I've read many messages saying things like "My teachers hated me. I never would have gotten X, Y, Z if they had predicted my grades". I can see where that comes from but you have to understand the following:

1. Sometimes, when you're a teenagers, everybody "hates" you, even when they don't. It's a strange time. I look back on my teenage years and can't make any sense of it now that I interact with the world of teenagers again on a daily basis.

2. Most of the time (ok, not *all* of the time) that teacher who is hard on you, REALLY wants you to do well. I've never met a teacher that hated a child they taught. Maybe that's particular to the school I work in because it is exemplary in this regard

3. I'm not going to lie... Sometimes a student will frustrate me: so full of ability but not applying it. Maybe I can be harsh with that student - I'm not perfect - but teachers always push for students to do well.

4. Sometimes you leave the classroom and we... Shall we say... Haven't had a good interaction. Later that day, I will not be gloating about how I "showed him/her". I'll be lying in bed wondering how to get you on track. Far from being the gum stuck to my shoe, you'll be the...

... Very top of my priority list. I'll be looking up websites and conferring with colleagues about how best to proceed FOR YOU. Again, I'm not some sort of abnormality here. ALL of my @PresHeadford colleagues are like this. I've learned this from them!

Overall, teachers will do best by their students where that is at all possible. That's why we teach. Believe me, it ain't the pay cheque. The teachers of Ireland will do as well as they can for everyone in LC, as they do in the myriad scenarios they deal with every week.