The Sixth Sense

Kids have the sixth sense. You may think that you have your students fooled. You have put on a stern facade, and you think they believe it.

I thought the same thing when I was teaching. I will never forget the day that I was so frustrated with my class's poor behavior that I began to lose my temper. At that moment, I heard a boy tell the other students, "She isn't pretending this time. She's really mad." And I realized they could see through me.

I might as well be myself, because "acting" wasn't going to work. I had to be confident, not act as if I were confident. I had to be caring, not act as if I were caring. I had to be in charge, not act as if I were in charge.

Actions may speak louder than words, but beyond the actions there is something even louder that students are attuned to: the veracity of those actions.