This is my first year teaching PE at a middle school, I taught previously 4.5 years in elementary PE. Let me preface this by saying I have a generally good relationship with most of my students, even the toughest ones to handle have come mostly ar...
This is my first year teaching PE at a middle school, I taught previously 4.5 years in elementary PE. Let me preface this by saying I have a generally good relationship with most of my students, even the toughest ones to handle have come mostly around. I love this job and this school. I handle the worst of the worst behaviors (tough school and all 7th graders…) but I’ve never lost it like today. Today I was speaking with a student in my 2nd period class, when another one of my students drop kicked a soccer ball from across the field. I never saw it; it slammed directly into my face mid-conversation and knocked my glasses off, breaking the stem off of them. My nose immediately started throbbing and felt like it was about to begin bleeding. My eyes were burning. Once I registered what just happened I asked the students who kicked the ball, and they pointed to a girl who was turned around covering her mouth/laughing. I looked back at the girl I’d been just speaking to and SHE was also laughing and covering her mouth. I called the girl who kicked the ball over and laid into her about drop kicking the soccer ball and then laughing when it hurt me. She tried to deny laughing but I was in so much pain and was so, so angry that I yelled at her “WATCH WHERE YOU KICK THE BALL” and she said okay… a few other students asked me if I was okay and I realized I was NOT in any shape to continue teaching at that moment. I needed to go collect myself, so I said no and called for support. The vice principal came to take over while I went to grab new glasses and calm down/check my face for swelling. She then took the girl who kicked the ball with her to speak with her. I feel absolutely like a monster. My students were acting normal and the other girl who laughed even came and apologized to me. I continued teaching and then cried in our locker room office once class was over. My colleague told me I should ask for the rest of the day off and even go get checked out at the doctor for my nose. She told me I was fine and that she’s yelled too, as long as I didn’t curse the student out (I didn’t). I took her advice and went home. The vice principal called to check if I was okay and sent me a letter of apology from the student who hit me with the ball. I feel like I need to apologize to her and rectify this with my class, but it’s the weekend now so I’ll have to wait until Monday. Also, my evaluation for my first year of teaching ends today and I feel like this is going to be on it 🫠 I’m fully aware this situation makes me sound like an unhinged cry baby who can’t handle a few hits to the face when I chose to teach PE. I promise I’ve been hit SO many times before and had an almost identical situation with a basketball in the face, but never got angry like this. It was the laughing that set me off I guess coupled with the pain? But they’re kids, and I know people laugh in uncomfortable situations sometimes anyway. What should I do come Monday? submitted by /u/selsina [link] [comments]