arghhhhhhhh.....!!!

do you know any better way to get rid of frustation that screaming? apart from actual physical exercise, i mean.

life was going so well and my class (did i mention i'm an ESL teacher?) had finally settled into a great group of people. i'd 'got rid' of the lower levels, who were moved down, and the problem people had left. it was all great...for about 2 days.

one particular problem-making student showed up this morning, fully expecting to return to my class after missing a whole week of lessons. not only was the not the level before, so i was going to make her change class anyway, but she'd also just missed 6 days of lessons covering the past and the future, among other important topics. my mistake, of course, but i assumed management had told her she was moving class, and as i was helping another student move to a higher class, i had no time to explain the situation to her. after her lesson with this other group, she point blank refused to take any other class than mine. which would be fine if she hadn't missed the most important week of the course, or if i thought she could easily make it up. she said she was much better than the people in that other class she took this morning. now, i wasn't there but i really doubt it.

she was in my class for a week and it was quickly obvious that she thought she understood what was going on and then couldn't wait to move onto something else. except the never once used what she was taught voluntarily. and it's not like my class isn't geared towards practising the point being taught.so, when i was told all this, i said that of course i would talk to her and explain, hopefully tomorrow. in the meantime, a receptionist called her to explain the situation, which is when she point blank refused to have another class than mine. so she asked the student to come in early tomorrow to discuss it. which is fine and what i wanted, but she's now been alienated and it's gonna be much harder to make her see the point. and it just drives me nuts. because apart from not actually learning anything, she's very confrontational, and seems to feel a need to get in on possible arguments taking place, even after i've just told off the people arguing. she is not in any way part of this argument but starts screaming about something totally unrelated, verbally abusing other students. it's not that i hate her, but i probably will this time tomorrow, unless she actually listens to me, which, at this stage, seems very unlikely.