Who would have ever though that I would ever be teaching, especially high school. A couple of years ago, I use to always say that I did not like teenagers at all. That probably came from the foolisheness I witnesses in the streets of Miami.
Well, what I have really come to learn in the past year, is that I have some type of 'Magic Power" within me, to make all the kids love me, even the ones that I am mean to. I can't seem to get them away from me. I must say that it has a lot to do with what O'Connor said in his post, you have to build trust with your students, to the point where they will work, just because they believe its for you not for them to graduate.
My administrators have started calling me or sending students to my office to handle their discipline issue, because these crazy kids are in the office telling the administrators that they not talking to anyone except Ms. Barnes, or send me to Ms. Barnes room and I will do my work. REMEMBER, I don't even like teenagers, why won't they leave me alone..AAAAHHHHHHH!!!! LOL
Toni,
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious that these kids respect you if they are telling administration that they want to come see you. Either that or you are a pushover (which I know is not true!). Way to go, you may be the only positive influence they have in their lives. Sometimes it takes a little push to get over a dislike of something and maybe your dislike of teenagers makes you work harder to do better. I admire you Toni!!!
When offering me the job, My Principal said he wanted to see the day when kids..."Lined up" for the Public Safety class. I thought the best way to get this done was to market the class. Last semester, I began holding my cool labs in the yard, in the face of the whole front of the building. I prefaced this by sending a campus wide e-mail inviting the whole student body to join in. All of the sudden...I had the math classes trying to figure a formula for the way the radar gun operated...I had the Psychology class watching to determine the impact the "traffic stop" had on the emotions...etc. After advisement, I have been told by several teachers that they had students lining up for Public Safety. I'm not that good of a teacher...what I am is Pro-Public Safety...Pro-Chapel Hill High School,Pro-Student and Pro- JuJuan! I want all of you guys to know...I have learned so much about teaching in the year we have spent in NTI,. In closing, let me say...JuJuan, well...you know.
ReplyDeleteToni
ReplyDeleteyou might get that Doctorate and not want to leave the classroom.