Well, we all have a turf area, a zen zone. I have to say that for me it is a classroom full of students willing to test you, defy you and challenge you from day one. Ha! It is true! Believe it or not.
Students smell fear the moment you step into the classroom. Do not let them see through you. I repeat, do not let them see through you. They are very smart. They will push you to the limit, you will hurt, be angry, upset, scared, frightful, and most of all, ready to run out of there. As Master Yoda said, “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”
Believe me, if you play rough you will suffer throughout the year. It will be a long and arduous journey. You could always take another approach and care for the person sitting in front of you, maybe, just maybe he or she is looking for somebody to pay attention. You could be that someone.
Many times what we as teachers tend to forget is that we all need somebody to see us and hear us, we just want to connect, we want to belong. Certainly each student will be looking for a powerful connection in the classroom. Think that you could be the glue that bonds a group of people together. What an honor to be a teacher!
Solange
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