Hard teachers

A science teacher that I worked with lately was super frustrated after the first few months of school and last week a student wrote on the board, "Ms. such and such is a B_ _ _ H." After parents calling and complaining about grades and kids not liking her because she makes them work, she decided she is going to be an easy teacher. Later in the week she brought in cookies for the kids.

I consider myself a somewhat hard teacher. I make the kids work and I think that they learn. I would say 50% of kids like me and the other half really don't like me. I can't seem myself changing my style of teaching though. One thing that I wanted to work on this year was being more understanding and compassionate towards kids. The thing is though, you never know if they are pulling a fast one. I want to prepare them for the future, not help them to get an A. I want them to be trained in responsibility and hard work, and most of them don't want to work and want the easy way out. It is hard to find that happy medium.

I felt bad for the science teacher and I feel that we are surrounded by "easy" teachers. I don't think the kids are really benefiting from these teachers in terms of what they will see when they leave high school. I will say that it is difficult to make the kids work hard and be liked. I'm going to keep working on it. I think we'll be appreciated down the road.