yesterday i had a fabulous guest speaker come and encourage my music classes. she had everyone’s attention. she gave my students the realness; nothing was sugar-coated. the students were deeply involved in everything she had to say. they were so involved that they didn’t even get up when the bell rang.
how i wish i had that affect on my students.
sure, a lot my students claim me as their favorite teacher. they claim my class as their favorite class. i just can’t help but feel like i am not relating to them – there’s a disconnect. i am confident in the classroom; i speak with authority; i have interesting and creative ideas that i put into fruition; i give the students chances to be creative and to let their voices be heard.
never have the students been so deeply interested in what i had to say. the bell can’t even ring good without students already having one foot out the door like they can’t wait to get away from me.
never have i ever been able to give constructive criticism and the students accept it, no matter how kind and reassuring my tone is. today, a student began to cry because i told her that it took her a while to warm up to her group members. my tone was not harsh at all but she stormed off upset.
what am i missing? what am i doing wrong? i’ve always prided myself on being an easy person to talk to. i know how to teach a topic so that students can clearly understand it.
My inability to keep my students’ attention and the disinterest that my students have for me makes me feel like a terrible educator and i am discouraged.
