A get to know me activity sounded like a great idea at first, but when it turned into "put Ms. Almeida on trial" it got a little out of hand. I could feel the volume in the room increasing. The students' questions were flying at me and I wanted to answer them all, but had to figure out how to do it in a way that still kept the class under control. Here's where the surprising myself came in. I found my teacher voice, or my teacher voice found me. A quick switch in my mind told me that I had to bring the class back and have my voice be the only one heard in that moment. A quick redirection put the class back on track and the chaos ceased.
The students responded extremely well to me taking over the classroom. Once I showed them that I was serious about maintaining a classroom environment where everyones voices were equally important, the rest of the class ran a lot more smoothly. Establishing a persona where I am seen as an authoritative figure in the classroom was tough for me, but I am so glad I id it early on in my time with Mrs. Bachini's classes. Now when my students walk into the room they politely smile and say "Hi Ms. Almeida" and even stay after to ask me questions about the lesson or to check in. It's a great feeling knowing that they see me as something more than an extra person in the classroom. One of my biggest fears of teaching high school students was that I would be too young for them to take me seriously. This fear was put to bed when I found my voice in the classroom.
