How to Deal

I have been struggling for over a week trying to decide the best way to word, phrase, and approach this blog post.

You never know who is going to see what you're posting and of course I do not want to upset or offend anyone. Not that I would ever name names, etc., but it's still a slippery slope. So, let's hope that I can write this with grace and tact and not in a manner that will hurt anyone.

Recently I received an email from a substitute teaching trainer asking me what I do to battle apathy in the classroom. I gave it a lot of thought before emailing her back and telling her I had not been in a classroom with students who were apathetic to me and what I was doing. But it got me thinking about all of the classrooms I have worked in and made me realize that while I have not been somewhere where I was confronted with apathy, I have been in a room there was little to know class room management present.

Those days have, by far, been my biggest challenges.

What I can tell you for sure is that it is easier if you are expecting a struggle when you walk in the door. I have had days where I had no idea what I was walking into and I have had days of being forewarned, where I have been told about the lack of management and procedures in the room.

When you know there is no real management system in place you have to make the choice: fight a battle to whip them in shape for just one day-- or just keep your head above water in the chaos that is the norm for that room. After all, everything will just go back to the way it was when you leave anyway..

My choice is always to fight the battle. I'm not going to lie, sometimes you lose. Usually you lose. The students are not going to suddenly snap into a perfectly pleasant, on task, quiet bunch. They will however see that you mean business and generally they just want to make it through the day as well. It's difficult, they tell you you're mean, and sometimes they make you want to cry. But it hones your skills and keeps you from getting taken advantage of.

So fight the battle, lick your wounds and come back for more the next day.

Even the tough days have bright spots and they ALWAYS have an end!