Frustração...

For those who have always wondered whether or not teachers have favorites, I can easily confirm that they do. After only one month I have already determined both my favorite students and my favorite classes. I can categorize my students into a few main groups. Some of my students are beyond eager to learn, constantly asking me questions and meticulously copying every little word I write on the board: these are my favorites. Another small portion of students look at me as if I am literally insane, laughing with every attempt I make to physically demonstrate a word meaning: these students don't fall too far behind. And then there are the students who show up to class without a piece of paper or pencil, seemingly more intrigued by the girl next to them than anything I have to say. Yes, these students are typically boys, and typically handsome, but I bet you can guess where they fall on my list.

This past week one of my teenage classes refused to stop speaking to one another in Portuguese, disobeying my one and only classroom rule (my biggest fear is that my students eventually come to the realization that they can bluntly speak about me in Portuguese without me having any idea what they are saying). My first instinct was to speak louder, and I gave it a try, but the louder I spoke, the louder the students seemed to get. Unsuccessful. My second instinct was to call on whichever student was talking to answer the next question, but it seemed as if the moment I called on one student, a new student took over the conversation. Experiencing my first moment of frustration, I decided what I needed to do as I marched over to the air conditioning switch and turned it off. "Awwww, teacher!" the students sighed. "When you stop talking, we can turn the air conditioning on," I told them, unable to hold back my laughter and my discipline of choice. Due to the 100 degree weather (yes, 100 degrees in the middle of winter), the trick worked and my the class quieted down. Unfortunately, I too had to suffer as a result.