Hmmm. I think I may have heard that before...

While my second period class has been pretty good this term, my fourth period class has driven me insane. While there are some good students in the class, the class as a whole is a zoo. The school's literacy coach, who is also my immediate supervisor, came in today and, by taking over part of my class, showed me my mistake: I'm too much of a hardass. In short, her advice to me has been: Lighten up.

Now, sure, I became that way because their behavior wore me down, but the fact is I've become the guy who doesn't let them talk. Instead of trying to get them to shut up, I should be turning their energy and their need to talk to the purposes of the class... teaching as aikido, as it were. Interesting...

At any rate, I've been terrified to let my actual sense of humor out more than a little bit. Her sense of humor is very much like mine, and they had a ball with her. So from now on, I'm going to be a little more me and a little less "Mr. Strict." We'll see how it goes.

In all honesty, I think I'm more myself with the English 11 class, because they're a better group--and in two years, today's freshman will be the same way, really. It's just that to get them there, I have to lead them, not point the way and beat them towards it.