caution: bumpy road...

My first two days of teaching went really well. Today, however, has been rough. I just feel like I've been yelling all day. (My kids are at the Library for now, so I'm taking a break to vent.) I think it mostly comes down to the fact that teachers with a loud voice rely upon their loud voice as their method of classroom management. If kids are too noisy, you speak louder than them to get their attention. I'm not loud. I have no desire to be loud. In my internship class, they were used to soft-spoen teachers, as neither Judy nor myself raised our voices often (and if we did, you knew someone was in big trouble). This class is used to a male teacher. Males, in general, have more volume than females. Not to say that Dave yells at his class, he is just able to speak loud enough to get their attention, even when they're noisy. And for that matter, he tolerates a lot more noise than I do. I'm a little frustrated because breaking their habits will be hard. I'm not sure how to get them used to paying attention to me without the yelling. Anyway, I have high hopes of this all working out one way or another, so I'll just have to wait and see, and do my best. For now though, I'm a little hoarse.