Re: Writing Tests, Lectures and Dealing with Students

[Brian Whatcott <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>]

At 11:41 AM 4/30/02, Tina, you wrote:
> ...
> It has been suggested to me that it is not my teaching style or
> abilities that upset the students, it is my personality.
>
> The students think I am uncaring and mean.  My class of favorites
>  is always telling me to relax especially when I try to enforce
>  rules or keep order.
>
> What if it is me?...

> Tina Fanetti


I can easily recognize this syndrome, having been in much the same
territory for many working years.  And in all probablility, it IS you!

Then I got lucky.
I moved to a job where friends of a former friend work, and they
evidently made favorable word of mouth comment, at least initially.

And  I realised, I could get along with anybody working on
this program, and being so pleased with the contrast, I was easily
convinced that this was a comparative paradise.

When you believe you are working in paradise, you smile a lot,  try to
be gentle and helpful, and start offering senseless acts of kindness.
I describe possibly the only avenue down which I could have
proceeded to this happy condition.

And likely, Tina would find the transition to Paradise a steeper slope,
because you have to start being kind and pleasant, without the matrix
 that makes it easy. But if Tina smiles at a class, and does some act
of kindness, she will be shocked at how positively she is received.

The favorite class is the obvious place to start: they already like or
respect her, and will be glad to confirm their good opinion to others
if given the slightest chance.

This is possibly the best advice I am likely to offer this week or this
decade: a lovable lawyer (!) I met not too long ago agreed:
grouchy doesn't work:
pleasant does!




Brian Whatcott
  Altus OK                      Eureka!