When You Are Oppressed, Or Ten Weighty Reasons for Teenagers and Their Parents

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

any buddy wanted to be a truck driver or sailor?

Guilty. Sailor indeed... I read the Dragonsong trilogy when it first came out and *poof!* wanted to live in a giant cave village full of fishermen, impressionable youth that I am. Mind you, those books also made me want to Impress a Dragon...

Hence, my authority as a teacher equalled zero, though I have had some influence as a pal.

I was supposed to go job shadowing for a class in school this year. I chose to shadow an art teacher (as that IS what I'd like to be), but when my teacher started arranging stuff... let's just say I wasn't particularly comfortable with some of the possibilities. One: a local highschool where over half of my extended family attends. Also attending that particular school are some kids that I just DO. NOT. LIKE. They are arrogant little.... Fea trails off into unintelligible muttering about kids who are a gang in everything but the name and can't even FIGHT fairly. Two: a local college (!) that not only does my eldest brother attend, but I know almost all of his friends there, and would be certain to have at least one of them in any classes I was in. It is my experience that kids do NOT like authority figures that are the same age, or god forbid, younger, than them. So Heren, you had kids you know that were younger than you... I would have had kids I know that were older than me, and/or related to me and/or don't much like me and would be willing to reek all sorts of havoc anywhere that I was supposed to being showing my responisible, professional self. I got my teacher to let me go to a middle school where I didn't know anyone but a cop.

My this thread has gotten off topic... unless we can convince parents to let us stay on The 'Downs soley because of educational/career discussions...

Fea