Technology is great, but what if the students don't care?

 I have been beside myself the last several days while taking this online class.  The world has opened up to me and I'm blinking into the sunlight.  Deep breath.  Ready.  Learn.  By the way, that is what you should say to yourself every morning as you approach your school, walk down the halls, and enter your classroom.  Deep breath.  Ready.  Learn.  Now, the good news is you only have one first day.  And slowly but surely you will have another day and another and another and your classes will gel and each period will have a life of its own.  Some periods (if you're a secondary teacher this applies to you) will bring you joy and other periods you will dread and watch the clock like it's haunting you.  But you will find your rhythm.  You might be reading this and it's the end of the school year and you've just completed your first year.  And?  What surprised you?  What frightened you?  For me, the first year was full of ups and downs which is normal, but I was surprised at how attached I got to my students.  I was also surprised at how hard I worked but didn't feel like I was going anywhere.  I could not conquer the never-ending pile of papers on my desk or in my chair or in my bag.  There was never enough time.  I'm hoping the longer I teach either I will learn how to make better use of my time or I will just surrender to the idea that I will never get it done...probably a little bit of both. (Check out my next post.  Much pontification awaits!)

Another surprise was how fabulous I thought I was and yet sometimes I could not get my students to really ride that bus.  I went back and forth mentally from stern, harsh you-will-do-this-or-else bad mood teacher and then the next day -hey-what's-up-it's-all-good teacher.  My students didn't know whether to scratch their watch or wind their butt.  (Please let me know if you get this Steel Magnolias reference. )  The answer to this Jekyll/Hyde scenario is consistency and follow-through and a little bit of fake it 'til you make it.

Now that I'm a parent and have to make consequences real and not empty threats, it's a little less scary, but I am reprimanding a 3 yr. old at home and not a tall 15 yr. old beefy football player whose mama thinks he's precious.  Or a fragile, extroverted 7th grade girl who loves Justin Bieber more than Jesus and she talks ALL THE TIME.  However, the principles to parenting and teaching when it comes to student behavior are not too far from each other.

"But I'm not a parent...."you wail and gnash your teeth.  Deep breath.  You don't have to be.  It's just an added bonus that you get to practice as a parent each morning before you hit the classroom.  Teenagers and toddlers are very similar.  So, you're not a parent.  Start thinking or reflecting on what bothers you in your classroom.  If you can't handle chit chat, nip it in the bud.  If you HATE gum chewing, nip it in the bud.  It won't matter that it's against school rules.  The real school this and that happens in the classroom and you are going to earn a reputation.  Are you the teacher the students love and the other teachers roll their eyes about?  Do some students like you and others are indifferent?  I know for me I envy the teachers that students say, "Wow, their class is really hard, but they're a really good teacher."  I'll ask a student, "What makes a teacher good?"  They reply, "They're just really smart."  Now, that's not the most articulate description, but what they're trying to say is that their teacher knows their content.  The students are challenged enough that they're too busy for chit chat, sleeping or maybe even chewing gum.  Bottom line, be prepared to engage your students well and behavior will be a small issue. Communicate the expectations you have.  Decide what bothers you.   Nip it in the bud.  Follow through on consequences.  Your students will get the picture.  Every now and then, the little Teacher Chihuahua on your shoulder will bark, "Can you believe these knuckleheads are actually listening to you?"  Drop kick that Tiny Discourager to the curb.  Of course, they're listening to you.  You're their teacher.

Another issue is following through not just on behavior but also on students turning work in.  Get ready because the excuses and the sob stories abound.  Are you the teacher that looks at the Excuse Maker with a stoic smirk ready to say, "I'm sorry, but you know the consequences for not having your homework"?  I am guilty of starting out strong and the students know very early that I will check their homework and I will give you a zero for not turning it in.  Well, I took up all these papers and then I never looked at them.  Did you hear that clink?  That's me being put in Teacher Jail.  I was too busy thinking about the next day's class to sort through a bunch of handwriting I couldn't read and try to get a handle on what they accomplished.  So, I slowly started not taking up the homework and they slowly stopped doing it.  Before you assign homework, be prepared to at least look at in class and know how you want to use it the next day.

The list of student choices and behaviors and how they can thwart your good intentions could go on and on.  I have attached a link that gives a few practical ways to combat some more common classroom issues that aren't "office worthy."  It seems that if you could implement some of these activities and strategies, you and your students will be able to function more like a well-oiled machine and not a clunky old jalopy.

Above all, you MUST BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF.  You will get another try the next day.  Learn quickly how to let the day go after you leave school or even after 5th period is over.

Deep Breath.  You're Ready.  Teach.



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