Why it might be time for a job change

I looked it up. I've been zombie-sitting since October of 2001. Ugh.

This must end. Truly. There are 16 more school days and I've started to look at them as my farewell tour. Yesterday I had an experience that really brought it all home to me.

I was at Ely, my home school. I was having a perfectly lovely day in third grade kicking it with kids I have known since kindergarten and I'm on first name relationships with almost all of their parents. None of these kids give me any trouble. But, in the class next door things were going bad. They also had a zombie sitter, but she was being given a run for her money. I could hear them through the wall going crazy. They were running in halls. They were disgusting animals at lunch. (Oh, wait a minute. That's everyday.)

Anyway, by the end of the day I had had it with them giving that poor, confused woman a hard time. They were lined up in the hall, outside my room, acting like fools when I decided to say something.

"Look here! You guys have been out of control all day. And somebody on this floor wrote on the walls in the girls restroom again! Why are you even taking pencils in there? This has been going on for weeks."

Much mumbling, staring at the floor and shuffling of feet. Someone whispered, "I didn't do it."

"I didn't ask who didn't do it. But I bet someone here knows who did. Everyone is probably going to be in trouble, again, because a few people can't control themselves. I know for a fact you are all better people than this."

All eyes are down now and the mumbling has stopped. Out shuffles their sitter.

"What is going here!??!?"

I explain about the restroom situation and how disappointed I am with their behavior today.

She blustered, "Is this something I should know about?"

Hmm. Shouldn't she already be aware that these kids have been bananas all day? Maybe she's been sleeping... "I'll make sure the teachers know. I've already spoken to the janitor."

Some of the kids' eyes go super huge at this news. And I've obviously also upset the befuddled sitter as she shuffles off with the class of zombies in tow, most of whom have forgotten I'm still watching and start acting like idiots again behind her back.

About a minute later she's at my door. My zombies are at gym, so I'm all alone.

"Excuse me, but if you have a problem with my class, then please speak to me first. When you speak to my class like that, you undermine my authority."

With that she exited double quick not giving me a chance to respond. That was really disappointing. The comebacks I could have peppered her with came to me one after the other. The missed opportunity of it all almost made me chase her down. But no. Instead I did the mature thing and flipped off the spot where she was standing.

So it's come to this. I've been reduced down to the level of a zombie. I'm going to go now and cover myself in band-aids and find something in my pants to throw away.