Alejandro has openly admitted he does not like me. In every clash we have he always relies on the "you are not my teacher card." He is openly insubordinate of me in class. For some reason we do not see eye to eye. I treat him like any other student. I do not purposely yell at him. I do not wake up everyday and determine how I am going to make Alejandro hate me. That has never been my target. This leads to question why does he battle me. Mr. Tree does not understand it either. The main battle occurred on my African Slave Kingdom lesson. He was not paying attention and I called him out on it and he proved he was not paying attention.
I believe the primary reason Alejandro dislikes me is because I will not put up with him not listening to me. I believe that if rules are in place those should be enforced. However, Mr. Tree is not always enforcing the rules and the seating charts. I expect that of my students and I am willing to enforce people the rules. I believe this is why Alejandro and I are so combatable. We are both alpha's and are willing to fight for our opinions. I want Alejandro to follow the rules, even the ones Mr. Tree does not enforce. Alejandro is not used to this and as a result we battle.
Brandon's experiences with Alejandro point to the great difference one can have with students depending on one's teaching style. Alejandro has generally reacted quite well to me and my teaching. We have even developed a surprising rapport, one in which we often joke with each other. He has expressed to me his dislike for Brandon. When questioned about it further, he said "Because Mr. Currin is mean. He's always yelling and me."
ReplyDeleteDespite our rapport, however, I'm not sure if I have fully developed a positive teaching relationship with Alejandro. He still often talks when I'm teaching and doesn't always follow directions. Additionally, some students do respond positively to more rigid discipline, like Katie, and more students than just her have responded on "ticket out the door" sheets about my lessons that I should be more strict as well.
In the case of Alejandro, expectations likely must be established at the beginning of the year and evenly unforced. It can be confusing for any student to go from the various expectations of Mr. Tree, Mr. Currin, and myself, but Alejandro in particular points to Mr. Tree's dedication to a relaxed classroom environment as a way to avoid power struggles. Many student's frustration with this, however, points to this philosophy's occasional drawbacks.