Oh, do I feel your pain...

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Home : 2004 : January : 17

Oh, do I feel your pain...
By Christi

I had the same situation last year, minus the coming in in the middle of the year. It was my first year, and the hardest year of my life! Do you have an aide in your room? If so, the first thing you need to do is sit down
with her/him and get straight on what you will and won't tolerate, and create a united front. Then, you need to suck up everything you have, as I'm sure you're a nice person, and get as tough as you possibly can. When you walk into the room Tuesday, you (and your aide if there is one), will go over the rules one more time, make sure they ask any questions they have and that you fully

explain and cover anything that could be misconstrued, and STICK TO THEM! Also, make sure they are fully aware of the consequences, and, this is where it gets hard, FOLLOW THROUGH! If a kid takes something off of your desk, no matter how much you like him/her, that child will suffer the consequences. If you said he will lose recess, then recess is gone, and DON'T BREAK FOR ANYTHING! I promise you will hear how mean you are and how much they hate you and you may even hear some choice words being used in place of your name. After you've applied the consequences for such behavior, LET IT ROLL OFF OF YOUR BACK. You can not let what they say bother you, b/c if they see that it does, they will continue to do it. Once you've gotten past the animosity, they will understand that you are a woman that stands by her word, and the rules are the rules, and the consequences apply. Then you will be shocked. A kid will tell you in the morning that he hates you, and then by lunch he will come up and hug you and tell you he loves you. Or in Art class he will paint a picture for you. It's the greatest feeling in the world--and it means that you've earned their respect. If you don't follow through, you become a doormat. Ideally, you should be your toughest on the first day and during that first week, and hopefully you will next year, but it's never too late. I knew this, but didn't fully realize the importance of it until late in the year. Once I came to this conclusion, and started following through, our behavior problems significantly decreased. Don't get me wrong, we still had our daily difficulties, but hey, that's what you got into the job for, right?! I promise, use this year as a learning experience, and don't let any of it get you down. Remember that if you survive this year, you can survive anything. Next year will be a thousand times easier, and you'll be able to look back on this year and laugh! Good luck!