I’ve written about this before. Yesterday I felt stressed – nervous, anxious, slightly on edge – and not because of me. We are starting an exam period (what a lovely way to come back from a 2 week vacation…not) and yesterday was the first of them. The exam began with some argument about what to do, how it didn’t make sense, how there was no way that they could finish in 2 hours.
It is especially during these kinds of situations that I realize part of my job is to manage emotion and in doing so, hold it.
I could have snapped back but I kept my voice low and calm. I moved from student to student, tried to connect with them individually, to let them know I see their stress, their frustration – the exam was a French one, a compulsory course that many students have a huge brick wall up about – and that they needed to plow on despite that.
Slowly, the room became still, with just a spattering of complaint toward the end of the period, when students became worried about finishing on time.
I was in bed by 7:30 last night though!
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