Chapter Nine: When Things Go Wrong

"The main thing is confidence. We're like dogs, we can sense fear and sniff it out. A kid can tell when a teacher knows what he's doing, and believes in what he's doing. Then they don't have to get into some authority struggle," -Vance (page 168).

After working at Mount Blue, I can definitely relate to and agree with this statement. My first day was quite the learning experience, because I quickly discovered that my nervousness was being picked up by the students' "radar". Once I resonated my confidence in classroom management and in content of curriculum, I noticed an immediate approval from my students.

When students notice that a new teacher is confident in managing the classroom and knows what he or she is teaching, the students are more apt to listen and respect the teacher. How can I possibly expect my students to respect me and take me seriously if I am constantly nervous, being too friendly, or not knowing what it is that I am supposed to be teaching them? If I come to classes prepared and ready to make sure that every student is learning, then the students will meet me in the middle and work efficiently. For example, during one of my classes I was going over a worksheet to make sure that the students had the right answers. A freshman said to me, "Why does it matter whether or not we all get these answers? Just keep moving on... most of us are going to fail anyway." I took the opportunity to immediately tell the students that I cared about their success and that I would always put 100 percent effort to ensure that nobody was left behind. The students were very impressed and suddenly worked that much harder for the rest of the class on the worksheets and their projects. At the end of the class, that same freshman came up to me and thanked me. "My other teachers don't care if I'm left behind... it's refreshing to know that I have help if I need it." It was probably one of the most rewarding experiences to see my students work so hard, feel proud of themselves, and most importantly, feel comfortable and supported in their learning environment.