Here are some reasons why, once again:
1. The faculty: warring instructors and adjuncts, all overworked, and the assistant professors they are trying to bully so they won’t stay and who are terrified. Me, with a lot of other responsibilities and minimal interest in foreign language teaching, especially in this atmosphere.
2. The students: some fine, as there always are some fine people, others, variously: resentful, racist, taking Spanish because “it should be easy,” unprepared, hurting, having a hard time.
3. The lack of audiovisual equipment.
4. The chaotic and overwhelming materials, the endless exercises, the repetitiveness, the busywork, the huge bureaucracy that it is, the lack of space for creativity.
5. The fact that I just have so much else to do, more than enough to fill a day, of things I’m actually interested in professionally.
6, 7, 8, 9, 10. The social work aspect of it. This is really important, perhaps the most important of all the points. I am not one of those who would have gone into a helping profession, and teaching freshmen nowadays really is like caring for the sick. With the learning disabilities, the gunshot wounds, the parole officers, the sports, the DUIs, the NCLB and so on I get really drained and exhausted.
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
6-10: Yes! I often have felt like I am supposed to be a social worker and I’m not trained for that, I do not have the emotional fortitude for that, and I have no interest in being that.
There is a “social worker” aspect in every profession’s exercise. I see that as an enriching part of professional activity because it takes one beyond and above the borders of specific disciplines. It is like a window opening to the entire world. So, hang in there!
WI, I don’t think you’ve dealt with this to the degree Clio and I have and with the populations we have.
On this post and thread, there are people who don’t feel they should discuss anything but their field of expertise at all – http://clarissasblog.com/2011/11/30/tolerating-barbarity/#comments – no general advice, no discussion of general problems, etc.
I disagree with that for all kinds of reasons but at a certain point, when things really are like a hospital, it is truly beyond the scope of one’s training.
Yes, I guess you’re right. I haven’t had the time and opportunity to follow all those issues. I hope things get better.
Thank you, WI!