Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Dear Journal,

It's been a few weeks since I posted anything. That was due in part to having two weeks of Spring Break and a couple weeks where journaling was not required. Coming up on the last weeks of my placement now, I'm again directed to journal my experience.

Perusing back through these journal entries, I can already see how I'm not the same as I was just a couple months ago.. I'm firmer, bolder, more confident, and more compassionate. Still a bit disorganized and struggle to articulate the picture-thoughts in my brain into words, but I can see growth and for that I thank Jesus.

Today helped me see that growth a little clearer.

Today I gave a Bible test to the freshmen. This was the second test I have administered for them. The first test had ended in a bedlam of noise and all my best attempts at shushing meant didley squat.*
Today's test went smoothly, the students worked quietly until the end of the class period, respectfully walking up to my desk to whisper questions to me when needed.

Many things played into this I'm sure, but one stands out as particularly significant..

My downfall in the first test was my love of bantering with my students.. Sometimes I just can't help myself. I have a classroom of very, very funny students! And bantering back and forth with them every now and then wins such huge credit with teenagers. It makes them comfortable, communicates a heart-load of "I like you," and opens up the door for trusting confidences later on. (Granted, it can also close doors when the tongue slips and says something wrong, but that's not the point of this entry!)

I have learned that much as I like bantering, I have to be very cautious when I indulge in it in the classroom.
In the case of the first test, I made the mistake of bantering out-loud with a student at the beginning of the test. I lost the class...not at that express moment, but later, when some had finished with the test and just felt like talking! How could I expect them to listen to "Shhhh" when I myself was not demonstrating it?

Today, I announced at the beginning of the class that there was to be no talking during the test. Then I immediately set them to work, and began speaking in a whisper myself. When persons talked out loud, (or grunted like a baby piglet like one girl did!) I first tried Shhh. If that didn't work, I caught their eye and did the eyebrow thing. If that didn't work, I sauntered over to their desk and laid a palm down on top of their test and whispered, "Hey! you need to be quiet over here, young _____!" with a smile. It worked.

But the neatest thing to me was that I didn't even realize I was doing it until I got to the end of the class. It was just the natural, comfortable thing to do. I didn't even have to think about what to do before I did it.

I think I'm becoming a teacher...

__________________
*Didley squat = corny way of saying "nothing"