Week One - Post Two

In response to Taryn's post, I also have concerns about the relationship I have with students outside of the classroom. While the jokes that teachers shut off at the end of the day made sense when we were students, in a way I wish it was true now that I am the teacher. I don't want my students too aware of my life outside of work. They are always interested in what we do outside of school and who we are beyond the job. That line is a difficult one to draw, especially because we are models of adults to adolescents. They do look to us for how they should act in a variety of situations, and it is nerve-wracking to realize how close they really are paying attention. I saw a band play in town a few years ago and ran into a student from my observations at Tecumsah. At the time he was thirteen. Immediately I had no idea how to act in front of him. My instinct was to slide into teacher-mode, but there was no way to that inside of a smoky punk show. I was polite and prayed the conversation was short. Those situations will arise more often as time goes on, and I will need to have a better idea how to handle my students and/or their friends and family. The relationship I have with my students is important, and the way in which I balance my personal life and professional life is far more substantial because I am a teacher for that reason.