This is why I am glad to go.

I have to vent about a student.

I have a student who is ridiculous. Really, truly, ridiculous. Condescending, patronizing, annoying, and refuses to do any type of work whatsoever because he thinks he's above it (even though, trust me, he is not). You may have heard of him here or here.

Today, in Creative Writing, I told his friend in our class that I heard from his English 10 teacher that his ghost chapter was really good (they had to write an additional chapter for the book Kindred by Octavia Butler, which is a totally awesome book if you have not read it). Annoying student, probably pissed that I didn't acknowledge his clearly Advanced chapter (which was unfinished AND written "from the perspective of blood"...I know, right?), says to the other student, "Isn't it annoying that we have to dumb down our writing for that assignment?"

Me, "What?"

Him, "Yeah, like, uh, because we had to write in the author's voice."

Me, "So you had to dumb down your writing to sound like Octavia Butler? You're saying you are a better writer than Octavia Butler? Seriously? You are so rude and condescending. Really. That's so rude. I'm really tired of you acting like you are so much better than every assignment you get, in this class and others. If everything is so easy for you, why don't you turn anything in? Ever?"

Him, "Uh."

Then, to prove my point exactly, I told the class they had to turn in their writer's notebook and an exit ticket on their research, which he tried to leave the room without doing. But I kept him until he turned stuff in. I guarantee when I open his writer's notebook file, he has less than half of the entries.

Yes, I know this kid has all kinds of issues, and I know that he really is smart (just not nearly as smart as he thinks he is), and I know it's all a show to mask his own insecurities. But it doesn't make it any less annoying, rude, or condescending to other individuals he encounters on the daily.

Did I tell you that he insisted on showing me a video of him playing guitar? Until I realized it was a System of a Down song and he was guitar-synching it to the actual track? Yeah, this is what I do.