What Bugs Me: A Short List With a Long Memory

As WordPress continues to recycle old prompts, I pulled another prompt from The Coffee Monsterz Co to respond to today

What is something that bugs you?

My God, where do I begin with this one? The older I get, the more things I find for which I have zero patience.

Refusing to learn

It’s one thing to be ignorant—and I mean that in the literal sense of not knowing enough about a particular subject. What irks me are people who refuse to learn. If you don’t know something, get your facts straight—and get them from a reputable source.

Maybe this is the teacher in me coming out, but I’m absolutely stunned that when we have as much access to information as we do today—probably more than we ever have in the history of the world—there are so many people who choose to remain ignorant. There are so many people who simply choose not to read. What’s worse, a lot of the information we have access to is incorrect at best or outright lies at worst. People choose to believe what they want to believe, even if the facts dispute them.

Bullies

I absolutely hate bullies in all forms. There may be nothing in this world that angers me more than a person, or people, who harass, abuse, and insult others because they think they can get away with it. Perhaps the worst thing about bullies is that they can’t be reasoned with. The only way to earn their respect—or get them to leave you alone—is to stand your ground and beat them at their own game.

People often mistake aggression for strength. They think you have to mow others down to get ahead or make yourself look good. But there is a massive difference between being aggressive and being assertive. As the saying goes, you have to be “strong enough to be gentle.” True strength isn’t about how much noise you make; it’s about having the quiet confidence to stand your ground without losing your humanity.

The Sanctuary of the Classroom

These aren’t just ideas I post about; they are values I carry into my classroom every day. My students know I despise bullying. I want my room to be a safe place for everyone—especially the nerdy kids, the less popular kids, and the ones who get picked on.

Growing up, I was never the “popular kid.” I wasn’t the first one picked in gym class, and I didn’t have girls flocking to me. I know firsthand that students cannot perform to the best of their abilities if they don’t feel comfortable. I try to create the kind of atmosphere in my classroom that I would have wanted as a kid myself.

I’m drawing a hard line these days; life is too short to tolerate willful ignorance or mean spirits.

What about you? What’s one thing that immediately tests your patience these days? Let’s vent a little in the comments.

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The article “What Bugs Me: A Short List With a Long Memory” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.

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