teacher voice

I'm getting the teacher voice back. Not the scoldy one, but the one that can talk for four hours and not lose it, the one that can project over very loud A/C units.

My class is nice people, and I guess that's not common. One of my guys tonight was a repeater, he took it before, and he said last time it was a bunch of university students who were hard to deal with. My supervisor said half of the classes he taught were full of jerks.

Lucky me, nary a jerk. The guy who seemed less engaged, I got really pulled in tonight. But another guy showed up who took the class last session, and his score is higher than mine - over the 90th percentile required to be a testprep instructor. If *I* were in the class, I would be bored - I'm sure he's incredibly bored. Why did he come? He left early, and hopefully if he feels that way he doesn't come back. He's nice and all - they're all nice, though we almost had a little skirmish of nice boys trying to sit in the seat closest to me without invading my space. Geeks.

I wish I could go right to sleep when I get home late, but I can't - but also I don't want to start any work because then I'll be up too late. And Wednesday is hell day, though most of my days lately could be called that.

Anyway, I'm counting my lucky stars that I have such nice people to spend time with two evenings a week. We laugh, we joke around, and they all do whatever I say. What more could I want in a regular date? They ask questions when they don't understand, they nod when they get it - they communicate and they encourage and they actually show respect to me and to each other. I think I only have 8 more sessions to teach. Cool, because this stress is pretty intense right now, but also a bummer since most of the groups suck and I probably got the best one I ever will.

Well, maybe that's where being a veteran teacher comes into play. I don't know this information hands-down, but I certainly should know how to work a room by now. I don't have to scold or give the teacher look, I just have to make them feel supported and encouraged (though I did give the look to the guys who didn't do their homework - why the heck would they pay $1300 for a class that will only help them if they do their homework??). One of them stayed afterward and continued to profusely apologize for not doing his homework, and I said, "You're not an 8th grader; I'm not scolding you." "I know, I just ... I don't want you to think I'm some dumb kid."

Ah yeah. I have 'em JUST where I want 'em. Because if they care what I think, they do the right thing. THIS is why being a veteran teacher rocks - I know so much about the psychology of manipulation and control. Of course, NONE of it works on Dayton. Men.

Tired enough now to go to sleep? Hope so, because I'm up at the crack of dawn. Again.