Have you ever had to command the attention of three dozen teenagers? It’s not easy. Especially when you’re still learning how to be a teacher.
“Classroom management, it’s about control,” says Oakland High School student teacher Diana Arbas. “Control of the students, sure, but it’s about control of self. It’s about demonstrating to them how an adult behaves.”
Diana, 27, is learning to lead in the classroom with the help of her Coordinating Teacher, or CT. She has felt a sense of responsibility to her students from the beginning. But, by December, when we last heard from Diana, she was ready for a break.
“At this point, at the end of the semester, when I’m just so…I’ve given everything away,” says Diana. “Everything is gone. The gas tank is below empty.”
What she quickly realized that if she was going to prepare her students for adulthood, she would first have to command their respect in the classroom.
Click the audio player above to listen to the second installment of Diana's teacher diary.
All week, Crosscurrents is featuring the real-life recorded diaries of a first-time teacher. Click the audio player above to hear the second installment of the Diana Diaries.
Diana’s teacher diaries were produced by Martina Castro with help from Alyssa Kapnik. They were edited by Casey Miner. Thanks to Ashleyanne Krigbaum, Maya de Paula Hanika, Mary Willis and Karen Gordon for recording and transcribing, and a very special thank you to Diana Arbas and Oakland High School.
