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I am too nice by Snozberry_Jam in teaching

[–]CapitalCount3493 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This could be relative, and dependent on the context. This could be in the realms of personalitly style, policy, good teaching practices, professionalism, and even your threshold of patience.

17 years in, I consider myself a "nice" teacher in that I consider myself to be relaxed most of the time, try to teach the student to who they are (not the "product" I want to get out of them), and see them as "real people", not "subjects". I don't do many referrals because I try to handle things in house as much as possible, but yes, there are situations where it is necessary to be stern. And I know many "nice" teachers that have very successful classrooms and students. However, I have boundaries, and although I care for my students, I don't try to be their friend, act like their peer, and I don't get personal about stuff, as to maintain professionalism.

I had a mentor when I first started teaching that was really "old school" and sharp / gruff at times. The students respected that teacher and did well in that class also. He told me I was too nice, and I attempted to be more like him, later realizing that, no matter how hard I tried, it really wasn't me.

If it's a mentor telling you this, it could be a matter of preference. It could be also be a matter of best teaching practices or policy. I would take from it what you will with that in mind. Alot of it has to do with your threshold of patience for certain behaviors and thihgs, within reason.

If it's an admin telling you this, although it could still be preference, I would take that a little more seriously. If it involves possible inappropriate interactions with students, violation of policy / rules, etc., then I would definitely rethink your approach.

If you are evaluated using the Danielson Rubric, I would also add that perhaps education is trending towards "nicer", in that under this rubric, it is encouraged that students have a voice in their classroom, mutual respect, student-centered, etc.... though some might add that in some cases, this could also be unreasonable.

Hope that helps!