I am a nerd. Or so my students tell me.
Proof: I purchased a dymo label maker not to make labels with but to punch out my favorite words with, and stick them onto my personal “WORD WALL”.
Proof: I listen to audio books religiously and find myself mimicking the author of each audiobook. Right now I’m reading Frank McCourt’s ‘Tis so I find myself thinking phrases like, “Ay don’t give a fiddler’s fart!”
Proof: How I say “proof” like how Dwight would bark, “fact”!
So it utterly boggles my mind when I see students who not only find learning difficult but unpleasurable. I mean, sure throw me a dense textbook and force feed facts down my throat and I’ll find education detestable, but trust me when I say that what goes on in my classroom isn’t comparable to any college course. If anything, it’s borderline kindergarten.
Going beyond not wanting to learn, those resistant students block any trickle of knowledge from leaking into their brains. I remind myself that all students have their own stories and are full of potential, but some days, it feels more like a battlefield than a classroom. I’m amazed by how much they actively block me from doing my job.
That’s when I calmly try to accept that I can only change myself. Unfortunately I’m just as stubborn as the kids, and I cannot stop being the nerd that I am. So it's back to the drawing board to concoct a piece de resistance that’ll make those students surrender their fight. ‘Tis the fight of a teacher, eh?
No comments:
Post a Comment