Okay, I hate 7th graders a little less (although a couple of them still get lots of wrath). What I do now dislike significantly is the Los Angeles Unified School District and its damn bureaucracy, because... guess what? I can't keep my 7th grade class. Apparently, middle school social studies is an "easy-to-fill" position (despite my class last year having been taught by an uncredentialed full-time substitute, not an actual teacher). Consequently, they aren't allowed to fill it with me, an uncredentialed new teacher. However, the district is still paying me as a "pool-teacher", assigned to the school, so they have me filling in that spot until something opens that I can teach, at which point I'll become a Sub-for-America or something, or perhaps tutor students, or observe other teachers. This while they PAY somebody else to take my class over... likely a credentialed teacher, but one without a history degree (they currently have the same teacher covering english, math, and social studies in 8th grade). So to top off all the other ridiculousness, I have to NOT teach my class Monday and Tuesday, but have the district pay a $300 to a sub to cover it while I go to sub training myself, so I can be useable when they get me out of my current slot. Anyone else confused?