Job satisfaction

Well, there must be an easier way to earn money or to get job satisfaction than relying on other people's absences for whatever reason (sickness, bereavement, training and development), often at very short notice.

It's a matter of constantly waiting for the phone to ring. Some weeks are better than others - one week it could mean four or five days of work; the next, one or worse none.

Yesterday I heard that four letter word at least five times (some directed at me), then was told that everyone hates me (that's "smart" speak for some people not wanting to follow instructions), a yabbie was thrust in my face, and that's just a start!

This morning, when I went to get organised (for another fun day at the office) I found a yabbie in my handbag! Yes, it was still only just alive, having survived a very long time out of water. There are some very immature, disturbed kids around, with a warped sense of humour.

Five minutes ago, rocks landed on our roof. That's not unusual - several local teachers have been targetted in the last few weeks - and we haven't had any for a while now, so I guess we had it coming.

A couple of years ago we had a bottle smashed on our roof - we must've looked pretty silly (we live on one of the main streets of the town) up there in the clear light of day, vacuuming the tiles so that our rainwater wouldn't get the thousands of shards of glass washing into it.

We've had our car urinated on (Jessie saw the boys, but they both totally deny it and they told another person they'd done it but still they deny it), chocolate milk poured all over our car, petrol siphoned out of it overnight, aerials broken..... The joys of small town living.

Today started off well, but deteriorated rapidly in the afternoon - particularly when a number of students (not even in my class at the time) decided it was time for more extremely rude and loud verbal harrassment (towards me) over the yabbie incidents.

They had had their fun yesterday when I got a huge shock when the first yabbie was thrust in my face, but now they are carrying the joke way beyond being reasonable. Even I saw the funny side of it yesterday to a certain extent.

Mind you, noone knows who the culprits are, the yabbies apparently escaped their tank before crawling down the corridor from a locked area! The great Aussie trait of not "dobbing" on your mates is well and truly alive.

Then there was the 9 year old who climbed over a desk, refused to stop bouncing a ball on the desk while I was talking, who refused to follow instructions, who finally left the room and began banging on the window, who yelled at close range in another student's ear, and so his list of misdemeanors goes on. He was removed once I phoned for help, thankfully for the sake of the rest of the class.

And the other two cohorts who screamed, yes screamed at me when asked to go elsewhere to focus on their behaviour.

There can be no other job where employees face such abuse. It's a pity relieving can be so frustrating and so unfulfilling at times. Fortunately there are many, many good kids who make up for those who make life difficult for themselves and those around them. What must some of their home lives be like? In my position it always means someone else having to chase up the problems because I won't necessarily be back - at least when you have a permanent position you can do that yourself and build up a rapport and a degree of credibility.

I am watching the Department's job advertisements closely at the moment and am keen to secure some kind of contract, so that I have more direction and stability. Relieving means constantly having to "prove" yourself, in order to get that credibility.

But we live in a quite isolated place so job opportunities are few and far between. Other than teaching there are very few jobs in the offing, so I'll have to stick with what I know and ultimately like. A few larrikins won't deter me - well not for long. They do succeed in making you feel totally inadequate very well - at least they're good at something!

And tomorrow is another day and another school.