As lines get longer, employers short staff employees and patience levels get lower, people find methods for coping with day to day life. My coping mechanism has been ingesting my daily Starbucks sugar fix to give me the energy to deal with life's little hassles. I've found that if I get my daily fix, I can better deal with my many students in a manner that they are interested in.
After having had waited in line at the grocery store for what felt like an eternity, I now know what my students must feel like when waiting to capture my attention. You see, the lines for the deli clerk or the lazy heffer at the check out stand are similar to the 'lines' students have to wait when asking teachers for help. Currently my 9th grade AVID courses are jam packed, with a student- teacher ratio of 40:1, while chemistry is at 36:1. This is a lot of kids (too many factors to try to explain why... lets just say that the budget is one of the biggest factors why) and my means of dealing with it and speeding up the process is ingesting sugar. I found myself a much more pleasant and expedient person when suga'-fied, able to multi-task and handle challenges calmer and more rationally when unsuga'-fied. Without my daily fix, i'm finding that I notice people's tone of voice or words a lot more. Before this little experiment I wasn't too bothered when people didn't say please, thank you or acknowledge certain things. Now that a week has almost gone by, I'm noticing that kindness goes a long way. I'm more likely to listen to you or work with you if you're calm, rational and realistic with your requests. On the other hand, if you assume, expect and/or fail to acknowledge certain aspects of life... don't expect me (or people in general) to move quick or be happy to work with you. A few students approached me in a very scolding and confrontational manner to ask how my anti-Chai campaign was going... lets just say it didn't go over very well for them. Confronting and telling me what to do is a sure fire way to meet my very stubborn and <very> unfriendly side. My mom and grandfather taught me that you can get a lot farther in life if your approach and demeanor are pleasant, honest and happy. I've lived by this and have a fairly great working relationship with all my students.
... so as this 'supermarket' worker starts to slow down and it takes longer at the check out lines, put a little effort and thought into your conversations and make them positive. It just may be a way to uplift someones day and help them cope with life's day to day hassles.
...Hope this made sense.
Todays drink = Venti Iced unsweetend Green Tea Latté with soy (I'll never drink soy again)
No comments:
Post a Comment