that will be another post since it's time to get the kids to bed. Meanwhile...

Here in Sydney there's a radio show with a segment called Gets My Goolies. It's where people get to vent about things that drive them nuts.

So far this week I've been called a female canine (in a more colloquial fashion) twice. Not bad for three days. Once at the petrol station by an idiot who decided that not only would he fill his petrol tank, but he would then go inside and pay, but also buy a whole heap of food and drinks, and ice - and then come outside at last, and while he knew I was sitting waiting for the pump, he took out his extremely large esky from the backseat, and smashed the ice on the floor, and slowly started putting the ice in the esky, then putting the newly purchased cans of drink in the esky, bit by bit. I was fuming! Asked him to move. And so the screaming from him ensued. Unbelievable.

Then today, students who are disgruntled decided that the best course of action when they're unhappy with an outcome is to refer to me in the derogatory term.

These things get my goolies. There is no respect for others any more. Kids grow up, come to TAFE and abuse their teachers. They aren't shown respect by their parents to teachers, and so they don't exhibit it themselves. When I was a kid, my mum used to speak to my teachers in my presence at least, saying, "Hello Mr such and such, or Miss So and So" - demonstrating the same respect as I was expected to show. She tells me she respects teachers and always has done as she mentally puts them in the same area as Doctors, etc - other professionals. I have continued this with my own children. Maybe this doesn't make much sense, and the links I make are not obvious to others. I've known teachers who have been hit, and ganged up on by groups of students - and today I considered having security escort a teacher to her car.

That simply sucks.

Respect is a dying art. Time to get a grip.