Sophomore Slump: It’s Not the Class, It’s You
We all do it. We all get so frustrated that we say something we shouldn’t or handle a situation in a way we shouldn’t. It happens. I tell my students that I still have to work on my teacher filter. Sometimes it works harder than others.
Last week, I must have needed a firmware update because the filter didn’t work. I didn’t do anything that would jeopardize my job or career… my “I like to eat” filter takes care of that. But I did handle a situation so poorly I thought I would share it with the world and thousands of readers!
Long story short: Class of 20. Broken into two groups. As is often the case, one group is stronger than the other. Sometimes we see it after we have built the groups and we know it’s our fault other times it just happens. This time was a bit of both. Group 1 is my strong group and group 2 is my not so strong group. Group 2 had to do the news show this week. The director on this particular day is the same student who several weeks ago stomped out of my room exclaiming “I don’t give 2 (expletives deleted).”
The flow of production has the students write the script, practice it a couple of times then go live. The script wasn’t too bad that day. The practices though were a 82 car pile up on a sunny day bad. There wasn’t even fog to cause the pile up… it just happened. As we approached the time to go live, I had to make a decision. I have never done this before but I decided that to try to do the show would mean embarrassment for the two anchors, myself, the program, and the school. I also didn’t want to lose the trust of the staff when it comes to showing our shows. If we had done that show, it would have been a great way to waste 6 minutes and nothing else.
(Obviously no one involved in this story is in this photo other than the big idiot in the blue!)
Then it happened…. I sent the email to the staff saying there would be no show. I put no details just that there were issues. I pulled group 2 into the studio to meet as is the standard after we do a show. I was HOT. I made notes as they practiced, and I started going through my notes. Then I said it: “I know you don’t care, and I know you don’t care, but the rest of these people in this room care a lot.” As I called out the students who I felt were the greatest offenders that day, I realized that I had just created a huge divide! I just put those two on an island and made a fool of myself.
In an effort to be transparent, I reached out to a parent of one of the two that I called out and explained the situation. When I email a parent, I always copy the student on it - good or bad. About an hour later, I get an email back from the student. It was very well written and for the most part professional but it set me back. It called me out. It made me more aware of my role in this entire debacle.
The student articulated why he felt wronged and how I was being unfair. He then threw fire.
Here’s a tip maybe if you would show the students how to do something without getting all mad for not knowing how to do something they've never done, they would know what they are doing because they will focus on that rather than how much they hate you, because it's not the class that people don't like, its you.
Well then…. My ears burned. I saw red and I knew exactly where he was coming from. I had been the teacher to hate that day. I had lost my cool and it hurt my students.
I did respond to the student and I told him my perspective and objectively as possible. I had to man up and treat him the way that I wanted to be treated. I gave perspective and admitted my mistakes:
When you don't talk while you are supposed to be directing, it looks like you are not participating. When I ask a question and don't get a response, it looks like you don't care. When your head is down and you are playing on your phone in your lap while others are working on the show, it looks like you don't care. I may have misread your actions and body language and if so, I apologize.
My teaching style is different than most of the teachers my students have experienced. I allow them to make mistakes and I allow them to try new things but I also push them to learn from the mistake the first time. I don’t ever tell the students that’s the case because I love to see them reflect on the things they have learned while in a class that isn’t whiteboard and books.
As for the training, the method I use is to show you, support you, and push you. I showed you each position each day for over 2 weeks. I supported you doing the positions for two more weeks. (I encouraged you to watch and learn as well as work with those who know how to do the jobs because sometimes the students teach better than the teacher because there isn't the "authority" feeling.) Then I pushed you out of the nest.
I finally tried to make the best of the situation by explaining my heart as an educator in my response.
As for students hating me, I'm ok with that as long as when they are done with my class they have:
a) learned something of value (reading, writing, teamwork, and communication)
b) created things they are proud of
c) overall come out a better person.
I am ok with the struggle to try to make my students better. I am ok with students hating me as long as it remains respectful and professional. I believe at the end of the day it is more than worth it.
I truly do believe these things. I truly believe that sometimes no matter what you do, you will be “hated.” Like I told my student, I’m ok with that. I sometimes hate waking up and working out but in the end, it’s worth it.
I also had a conversation with the entire team the next morning to explain how I had been wrong and how I felt sorry for creating a divide in the group.
I wanted to share this with you this month to let you know that you are going to make mistakes. You are going to say things you shouldn’t* but if you are open and honest about them, it may actually bring your class closer together and bring you to better relationships. I also want you to reflect on different situations and think about how it sounds out of context. That’s what I’m working on personally. I call kids different things like dum-dum or mis-pronounce their names on purpose and when I called “dum-dum,” “dum-dum” in front of my principal and she shot me a look to kill, I realized how that looked out of context.
After the class where I apologized to the group (I apologized to the two I called out individually), one of the group 2 members stayed back and thanked me because she had never had a teacher apologize and say they acted out of line. While I don’t know this for sure, I imagine for her - it’s just the class she hates… not me.
(I like having photos in my articles but I didn’t think photos of kids working were appropriate since I know how I operate and I would be trying to figure out who hates me and who “dum-dum” is…)
*Please don’t use this article to go do stupid things. What I said to the student, while unprofessional and out of line, is not something that could cause legal or professional problems. Don’t every truly fly off the handle at the students. When I said what I said, I never cussed, I don’t think I even yelled. Keep your cool and everything will be alright!
Meet the Author, Tom White
Tom White is the digital media instructor at Morgan County High School in Madison, GA. Currently teaching TV production and animation pathways, Tom's programs have received state and national honors including the 2016 NFHS Network School Broadcast Program Of The Year.
Prior to teaching, Tom was a marketing, promotions, and online content director for a major radio corporation in Atlanta. Tom studied exercise science at High Point University prior to his radio career. Despite his winding career path, his mother still thinks he is special.
