What do you do when your supervisor calls you a pain in the ass? Call the union? The police? Perhaps you could start a harassment suit or something.
But if you're me, you can't really argue the point. I'm certainly a pain in the ass. My parents made me aware of it when I was around 3, and people have been telling me the same thing pretty much ever since.
I'm teaching newcomers beginning English now, and I favor a colorful text with humorous, conversation-provoking illustrations and clever, funny conversations. "Why don't you use more technology?" asked my well-meaning supervisor.
"We don't have technology in the trailer," I pointed out. The supervisor lamented the TV and VCR that was left there, alas stolen by some desperate collector of outdated electronic equipment.
"You could always get an overhead projector," the supervisor generously offered.
"I hate pushing things into the trailer," I said. "You have to get people to unlock the door and let you in the building afterward, and you have to go 15 minutes early if you don't want to get stuck in the crowd."
"Maybe we could leave one there."
"Someone would steal it," I answered.
"Maybe not. It's really easy to print transparencies."
"Why do I want to print transparencies when I'm relying on the pictures in this book? I like this book." I proceeded to show why.
"Well, transparencies would be a different way of viewing those pictures."
"Why does it need to be different?"
We went around in circles for a while, accomplishing nothing, until the supervisor deemed me a pain in the ass and tossed me out. That's OK.
I've been thrown out of worse places.
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