It's been quite a week.
After penning a fresh hill of referrals and detentions though, I think I've finally started to realize that my biggest problem with teaching is that there are no immediate results and few ways to accurately measure your success. Students come into your class with lots of emotional baggage already. This translates into some extreme behavioral issues- whether its the kid that is a perfectionist and must get everything finished first (less common) or the kid that simply refuses to submit to authority and instead tries to tie their friend inside the shop room...as a hypothetical instance (more common). I met with my principal today, and she emphasized that student behavior has almost nothing to do with the teacher. The teacher can reinforce good or bad behavior, but that's about it. So, I now write referrals. After 6 weeks of being nice and understanding, the honeymoon is over.
I've been encouraged by the fact that next year I'll get to start over with a clean slate! My principal even tells me that I'll start enjoying the job :)
5 weeks to go!
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2 comments:
if it's any consolation, that sounds a lot like the counseling room...except that generally we're the ones getting the referrals.
dang, girl!
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