I knew I should have been studying. But I just couldn't bring myself to open the book. The cover was just so heavy against my unwilling hands as they opened the text to chapter 5, the first of two chapters on classroom management (and one of the two major sources of test questions for the upcoming test).
After the initial struggle to actually open the book, things got much easier. Since I am pretty self-actualizing, I know that classroom management is perhaps my weakest point. I am often a kid doormat, and most of the kids realize this (though I do still have a few of them fooled). So, when I realized that the content of the chapter was applicable to me in such a strong way, I was glad to keep reading. If this works for me, how much more will it work when dealing with children? If I present a topic that is meaningful to them, then they are much more likely to pay attention.
I understand the difficulty kids have in doing homework. I sure hated it when I was a kid. I would have preferred watching TV, listening to music, browsing magazines, and of course being creative. But instead, I was stuck reading the same two sentences of a chapter introduction for twenty minutes as I consistently forgot what I'd just read when I came to the period at the end. I feel their pain. But as a teacher, I also realize the importance of independent practice. These solitary moments of using critical thinking and applying new skills and concepts is vital for any student of...anything! Perhaps I can do some things to make homework more interesting for both the kids and myself.
