It's Not Always About You

It's true. Sometimes students can ruin your day by giving you a hard time. The attitude comes out, and you wonder what you did to deserve such treatment. One of the most important things I've learned is that is usually doesn't have anything to do with me as the teacher. Once I looked at student attitudes from this perspective, it changed the way I responded to my students. They have bad days just like I do. Stuff goes on at home and after school, and they don't leave their troubles at the door when they come to class. However, I can help them have a better day once they enter my room. Now, this is not to say that attitudes never have anything to do with me. I've had students who had issues with me and I had to deal with it. But a huge load was lifted from my shoulders when I considered that my job isn't to make my students happy all the time, which might sound strange, but it's true.