Don't smile until...?
I was talking with a freshman girl in chorale yesterday while we were out about her perception of me and her perception of me at the beginning of the year. It was interesting (and slightly amusing) for me to hear. She acknowledged not liking me at first and actually being scared of me at the beginning of the year.
There's an old teacher adage that goes "Don't smile until Thanksgiving" (This is an awful, awful mentality/method that I don't believe in...if you're not smiling on the first day and every day after that for that matter, you shouldn't be teaching). As an officer/leader/upperclassmen in chorale however, there kind of has to be a "Don't smile until Praise Gathering" (in October) mentality. This kind of creates an amount of respect so the underclassmen grasp the tradition/discipline/work ethic of what they're involved in. It's not that I/you don't smile...it's more like just not being their best friend right away...if that makes sense.
I remember that Praise Gathering year this past fall...the best and most vivid part wasn't the singing but was a night in the hotel hallway with a group of freshmen talking about random things and jumping around attempting handstands and cartwheels. We were just hanging out and having fun... but the next day I had comments from a couple of them saying how they saw a new side of me. A similar thing happend over Spring Break tour after that crazy host home where I went sledding down the stairs.
This person and the people I've talked to about this don't see me the same way as they did in the first month... which is good. It's just interesting to think about how you are/I am percieved...and it's something I haven't really considered until this year. A word comes to mind.....but I'll tease you and save it for another blog....and another time when it's not 1 AM.
There's an old teacher adage that goes "Don't smile until Thanksgiving" (This is an awful, awful mentality/method that I don't believe in...if you're not smiling on the first day and every day after that for that matter, you shouldn't be teaching). As an officer/leader/upperclassmen in chorale however, there kind of has to be a "Don't smile until Praise Gathering" (in October) mentality. This kind of creates an amount of respect so the underclassmen grasp the tradition/discipline/work ethic of what they're involved in. It's not that I/you don't smile...it's more like just not being their best friend right away...if that makes sense.
I remember that Praise Gathering year this past fall...the best and most vivid part wasn't the singing but was a night in the hotel hallway with a group of freshmen talking about random things and jumping around attempting handstands and cartwheels. We were just hanging out and having fun... but the next day I had comments from a couple of them saying how they saw a new side of me. A similar thing happend over Spring Break tour after that crazy host home where I went sledding down the stairs.
This person and the people I've talked to about this don't see me the same way as they did in the first month... which is good. It's just interesting to think about how you are/I am percieved...and it's something I haven't really considered until this year. A word comes to mind.....but I'll tease you and save it for another blog....and another time when it's not 1 AM.
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