Sorry if I snapped at you 40 minutes ago. It was displaced anger.

At the end of the day I was So Very Angry that I could not articulate my frustration into anything but simple sentences. Simple sentences and curse words. Don't worry, the curse words came after school. Right before I hid in a corner so that I could not inflict my wicked witch furry on unsuspecting nice people.

I think I might have shocked some people, mainly the 20 little people who swarm around me like little bees. They often see my anger. A cold, calm anger about raising hands and sharing. I accompany that anger with a confused look of "Really? We are spending time for this? Especially since I know you know how to solve that problem." We laugh about that anger, we tease it out and sing songs about.

Today’s anger - that was something special. A hot, boiling anger of a disappointment and disgust. This anger does not come out often. It is scary and sharp. Full of bite. This anger is let down anger. As in, I gave you me heart and all you gave me was this pen, anger. Without realizing it, I have changed as a teacher, and my anger mirrors this change.

Naturally, I am cold and distant. I have enough friends, I have enough loved ones. School is business. However, in my joy of reading, writing, mathing, and historying, I have spilled some tightly sealed care. Something I tightly guard, because with care runs with the same crowd as disappointment and loss. Feelings my light personality do not enjoy. But I do care. I do care that my little bees enjoy learning, I do care that they feel confident in their abilities. I do care because I like to see them happy. My self worth and happiness has become intertwined with their self worth and happiness. I am not their queen bee; I am their mama bee.

So, my wee ones, I am sorry I let you down, but you let me down too. But if you are going to love me, you are going to have to love all the things about me. And I love you.

Speaking Fourth Grader

Me: "Think in your head about which book club topic you would like to discuss."

What They Hear: "Turn to your neighbor and talk."

"Take out your notebook," "Turn to calendar math," "Glue in the WOW sheet," "Work on the problem of the day," and "Independent Read Time" also translate to "Turn to your neighbor and talk."

Year 4 Week 1 Reflection

Stats:
Students: 22
Boys: More then half.
Round face kids with chronic bed head: None, which is very distressing.
Tears: NONE!!! A miracle.
Working computers: 3
Working printers: None in my room.
Puking incidents: 1

This is the first year EVER that one (or more) of the boys did not break down in tears on multiple days. No tears. From anyone. At all. Wow. I could make the argument that the "summer" mellowed me. That after years of tears, I have become a nicer, gentler teacher. That I am more sensitive to the needs of my emotional fragile students, having once been a sensitive student myself.

But who would I be kidding. My two week stint at curriculum development left me cold and angry. Even my stapler stayed away, not willing to take the abuse I would smack it with. Last week was no nonsense, straight lines, and listen to the directions once because I am not repeating them twice. If I was 10, I would have been in tears. But these fourth grades are of stronger stock then I. It will take more then high expectations, stern discipline, and vague, open ended assignments to make these kids tear.

Wow. No tears. I am still flabbergasted.

Screaming - a necessary evil or a lack of control?

By the end of the day yesterday I was yelling at my students. This is not something I'm proud of or do often (hopefully). I blame it on lack of sleep (I woke up at 4:45), exhaustion from days of standardized testing, and the beginnings of a cold. However, knowing the cause doesn't really excuse the behavior.

I'm left wondering if yelling at the students periodically is as bad a thing as I think it is. I consider myself a positive, progressive teacher and I attempt to handle all classroom management issues through positive reinforcement and personal reflection rather than punishment. Some days that's just too tough for me.

What does this say to my students? Do they recognize that I have bad days just like anyone? Do they think their behavior in those instances truly warrants my rants (does it)? Do they lose respect for me? Does my yelling cause us to slip backwards in our sense of community or does it band them all together in opposition to me?