Smile!

A couple of weeks ago, I was noticing how serious people seem to be with students in school. Yes, we need to be firm in our expectations; the students need to know that we mean what we say. At the same time, I think that students should see a smiling teacher. As a substitute, walking into a classroom is like walking into your first day at work - every day! It can be hard to have control of a classroom without being too mean or yelling all the time. I have been trying this out lately. I smile as the students are arriving in the morning. I show that I am serious when everyone has arrived and we need to get down to business. I expect them to quiet down and be respectful of whoever's turn it is to talk. It doesn't always happen as easily as that. In some classrooms I do have to remind students often to be quiet. When working through a lesson, I try to smile (when appropriate). This is especially easy to do during lessons that involve reading passages. I can smile as I call on a student to read aloud. I can smile as a student answers a comprehension question. I can smile at a story a student is telling as they relate their life with the reading passage. I have found that students smile more too, and I am happier when I get to the end of my day. It is not always easy to do this. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood to smile (especially first thing in the morning!), but I do anyway. Hopefully I can continue this idea of mine.