Language Arts (or probably any class for that matter) shouldn’t be taught after lunch. Students might be mind-tired at 7:30 am, but sugar combined with afternoon heat makes students CRAZY-talking waiting for the bell!
In other mess-ups this week, I assigned my 7th graders a book report asking for both a plot and a
summary. What’s the difference? I don’t even know. Fortunately I figured out what I meant in time
for the 8th grade classes, changing the second requirement to reaction/ opinion of the book. Why
not? I think that’s higher level Bloom’s anyway.
Sometimes I get scared that my students will know that I’m playing teacher. Don’t get me wrong, I
AM A TEACHER, but all teachers, first and foremost, are learners. Generally I’m a handful of steps
ahead of the class when it comes to knowing what’s happening next. Yes there is a year overview,
unit objectives and all that, but NO ONE can account for the everyday hiccups, snafus, and
possibly concussing events that make up school. Without adapting for those, it wouldn’t be
teaching.
Stephen King said teaching is like having jumper-cables on the brain all time, to the extent that at
the end of the day I’m questioning myself — For example, I saw a kid skateboarding down the
hallway after school and I had to think to myself, “Is he allowed to do that?” I couldn’t remember a
rule saying he couldn’t and I don’t just want to nag kids when there are only a few rules, but then
another teacher did point out the obvious and correct the student who skateboarded past me. I
then felt very sheepish for not correcting the student myself and using better common sense to
figure out rules that I don’t even know are rules. At the end of the day that common sense feels
very much removed… especially when we don’t have ways of enforcing (short-shorts) dress code
rules in stubborn heat or to catch every middle school student shoved in a locker. As teachers we
just hear about these things and as a newbie I struggle to find ‘my middle’ or the proper response
all the time.
I’m okay if students don’t like me because they think my class is hard and I make them work,
because I know eventually their pride in themselves for what they have learned and accomplished
will cause a deeper liking than anything else. However, I’m not okay if students think I’m mean
without reason, and I’ll admit there’s one class (that blessed Green 4) that makes me want to be
mean!
I know I can’t make students enemies by going on some power-trip for class control, and I don’t
mean to, but there are so many talkers in that section I don’t even know how to separate them. Oh,and just because students correct their behavior doesn’t mean they correct their ATTITUDE!!! Each
person controls that and while I can say “don’t yuck my yum” until I’m blue in the face, students
have to come some maturity or realization alone. So how do I control my attitude? How do I
inspire a better attitude in those who are watching me for a reaction? A consequence?
“A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. The tongue of the wise makes
knowledge appealing (Gee, isn’t that what teachers are supposed to do), but the mouth of a fool
belches out foolishness… Gentle words are a tree of life…” – Proverbs 15:1,2,4
I really like the idea of kind words or knowledge being like a tree. It’s something strong to hold
onto, something you can climb up higher for a better perspective on the world around you. Trees
don’t command; they invite hands to collect fruit, climb, and play in the branches to see what there
is to see. After all it’s WORDS that inspire me to do better and be better for those around me too
P.S. These weekly reflections are in no way ‘me being hard myself.’ That kind of reflection leads to
depression. These mini-rants are a way for me to laugh at my mistakes and think quietly on how
experiences can teach, shape, and encourage new efforts for the upcoming week.
No comments:
Post a Comment