Suddenly I see...

Watching the clock. A bad habit.
I had always wondered since I became a teacher about 13 years ago now, why some students were so much easier for me to relate to than others, and then it hit me. It's about work.

When I was a kid, I had a teacher named Mrs. Pollock. She was my 6th grade teacher. She was one of the "scary" teachers for all the kids in the school, because she was thought of as "mean" by many of the kids I knew. I never knew dread like the day I found out I had been assigned to her class. Oh no, NOT Mrs. Pollock! I just knew it would be a miserable year.

On the contrary, it turned out to be not only one of the best years in elementary school, but also she turned out to be one of my favorite teachers. She wasn't mean at all, but one thing about it... she expected her students to be the best students in the 6th grade. (They didn't have to be the smartest, but they had to work hard. She gave you good grades if she knew you were working hard.)

The students who had trouble with her were the ones who (as she put it) "clowned around" or didn't take school seriously. She used to say, "when you are in 6th grade, school is the only worry you have" inferring that you should do your best and work hard every day. She talked about growing up during rough financial times in the depression years and how she was so happy to have "three square meals a day" - usually when she told us she couldn't have dreamed about having chocolate milk to drink like we got every day for lunch. You know, small stories like that.

So my theory is that sometimes a lack of understanding of someone can make you misunderstand their motives. I do respond to a strong work ethic as a teacher and as a boss. When I worked in the industry, I respected the people who were willing to put in extra time on a project and get it done on time. I resented the ones who were "clock watchers" and headed out the door the second they could. Minimal obligations met.

Learn to expect more of yourselves. Don't abuse your personal time, but give extra when it is needed.

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