What can you do when tiredness catches up with you at
the end of a long eight – class day is coming to an end and as the second bell
rings what comes out of the mouths of your adorable students is “we do not want
to do that”?
The first thing you should do is take a deep breath.
Then take as many deep breaths as you need to so that you calm the bitch that
lives in you down. (All right, so she only lives inside of me. Let´s call her
B.T.M. from now on).
The second thing you do is calmly convince them of the
importance of the activity and why you have planned it. However, the B.T.M.
keeps barking in your head about who do they think they are to know what they
want to be done in a classroom? Tell them to go off to college for four years
and get a license to teach. Tell them to walk into a classroom 200 days per
year and put up with children of all ages for 30 years. Tell them that after
they have done all of this, then they can decide what can be done in a
classroom. Nonetheless, calmly and taking deep breaths to stop the barking, you
once again, explain that you know they are tired and so are you, however, the
activity will be beneficial for their learning and time will fly by; before
they know it, the bell will have rung and it´s homeward bound.
Meanwhile
B.T.M. wants to tell them that we do not have to do what has been planned and
that she really could give a hoot to whatever their future will be like. But
that is not what comes out as she opens her lips. The teacher who has been in
the classroom for 30-years gives in and asks them what they would like to do
instead and tries to come to an agreement; each one going half way. They do a
little of what was planned and the teacher does a little of what they would
like to do, which most of the time is play a game.
Guess that there is a time to stop, a time to retire,
perhaps this is the time. With this thought B.T.M. reminds me to blame it on
the hormones. They are teenagers and their hormones are fitting into place and
you are going through menopause, therefore, your hormones are falling out of
place. Guess that in the end we are just fighting the same battle.
PS. Tips on reducing stress:
1.
Take care of yourself. Eat well, sleep enough and
exercise.
2.
When you feel like doing something you wouldn't
normally do, think twice before you do it.
3.
Your hormones are very hard to control, you should be
happy if you even try because it's a very tough business to get into. If
necessary, see a doctor for help.
4.
Try to stay calm. If you're worried about something or
someone, talk about it to someone, like a parent, sibling, friend, teacher or
even a professional. Going to a psychologist doesn’t mean you are nuts.
5.
Don't do anything stupid.
7.
Most importantly, learn to say NO. Not only to say it, but to mean it.
(Written March
27, 2014)
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