In my third or fourth week of teaching, once the honeymoon period had come to an end, I lost my temper with my talkative 1B class. The class began as normal, pledge of allegiance in the morning, announcements, and a Think-Write. I could already tell that the class was worked-up, but I began the lecture as normal expecting them to be well behaved, as in weeks past. I was wrong.
Throughout the entire lecture the kids talked amongst themselves, interrupted me, and were louder than I knew a group of twenty-two 16 year olds could be, if once can imagine. They wouldn’t listen to me, calm down, or give me any respect. I tried everything I could handle that morning to calm them down but by the time class was ending I lost it.
I put their homework assignment on the board, and was reading it aloud to them. I noticed that not one student was paying attention; even the best behaved students were talking and being disruptive. I said in my normal teaching voice, “This is your homework, if you don’t get it, its not my problem,” and dismissed the class.
Once they left, I felt horrible about my adversive attitude. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was create an environment where it became “me versus them.” I made a point in the following class to watch my behavior, remain positive, and understanding.
While the class’s talkative nature still serves as an issue, my attitude toward their behavior has improved greatly. I try to be extra upbeat and positive everyday they come to class. I have found that my attitude greatly effects theirs’; the more upbeat I am, they better they pay attention to me. I have also developed the skill of telling a student to be quite without interrupting the lecture entirely. By catching one student quickly, it prevents the talking from becoming a huge issue. Overall, things are improving nicely.
