I mentioned before that Friday was pretty awful, that I felt disrespected, etc. And when I told Terry about it in my weekly goal and reflection, she suggested that I have a talk with them.
And that is exactly what we did today. I sat both my newspaper classes down and told them that I realize I've been too nice, too friendly, too fun and that I feel like it's gotten out of hand. I told them that I don't feel valued or respected and that they underestimated me. I reiterated that I have a college education, that I've worked for student publications, that I was the editor of my yearbook staff. I told them that I started too easy and I need to change. I asked them, what can I do to change? What can I do to get better? What can I do to improve? I told them that I need that constructive criticism for the classroom I'm hoping to obtain next year.
The advice I got back was actually pretty great. I was ready to feel tore down and maybe cry a little but they really surprised me.
They asked for more rules, stricter deadlines and policies, punishment for misbehavior, give them my exact expectations, etc. (My students apparently like structure.)
They also told me how much they liked me and cared about me.
Some even apologized for making me feel bad and being off-task. And quite a few took the blame because they said they underestimated me and didn't respect me as a teacher and then took advantage of those facts and my being too nice. I'm glad they owned up to their behavior.
My faith in teenagers is restored. :)
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