I ot Angry!

Once upon a time, last school year, I wrote a blog about how I rarely let my students see me angry, even when they probably needed to see it. I think I've either grown more Chutzpah or become callous, or both, but I think the problem is getting solved. The beginning of class today was a bit chaotic because we were turning in projects and I was besieged by nearly a dozen students with problems that needed solving. I turned from helping a student one on one to find my B4 class chatting merrily, as if I hadn't clearly written instructions to read silently on the board, and as if I hadn't already told them twice to stop talking.

Suddenly my voice was loud and full of acid, and I was prowling up and down the aisles. "Why are you still talking? I don't care if I didn't have the time to yell at you to be quiet. You know you need to be reading. If I am unable to babysit you, you need to take responsibility for yourself."

A year ago, I had no idea how to give a speech like this. And I never would have been able to maintain the level of anger and disappointment and danger that dripped from my voice for more than a few seconds. Now it just rolled out so naturally I didn't have a chance to stop and question my authority or my right to say such things. Neither did they.

Now, I'm not advocating being angry all the time, yelling at students, or even lecturing them on a regular basis. But I believe that when they're in trouble, they should know it and feel it. Otherwise, they don't seem to notice that they're in trouble until you call them up after class and nicely explain to them they've got detention.