Weird Things that Happen at our Schools: Crazy Teacher Syndrome – Generation Justice

After listening to many young people speak about what’s happening in their schools, the KUNM Youth Radio Project decided to collect stories from several youth about what life is like in their schools. There are no names of schools or teachers mentioned and the authors decided to remain anonymous. Several of these stories may strike you as relatable and several of you may even remember similar circumstances in your schools. If you have any experiences that you would like to share as readers, it is encouraged to share those stories.

In high school, you learn many things when it comes to academics, friends, and yourself, but some things you can do without, like learning about your teachers’ personal lives. Dealing with high school kids 182 days a year, five days a week, and six hours a day can become a little crazy, and every teacher shows it in their own personal way.
Imagine sitting in a classroom alone working on homework during lunch while your teacher grades papers, listens to country music, and eats the same meal from Whataburger everyday. I know, that thought alone is scary to some people… and you probably might wonder why I spend my lunches in my teacher’s class everyday, but that’s beside the point. Not only does she go all cow girl, she likes to converse a little. Okay, that might be an understatement; she talks to me as if I’m her best friend at a bar on our fourth margarita. The line she always starts off with is “So last night…” Now many things can pop into ones head, but I mean c’mon she’s talking to a high school student here, it can’t be that bad. Unfortunately, I’m wrong every time. She follows up with something along the lines of “me and my husband made up last night.” My question to myself is always something like… “Why do I need to know this?”, “Why does she think I care?”, “And what really happens when you become menopausal?” But I’m assuming because I’m of age, she automatically assumes that I care about marriage issues, and clearly I do not.

Now, that’s just one example of one teacher cracking under the pressure of being a high school teacher. Throughout my high school years, I’ve been through many instances of the crazy teacher syndrome. Freshman year, my English teacher was a pedophile, always touching girls, and still to this day unfortunately. Sophomore year, my Chemistry teacher seemed to be on something. You’d walk into class wondering if you just warped back in time to Woodstock. He would have a colorful floral Hawaiian button up t-shirt on and a ukulele playing “Mary had a little lamb”. My first few weeks of junior year, I had an English teacher who kept a bottle of “Grey Goose Vodka” in her drawer for reasons unknown, but I’m guessing to escape reality. The English teacher I transferred to wasn’t much better either. Instead of teaching the class, she played Solitaire like there was no tomorrow, and graded our work the day before report card grades were due, and she would always have pictures of cats on her computer screen… I’m guessing a lonely cat lady who was forced into teaching? And then there is my US history teacher junior year that had 11 fiancés. He was an older gentleman who had a love for wearing bowties, and a knack for singing songs that were made in the 1950s. I can’t say this man was weird, because I’ll just have to say it was his old age. He was grumpy, but he was charming at the same time. He had a lot of knowledge, but to be honest, he didn’t know too much about the 21st century, nor did he care to try.

At last, now I can speak about my one and only teacher who I think is the craziest of all. Not only does she wear clothes that don’t suit her, she has painted on eye brows, and she speaks as if nails were scratching down a chalk board. Yes, I’m talking about her. Some of you might know who this “pleasant” lady is, but for those of you who don’t, you’re fortunate. Not only is her teaching style all messed up, but the etiquette and open mindedness to other people’s reactions are at an all time low. She bashes on other religions, she has no concern for people with disabilities, she’s racist, she is arrogant, and she can’t teach worth her life. She’s one of the 1,200 teachers that Albuquerque Public School’s should cut. She’s like the FOX news of teachers. She gives out wrong information all the time, and gives out her own bias without regarding other people. One thing I’d like to say to her is this: Yes, building a ramp for people with disabilities is more important than covering up painting over old walls that look like “Spanish lace walls”.