@Moi:
Oh, dear, I hope you feel better soon v_v

Btw gorgeous pinkish vampire avatar!


@Hana:
Yeah, they probably conmiserate me. Or they think my subject is so boring that even I am bored xD
Although apparently they like my classes, I must say that, they want me to be their teacher next year too

*pops in*

Oh no, I often chat with my students about how sleepy I am XD I find that it builds camaraderie? Like "yeah we all want to be in bed right now but we can't so let's deal with that together...."

OMG wanting you to be their teacher next year too is the best compliment students can give! You go Amura!! :DDD

I could not help replying "Oh, so I am not the worst between all the evil!" XD

I know there is another teacher in my department whom they dislike much.
And another one is the principal, so they know her in a different role which may scare them a bit.
So that leaves them with me and another teacher who arrived this year to the school (same as me) and they don't know them at all.

I'm not sure whether they love me or just think that I'm the best option avaliable xD
But yeah, usually kids are ok with me, I may not be the coolest teacher ever but they don't have complains either.

I am not a good role model LOL
I tell my students horror stories of how I procrastinate my homework in uni and end up crying and regretting life choices at 4am >u>

I find that students are rather simple, they like whichever teacher that gives out good grades and can be easily communicated with. I'm sure you're very fair and kind to your students too so that's a big plus!

I have students who tell me horror stories of teachers they want to avoid at all costs, they're usually the ones who are rather prejudiced and refuse to give out high marks on basis of subjective bias alone (like "oh you're an international student that means your English cannot be good enough for an A")...

@Amura
Right? The pink avatar looks really good, I love it too. It's a good sign that your students still want you as a teacher, I wouldn't worry too much. Growing up, I don't think I would have said that to a teacher unless I really meant it.

Yeah, I suppose I should be flattered

I usually get along very well with my students.
I remember this one who described me (to the counselor) as "serious but funny". I think that summarizes it very well.
I'm serious about my work, about the subject, about what their tasks. I'm prone to joking about everything else xD

Ooo that's super nice!
It's hard to get that balance between serious and friendly I find. Some students can separate serious work mode and friendly casual mode, but I've also met some who shut you out the moment you get harsh with them over their poor study performance.
How do you deal with the more troublesome students in a classroom? I'll be doing my in-school practicum training in the fall and I'm super nervous about juggling a large class of students XD

Serious but funny was always the best combination for a teacher. That way there was some fun (and humanity lol) involved, but the class didn't suffer for it. Too lax would get frustrating because they wouldn't teach seriously, and too strict was even worse because it created an awful environment. So I think you've found a good balance Amura

My general advice for new teachers is always the same: figure out which are your boundaries (which may not be the same ones as mine) and make sure those are not even near being crossed.
Everything else, take it with humor.

For example, I don't mind an snarky remark here and there (they soon learn that they should expect an snarky reply from me though xD) or an out-of-context comment. We all laugh at the joke, then it's over and we continue working.
But I can't stand general background noise. You know, when everybody is talking at the same time, and the place seems a bar.
So I don't wait for it to happen - as soon as I notice they start to talk in that manner, I cut them out.
No need to reprimand them, because we have not reached the boundary yet, just a gentle reminder in a serious tone suffices. "Hey, guys, we are doing exercise 8, right?"

If you let the situation get worse, then you put yourself in a tricky position: either you give up (and you lose their respect) or you scold or punish them (and you lose their sympathy).
So it's better getting serious ahead of time rather than waiting for it to become a problem.

Don't try to be very strict about everything or you'll seem authoritary. Just about the stuff that bothers you.
For example I'm all for silly discussions with my students.

Student: Shit!!
Me: That vocabulary...
Student: Oh, sorry, teacher ^^;
Me: At least have the modesty of saying "poo".
Classroom: WTF.... ¬¬ ^^; XD

Now all the class says "poo" when they have trouble... and I've told them it's terrible, we have the shittiest ongoing joke ever

Amura wrote: Now all the class says "poo" when they have trouble... and I've told them it's terrible, we have the shittiest ongoing joke ever

Is that a pun, that is a beautiful pun XD
I will have to copy that one >u>

I think my problem is that I can be too gentle with students, which actually leads to a strange coin toss when I put my foot down and get strict. Either they don't take the reminders as seriously as they should, or they get super well behaved immediately because the contrast is apparently scary? I had a student tell me that "Teacher, it's really terrifying when you go back to using your gentle voice after getting stern. I feel like you might murder me" /D;;;

The struggle of finding balance... I'm still learning to gradually let go of some unrealistic standards and to chill out more XD