For the last two weeks, I have been the “in charge” teacher in a classroom, and for at least another week longer. Maybe more.
Some days are much easier than others, and I have found it important to change the classroom culture dramatically. The students were accustomed to a fairly open environment, where they could talk and eat as much as they liked. They were not accustomed to turning in work on a daily basis, apparently.
However, I get tired of wiping down desks, watching students race through tasks haphazardly if at all, and waiting for them to finish speaking so I could teach. I got tired of being treated as a baby sitter who could be tricked and ignored. I decided to insist on respect from the students, and to respect them enough to tell them the truth…
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