I'm not extremely aggressive, so I wouldn't do this in an in your face manner, but I do get really fast when I talk and get really existential and have a hard time really staying focused on exactly what my point was in the first place.

I taught here at the public schools until a year and a half ago, so I understand the inner machinations of it all (or at least I do as much as a non-administrator can). I specifically know from my own personal experience and that of all of the teachers I worked with that the reading program that is used doesn't work. Its a long explanation, but it is seriously a flawed program, but the school district pays A LOT of money for the "rights" to use this program each year. 2 years ago (the year I quit) the district resigned a new 7 year contract with this program that costs several hundred thousand dollars a year to use. I was never really able to figure out what the reasoning was being staying with the program, other than the fact that a lot of money was invested in it. At least 90% of the teachers at the elementary school know it is failing the students, but they are quite literally forced to use it and are not allowed to try any other methods. This is one of the main reasons I had to quit, I couldn't do what I felt was wrong anymore.

Ug, anyway, as you can see I get all idiotic about this stuff.

I guess this was a specific example but also a general question. How can I get myself to calm down? How can I figure out what matters and what doesn't? Why don't other people get upset about these things? I mean its not like I get mad about the color of my neighbor's trash can, I get upset about things that really effect people - like the school example. Oh I get so spastic I already feel stupid for even bringing this up in the first place.