Guess What?

When I first started working in a classroom, I tiptoed around issues. I used nuanced language and said convoluted things in an effort to get the kids to like me. 

"Buddy, we just don't do that, okay?" 

"Hun, can you please stop doing that?"

"We all just want to be nice to our friends, right?"

Two years into this, this is how I speak.

"(Student name). You are NOT following my directions."

"(Student name). STOP. NOW."

"You're acting mean, and people aren't going to like you if you do that."

I have found that frank, pointed conversations are best. They are most effective, and they resolve issues quickly, without wasting too much learning time. This morning, my students got a dose of a very frank Ms. Sablich conversation. 

(Stern voice) "Guess what? I'm not your friend, and I don't care if you like me. My job is not to be a nice person. My job is to teach you things. If you are wasting time and stealing the learning opportunities of others, you WILL get a consequence. I don't get paid to hear excuses and put up with nonsense. I get paid to make you the best students you can be." 

Then, like any good teacher, I feign a bit of a personality switch.

(Sweet voice) "Of course, if you happen to love me being your teacher, that makes me feel great."

(Stern voice) "But that is NOT my main job."

We had a good morning.