This is it. Tomorrow the students arrive. Will I be ready? All that matters is if the students think so. Appearances are everything. There are two important bits of information I remind myself at the beginning of the year (and along the way too, of course):
1) The truth isn't important, it is what you can get them to believe that matters.
2) Teaching is 80-90% acting.
If I am not prepared but the students think I am, then I am prepared, and that is a good thing. On the other hand, even if I have the best laid plans, they sometimes do not work and it comes off as though I am not prepared. If they believe I am not prepared, then I am not. Plain and simple. Therefore, no matter what I must act as though I am prepared. I must act as though I am ready for the next situation, no matter what it may be. The students must have confidence in my abilities, if they do not, then it will be an up hill battle from then on.
So tomorrow, I must be ready when the students arrive. I must have an agenda ready to go once the bell rings. I must be prepared to handle the students who arrive tardy, and those who ask to use the rest room. If I do not have all these things, then my ship is already sinking. The tone must be set minute one of day one.
Am I ready? Mostly. Will the students believe I am prepared? Absolutely.
No comments:
Post a Comment