This semester has flown by and I am
just now realizing it is April! With all the stress and the consistent
business, there is no wonder that the year is winding down. From speaking with
fellow student teachers, I know that we have all been stressed out lately. The
important thing is to not bring the extra baggage into the classroom. Students
know when teachers are having a bad day; just like us teachers know when
students are having bad days. I found a few tips to help keep that positive
attitude alive and well in the classroom. Of course that means when your
students have left for the day you can have a small session of crying or
wanting to throw things. I don’t advise either of those and hope that no one is
going home and crying after a school day. So when stress is winning at the
moment and you are finding it difficult to stay positive busyteacher.org has
six tips and tricks to try:
11) Prepare Well
22) Mistakes are Fun
33) Encourage
44) Be a Good Actor
55) Have a Backup Plan
66) Simple Things That Matter
I
like these six and chose this specific website for these because they seem like
common sense and that we all know these. However, when we are under stress we
can forget the simplest things. I just wanted to remind others and myself to
stay positive in the classroom!
To keep up with the positive in the
classroom theme, my students have been working a little harder lately. Since
the year is wrapping up, students are starting to realize they don’t want to
fail English and have to retake it later. Trying to keep them motivated has
helped with this process. Currently, we are reading “King Lear” and the
students love it. They are learning about the plot and the characters while
getting involved into the story. I get told that they hate certain characters
and love others. This is a great feeling to know that my students are enjoying
Shakespeare. However, their next task is going to be writing an essay.
Actually, they have two more to go. They are not excited about this and are
already giving up on them when they have not started yet. This is when we start
to give the “light at the end of the tunnel” speech. Trying to keep them
motivated to complete the essay and have a decent project will be tough. I tell
them that they at least enjoy “King Lear” and when you enjoy something, it is
easier to write about. They just want to be lazy and still pass.
Keeping up with the positive
attitude even more, I will be starting my own lesson soon about Mythology. The
students are excited and I am too. I am going to have my students create a
group project, considering they have not completed many projects this year. My
students work well in groups and this is an effective way of keeping them
motivated to complete their work. They are great motivators for one another. I
look forward to seeing how this unit plays out and more specifically, the
project!
Remember
to keep a smile on and to stay positive! The school year is almost up and
graduation is close!
Link
to read more about the six steps: http://busyteacher.org/4221-staying-positive-tips-and-tricks-to-keep-that.html
