Student responses to my revelation that I am pregnant (I teach 10th grade English)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My students are ill behaved- and when I call them out on it, they accuse me of blowing things out of proportion. I assure you my reaction is appropriate to the behavior - I have been "cranky" with such behavior - as anyone would be- when not pregnant - but now they will blow it off as- "oh she's just hormonal... we didn't actually do anything wrong." It happened with my first pregnancy

it's not just high schoolers. I had and now have co-workers (different jobs!) who do this. No, dear co-worker, it's because you think you are so special the rules don't apply to you and you think if you just put a smile on your face and drop in a little flattery, you can bully me to do what you want--despite the piles of work I already have to do. Society has taught us we can dismiss the concerns of pregnant woman (and, really, all women, all the time....how many times have you heard "oh, she's just got PMS/must be that time"?) as nothing more than "hormonal" emotions.

Anyway....sending some emotional support your way!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's odd that she refers to a male student as a young MAN, but her female students are GIRLS. sigh. If he's a young adult, at least respect them enough to think of them as young WOMEN.

WOMAN is such an ugly word. Akin to old shoe leather, turnips and musty rose perfume. Old Fuddleputzes like you might want to be called WOMAN but I prefer to be called a girl. And I've long since left my high school days in the dust.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I think is hilarious is that there are people telling the OP she shouldn't be so negative and maybe she should teach younger aged students. Are you people kidding? Or are you the parents of the ill-behaved teens of today. Probably the latter.

I continue to be amazed at the differences in behavior from when we grew up to how kids are raised now.

OP congrats! Looks like the kids will have a sub the last few weeks of school and you'll have an extra long break!

I agree! I can't imagine having made a comment like that as a high school student and will be upset if my kids don't know better by that age!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I think is hilarious is that there are people telling the OP she shouldn't be so negative and maybe she should teach younger aged students. Are you people kidding? Or are you the parents of the ill-behaved teens of today. Probably the latter.

I continue to be amazed at the differences in behavior from when we grew up to how kids are raised now.

OP congrats! Looks like the kids will have a sub the last few weeks of school and you'll have an extra long break!

I agree! I can't imagine having made a comment like that as a high school student and will be upset if my kids don't know better by that age!

I don't disagree with this but I don't think most teachers would have elicited this type of response given the same scenario. Some teachers are better than others with teens. It's not an excuse, it's a fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My students are ill behaved- and when I call them out on it, they accuse me of blowing things out of proportion. I assure you my reaction is appropriate to the behavior - I have been "cranky" with such behavior - as anyone would be- when not pregnant - but now they will blow it off as- "oh she's just hormonal... we didn't actually do anything wrong." It happened with my first pregnancy

it's not just high schoolers. I had and now have co-workers (different jobs!) who do this. No, dear co-worker, it's because you think you are so special the rules don't apply to you and you think if you just put a smile on your face and drop in a little flattery, you can bully me to do what you want--despite the piles of work I already have to do. Society has taught us we can dismiss the concerns of pregnant woman (and, really, all women, all the time....how many times have you heard "oh, she's just got PMS/must be that time"?) as nothing more than "hormonal" emotions.

Anyway....sending some emotional support your way!

Or maybe you don't realize how whacked out you're acting. It's not always everyone else's fault. Everyone else can't always be wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My students are ill behaved- and when I call them out on it, they accuse me of blowing things out of proportion. I assure you my reaction is appropriate to the behavior - I have been "cranky" with such behavior - as anyone would be- when not pregnant - but now they will blow it off as- "oh she's just hormonal... we didn't actually do anything wrong." It happened with my first pregnancy

it's not just high schoolers. I had and now have co-workers (different jobs!) who do this. No, dear co-worker, it's because you think you are so special the rules don't apply to you and you think if you just put a smile on your face and drop in a little flattery, you can bully me to do what you want--despite the piles of work I already have to do. Society has taught us we can dismiss the concerns of pregnant woman (and, really, all women, all the time....how many times have you heard "oh, she's just got PMS/must be that time"?) as nothing more than "hormonal" emotions.

Anyway....sending some emotional support your way!

