Loud Mouth

Despite what the title of this post suggests, I'm normally not a very "loud" person. That's not to say that I can't be loud at times ... I'd just rather blend into the background rather than boldly stand out against it.

As a teacher, I have become more used to being the center of attention ... But, who am I kidding? Half of the time, the students aren't even paying attention to me anyway ... Regardless of whether or not the little ears are listening, I speak with a loud, authoritative tone. I never feel like I'm shouting (at least, not unless I want to be shouting), rather, I'm pronouncing and enunciating each word so that all can hear.

At my previous school, I was chastised for doing this.

"Speak softly," my principal would chide, often leaving little sticky notes on my teacher's manuals and lesson plans. "If you speak softly, the children will also speak softly."

While this type of thought, the whole "lead by example" mantra, may work sometimes, I have found that teenagers are not especially receptive to it. Certainly, a calm voice will keep them more subdued than a frantic, nervous one, but volume means very little to them.

They are perpetually loud.

So, when a student looks you in the eye during a lab activity and asks, "Why are you yelling?" as you are trying to explain something to their small group, I guess it's time to turn down the volume a touch.