Chapter 9: When Things Go Wrong

In Chapter 9 Cushman makes a good point referring to new teachers by saying "In their first year or two especially, teachers struggle to find the right balance between maintaining their authority and letting students know they care about them." (167). I found in my first week of practicum in the middle school that I did not say much to the students. I talked to them, and was nice, but I did not want to be overly nice and friendly because I wanted them to take me seriously. I was always available to them, and made sure they knew that if they needed help that I was there to answer any questions they had, but I was not asking them about things outside of what went on in school. By the third week, I was having more casual conversations with the students, asking them about their weekend, etc. I think that as long as you gradually show that you are interested in their lives then that's good, but if you initially just like act like you are their friend, they are not going to want to come to your class to learn they are going to come to your class to want to talk to you about what they did last weekend, and not take your class or learning seriously.