Teachers, How To Get Out of A Funk in the Classroom

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Ben Jatos, GoLocalPDX MINDSETTER™

Photo Credit: iStock

I think that like most people who have jobs, those of us in education can have the occasional bad day. Some educators have lots of bad days and some of us don’t have more than just a handful. I try really hard to be reflective about exactly what is going on with me when I have a bad day and I’ve learned a few things about them. I believe that having bad days is normal but when they impact students, it’s not ideal and I want to make sure that I limit them as best as I can. First, it helps to recognize the symptoms of a bad day.

The symptoms:

1. I find myself getting frustrated with students for behaviors that don’t ordinarily bother me. Just tiny behaviors that happen every day will drive me nuts on these days.

2. I catch myself giving discipline ultimatums. “If you don’t start working in the next five seconds, then detention for everyone!”

3. I find myself at my desk more often. When I’m not instructing, I enjoy working the room and talking to students as they work. If I’m at my desk for prolonged periods, bad day warning.

4. I catch myself complaining about stupid stuff. Not necessarily stupid things but things I have no control over which is completely futile.

Some people may ask, “So what? You’re having a rotten day or you’re in a funk. Big deal. They happen to everyone,” and it is true that they happen to everyone. The problem I have with them is that they directly impact my students and that isn’t okay. Teaching is really a people business and if I’m off my game (and showing any of the above symptoms) I’m shortchanging my students. It is imperative that I take whatever steps I can to get out of my own way and reclaim my status as not-in-a-rotten-mood teacher.

So what do I do to fix it? I have a surefire way to fix things and it seems really stupid at first but it always works. The other thing I do is spend a couple hours in the evening before school writing notes to parents of students telling them how great their child is. These notes can’t be generic, but rather specific and in-depth about why I enjoy having that student in my class. I hand those notes out the next day to a few students and tell them to give them to their mom or dad. It is a very small gesture on my part but it makes the student feel good which not coincidentally, makes me feel good. It’s also something that not enough teachers do. Instantly my mood is better and I am bad mood symptom-free for at least a month.

Why does this work? I think that ultimately people are in charge of their moods. Sometimes outside factors rain down torrents of unpleasantness upon us but how we respond to those torrents is up to us. I think initially I react with a crabby mood but by catching it early and flipping the script with my notes home and quick compliments, I limit the damage an angry teacher can have on students. The bottom line is that doing nice things for people makes a person feel good. I can actually see this working for anyone in most jobs. Or in life. Or whenever.

Another thing teachers underestimate is the power we have. I sent a note home one Friday with a student who hadn’t had the best scholastic track record but was absolutely working her tail off in class. I wrote to her mother explaining how hard her daughter was working in class and how much improvement her writing was showing. I then gave some examples of what I was talking about. It was a pretty standard note as far as compliment notes go but on Monday morning when I saw the student, she had a huge smile on her face. She said, “Thanks so much for the letter home! My mom was so happy she bought me a horse!” Are you kidding me?? A horse? That still floors me. It was also the day I decided that sending kind notes home can carry enormous weight.

The act of taking a negative mood and reacting with something positive doesn’t come naturally at all. But it works. All of my negativity goes away and all of a sudden those little things don’t bother me. Discipline issues go away in class because I’m happy and enjoying my students and they sense it and react positively too. My interactions with students become more abundant and productive. And I have nothing bad to say about anything.

Ben Jatos is in his 21st year of teaching secondary English. His opinions are his own and in no way represent the views of his school district. He is passionate about his family, the Portland Trail Blazers, the writing of Raymond Carver, and educating young people. For more of his opinions and reviews of literature for the classroom, check out his blog at www.benjatos.com.