Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire- Chapter 1- Gimme Some Truth

Whenever I talk to teachers about what it was like their first year of teaching, they always say it was rough, but "I had to show them who was really in charge". I remember whenever I would be in a class with a teacher who had either just started teaching or had only been teaching a few short years. The first part of the year was really rough. The teacher always seemed so strict and angry. Eventually, once he or she had gained our respect (which was really fear), he or she would lighten up and have fun with us. Yes, it was effective in the end, but what about those first few weeks when we were all so fearful of the teacher? Isn't the teacher supposed to be someone who supports you and encourages you? Someone you respect and not fear? A teacher shouldn't be someone who instills fear into students. There has to be a better way to gain respect from the classroom and not scare your students into respecting you. Teachers sometimes think that just because a student doesn't understand something, it means they weren't respecting them enough to pay attention and listen to the instructions. In most cases, that's not it at all. As teachers, we have to be sensitive to the fact that some kids take a little longer to grasp concepts than others. We all learn on different levels. I hope that's something I can take into my classroom and apply it on a daily basis.