IdentityThe experience changed me as a teacher. I came to understand that students are people who have feelings and who don't want to feel cornered. They want to learn but they also want to feel as if they have some control over themselves.
I never made assumptions again about students before they came into my class. Every student is different; no two students react in the same way.
It is our task as teachers to find not only what motivates each student to learn but also what motivates them to misbehave. If we can meet them at that point and take away that motivation, we can go a long way toward achieving more effective classroom management and a better learning environment.
