Blindness

“What do we call a person who keeps on talking even when no one’s listening?”
“A teacher!”

I’ve found that the greatest tools aren’t shouts, threats, or pleas. I should know cause I’ve tried them all.

Surprisingly, the greatest weapons are the eyes. As my students enter, I simply look at them until they get the clue. The words, “get to work” or “let’s start now” never leave my lips. Every day, despite feeling the blood boil over to my head from watching them talk, sit there cluelessly, or look at the pictures in each other’s binders, I just stare. Like clockwork, the first couple fall quiet and the rest follow. I’m always scared that it’ll stop working one of these days, but it’s never failed me yet.

Staring isn’t easy though. Making sure that I don’t open my eyes too wide to scare them (being Asian helps immensely), I keep my eyebrows and forehead very relaxed. With my eyes I try to ask in the calmest tone, “What are you doing right now?” despite being close to strangling those who are looking right back at me. It’s even better if you’re far away and they catch you looking at them. The perception of being seen is more powerful than actually being seen. When it comes down to it, it seems that all they really need is to be seen.