As a 2nd year teacher, and 1st year general ed teacher, I learning so many things. Today one thing smacked me right in the face.
I've been too nice. You read that right...I've been TOO nice.
Teachers are supposed to be nice, right?! Wrong. When you work in a low socioeconomic school, you must be stern, forceful, mighty, LOUD, never back down, brave, and mean. And nice occasionally.
I started the year being stern. I became nice too fast. I should have been stern much longer, but my kids were so good. I must have forgotten the end of last year. I learned last year that kids get restless, as do the teachers. And right now, 21 days away from testing, my kids are restless. They are loud, think everything is funny, want to play more than work, and could care less if they please me.
Trust me, I didn't try to let it be this way. I requested that they get out their books and turn to page 64. 2 minutes later, I had 4 kids who had done that. The rest of the class was talking. Did they care that I was mad? Did they care I was going to talk to their parents? Heck no.
Tomorrow I am walking in as a different teacher. They better buckle their seatbelts becuase they will be in for a ride!!
