Stephanie Vasse

Every day it seems that students are doing better in my eyes than they are in the

eyes of other teachers. I realize it is something of my own perspective coming into play

every time I say “So and So did very well today,” or “[Boy] was really great on his quiz

today,” because I tend to look at people in a positive light. I always think it’s more

important to focus on the good than the bad, but I consistently feel like an outsider for

doing this. This is not something I only notice in school with students. When others at

my Publix job start talking negatively about other people we work with, I am often

surprised because I have only caught the positive about someone. Sometimes I feel

shortsighted or overly optimistic.

However, I am trying to put a new perspective on my attitude. At the prompting

of the principals who came to the panel at UAHuntsville the other night, I began reading

What Great Teachers Do Differently by Todd Whitaker. This was a book they swore by

and encouraged us to read so we could reference it during our job interviews. I honestly

read the book as a sort of requirement, something to do for professional development and

not my own enjoyment, but when I cracked it open I found myself reading the whole

book in one sitting and truly appreciating and enjoying the message.

The content of the book is remarkably positive. Whitaker describes how great

teachers focus on positivity, giving authentic praise, treating all students as if they were

the “good” students, and many other strategies (14 in all) for self-monitoring how we

behave as teachers. The book also attacked negativity and the attitude teachers have

about “the worst class they’ve ever had” (which is naturally almost every year). Looking

back at the last week, where I felt overwhelmingly like my positive attitude was

somehow too naïve or too forgiving to be helpful in the classroom, this book gives me a

new perspective.

I like being a positive person; I intend to keep doing it. However, the book also

pointed out how we shouldn’t lower our standards to suit the worst people. Instead, we

should strive to accommodate the best first, making them feel comfortable and welcome.

Then, we need to make the worst uncomfortable with being the worst, give them a reason

to better their behavior. If you call out the whole class because of one or two students,

you’ve ultimately failed the class. The problem needs to be cut off from the start. My

first step when I take over the classroom: a new seating chart.