Often times, when one works in education, you take on things you don't really want to do involving kids you don't really want to be around at the end of you working day.
For example, I took on being the advisor of the Freshman Class activities. Today we are having a "Freshman Class Halloween Bash!" in which we are having a pumpkin carving contests and music and candy of course.
My despise for this activity began yesterday when I went to Macey's to pick up the pumpkin's Macey's so kindly donated. The pumpkins came straight from a farm, weighed well over 20 pounds each and were still quite covered in dirt. I, of course came from school and was wearing a black skirt and tights. By the time I had hauled 15 pumpkins into my cart and checked out, was dirty and hot.
The next thing that really annoyed me is I brought some candy that Tyler bought for our trick-or-treators to school to share at the pumpkin party. I ran out of my classroom for about 5 minutes during lunch and some of my best students came into my classroom and took that very candy without asking! I was totally disappointed.
They were caught within minutes of course. I was so irriated because I felt like I had done a lot for these kids and that was really disrespectful, so I laid into them. They were so embarassed, not one of them would look me in the eye.
Although, after I talked to them I thought about what it was like being a Freshman. For some reason, Freshman boys in particular, just loose their ability to think through their actions. They are incredibly prown to peer pressure and are not sure exactly where to go once they realize they have done something wrong.
Although initially I wasn't sure if I felt good or bad about calling them out on their behavior and making them feel so clearly guilty and embarassed, I am glad I did, because it is not something that should be laughed at or ignored. I hope this was a teaching moment in which they can look back at next time they want to do something that would be funny or sneaky, yet offensive.
It is interesting to me that it is teaching moments like this one today, that will determine and build my students character much better than 1,000 history lessons. The scary thing is, you cannot really plan or prepare for these teaching moments, they just happen and you have keep your temper steady and do what you think is best for the kids.
When did I become so intimately involved with teaching teenagers what is wrong or right?
If your child were in my classroom would you be afraid? :)
