This week has been a hard week. I can’t pinpoint one big reason why it was hard, but the small obstacles of teaching this week seem to keep piling against my mental capacity to keep my cool.
For those who are thinking of teaching, here’s a small reminder of the things to look out for. For those who don’t, here’s a a small morsel of all the things I think about on a daily basis.
*Even as I type this, a student decides to look across the table to cheat off a test. Right as I made the announcement to keep their eyes on their own paper, he asks, “who?” - You of course! You obviously know who I’m talking about! And yes, I said that.*
1. Who’s cheating
2. Who’s sleeping or zoning off and not paying attention
3. Who’s bullying others
4. Who’ texting under the table
5. Who’s having a bad day- they might be high strung and have a temper in class
6. Who’s forgetting to write down their homework
7. Who hasn’t done their homework in a long time
8. Who’s parent do I need to contact for updates on their kids’ performance
9. Who was absent and needs a reminder to pick up work or to turn in absent work
10. Who has been missing school that I need to report to the counselor
11. Who needs an encouragement to do better or to keep up the good work
12. Who’s taking drugs/substances and needs intervention
13. Who needs me to slow down the pace and review a lecture
14. Who needs to learn using a different modality- visual, oral, kinesthetic, written
15. Who’s subtly being defiant and how do I modify the behavior
I’m tired.
