Comments on: The Soft Touch

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 25 May 2007 03:23:42 +0000

Dan,
I guess I shouldn’t refer to it as the dark side. I heard it once and it just kind of stuck. After the first year steep learning curve it is really quite rewarding. I guess if I keep referring to it as Darth Vader’s own training ground, no one will ever join up.

Brian

By: dy/dan » Blog Archive »

dy/dan » Blog Archive » — Fri, 25 May 2007 03:04:48 +0000

[…] dan: The Soft Touch […]

By: dan

dan — Fri, 25 May 2007 00:38:44 +0000

Greg, looking forward to your thoughts. Don't dally as long as I did, 'kay? Brian, whatever my temptation towards administration, your constant references to "the dark side" have kept my feet planted shoulder-width-apart in my classroom. Vicki, those paragraphs are just jampacked with good stuff. I'm an auto-didactic sort so it's always been frustrating when I couldn't just teach myself something. Teaching was so initially frustrating then because I just couldn't study up on the best way and time to pass out materials, transition between activities, start class, appear confident to become confident, etc etc etc etc etc, just too much to learn academically, apart from experience. Yeah, real insightful stuff you've got there.

By: Vicki

Vicki — Thu, 24 May 2007 10:39:45 +0000

Having started teaching high school when I was a very-young-looking 25, I remember not knowing how to establish my teaching identity. (Perhaps that’s why I have always preferred middle schoolers). But I think the key difference between the new teacher and one who has some experience and more success in classroom management is that with experience, you know what to expect, what kind of challenges kids make, what traffic jam problems your room can cause, how to give out supplies and get them back, why seating charts cut down on social agita, how having practical reasons for some of your rules makes them seem less arbitrary. As a new teacher, I didn’t know the rationale for everything I was doing, so when I was challenged, I didn’t really have an answer. And kids see that and exploit it.

With some experience, you can establish your routines, procedures and policies to prevent some of those traffic jams, disorganized supplies, and misunderstandings so that it is clear you know what you are doing and that you have a plan. When students know that you know what you are doing, their challenges to authority definitely decrease and you can take them on more easily because you have a plan. Content knowledge is important, but so is the ability to think through the procedure and traffic flow of a lesson. And then it’s easier to take a soft touch.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 24 May 2007 06:47:34 +0000

Dan,
You are so right. It is ok to have fun in the classroom. However, you also hit on the next great point
“He’s talking about carefully-wound looseness, the kind that stays light and breezy without devolving into undersupervised chaos, the kind you’ll only find in a teacher who is totally, psychologically, and emotionally self-controlled.”

FInd me a teacher who can banter with kids, tell jokes, teach the standards and all the while the kids know who is in control without the teacher ever indicating who is in control and I will hire them, quickly. Either that or they have probally gone into administration :).

That carefully wound looseness is so hard to reach and it takes practice and the ability to be able to control the moment.

With all your great insights I still think you are going to make it to the dark side, either that or write a best selling teaching practice book and retire early to go on the lecture circuit.
Greg, I am reading the new peter pan series as well. Just finished the first book, amazing stuff.
Brian

By: Greg Farr

Greg Farr — Wed, 23 May 2007 21:53:21 +0000

From the Old Man of the Sea…feeling ever older after reading your blog…

Bait taken…hook not set yet…I’m running your line out while I go deep to think about this.

But, I will respond. In the meantime:

Why does your post just beg for me to say, “Snatch the pebble from my hand, Grasshopper.”?? (Oh God, lemme guess, you’re too young even for this reference right?)

As usual, Dan, you strike me as one of the most mature-for-your-age young teachers I’ve ever met. I just have one strong bit of advice for now: if you ever have a forced choice between wisdom and youthful indiscretion, don’t be afraid of the latter.

(I don’ wanna grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid!)

If there’s any doubt, check out my current reading list on:

http://www.birdville.k12.tx.us/schools/003/teachers/Farr/farr.htm

I’m in the middle of the latest in a new series about Peter Pan.

Seriously, from every indication, you are an amazing teacher…stay young.

Watch for my “formal response” to your blog….I can already tell you the title:

GOODNIGHT MRS. MILLER, WHEREVER YOU ARE

p.s. if you can count the correct number of oblique cultural reference points in this comment, you’re a genius.