Or maybe you don't realize how whacked out you're acting. It's not always everyone else's fault. Everyone else can't always be wrong.

or, I see it happen oevr and over again to pregnant women. I just saw my co-worker go through this with people in my office, which prompted me to hold off on telling anyone about my pregnancy as long as possible. I see women told by their own families "stop being so hormonal." It's well-ingrained in our culture that the feelings and emotional concerns of pregnant women can be dismissed out of hand because whatever they're felling is the result of those darn irrational hormones.

[Anonymous]

Or maybe you don't realize how whacked out you're acting. Is everyone else wrong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or maybe you don't realize how whacked out you're acting. Is everyone else wrong?

In a class with 25 10th graders?



Really?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or maybe you don't realize how whacked out you're acting. Is everyone else wrong?

In a class with 25 10th graders?

Really?

In addition to OP, oosters have commented that people at different jobs and during different pregnancies all treat them "as if" they're acting hormonal. I'm suggesting perhaps it is because they are acting whack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's odd that she refers to a male student as a young MAN, but her female students are GIRLS. sigh. If he's a young adult, at least respect them enough to think of them as young WOMEN.

I am the OP... I struggled to find a kind way to introduce the speaker and I decided I better stick with the most formal title I could, so as not to join him in inappropriate commentary making. For the record when speaking to my students I refer to them as "ladies and gentleman," because I want to encourage them to behave as if they are- I stay away from 'boys and girls" and "hey you guys."

[Anonymous]

OP, I feel you. FWIW, when I was a teen, we were positively wretched to our teachers and said ALL KINDS of innappropriate things.

I grew up to be a decent, compassionate human being, and karma is probably going to kick my ass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I kept my pregnancy under wraps until now - 20 weeks- I don't think I can really hide it anymore- but many of the students were oblivious

I told them yesterday, most seemed shocked and surprised despite my 11 lb gain- a few girls said, "I knew it!"

A young man actually said, "Wait a minute, are you saying you got it in over the weekend?" (!!!!!)

The "tact" of 15 year olds....

What KILLS me though- and why I postponed telling them as long as I thought I possibly could, "That's why you have been so cranky with us."

My students are ill behaved- and when I call them out on it, they accuse me of blowing things out of proportion. I assure you my reaction is appropriate to the behavior - I have been "cranky" with such behavior - as anyone would be- when not pregnant - but now they will blow it off as- "oh she's just hormonal... we didn't actually do anything wrong." It happened with my first pregnancy-

It is so difficult to work with people who don't have fully developed brains- they are sooo irrational

Why wouldn't they say this as because so many women today think their pregnancy gives them the right to rant, rave, scream and then say "I'm so hormonal." You reap what you sow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's odd that she refers to a male student as a young MAN, but her female students are GIRLS. sigh. If he's a young adult, at least respect them enough to think of them as young WOMEN.

are you fo real?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I kept my pregnancy under wraps until now - 20 weeks- I don't think I can really hide it anymore- but many of the students were oblivious

I told them yesterday, most seemed shocked and surprised despite my 11 lb gain- a few girls said, "I knew it!"

A young man actually said, "Wait a minute, are you saying you got it in over the weekend?" (!!!!!)

The "tact" of 15 year olds....

What KILLS me though- and why I postponed telling them as long as I thought I possibly could, "That's why you have been so cranky with us."

My students are ill behaved- and when I call them out on it, they accuse me of blowing things out of proportion. I assure you my reaction is appropriate to the behavior - I have been "cranky" with such behavior - as anyone would be- when not pregnant - but now they will blow it off as- "oh she's just hormonal... we didn't actually do anything wrong." It happened with my first pregnancy-

It is so difficult to work with people who don't have fully developed brains- they are sooo irrational

Why wouldn't they say this as because so many women today think their pregnancy gives them the right to rant, rave, scream and then say "I'm so hormonal." You reap what you sow.

You need to step away from the reality TV shows and join the rest of us in the real world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why wouldn't they say this as because so many women today think their pregnancy gives them the right to rant, rave, scream and then say "I'm so hormonal." You reap what you sow.

This.