Failed Again

Being a teacher is like being a student.  Success isn't guaranteed regardless of the effort and even the knowledge.  Today a follow-up activity that worked beautifully with my intermediate listening and speaking students (my most challenging class and the one with which I most often feel a lack of rapport) felt tense with one of my sections of  high intermediate listening and speaking. I was aware of coming across as "too much the teacher" with an older, nearly native student when I asked him, after students had begun to ask and answer questions, to put away the class schedule he was looking at. 

The second section of that class had a better feel about it, but the one I usually like a lot, the High Intermediate Academic ESL class, seemed a bit wary of me--as if they didn't have confidence in me even though I had quite a bit of confidence in myself on the subject of where the commas go and do not go!

I've been waiting for 100% attendance, but I think I'd better have them do the evaluations on me on Wednesday regardless.

I just wish that, as I go through the multiple test of getting in midterm grades and grade reports, I didn't also get a message form my tenant that he has seen a nouse and wants me to bring in Pest Control.