How much do I share?
To some degree, when you are a teacher, you are always a teacher. At the grocery store, the movie theater, the park – I never know when I am going to hear a surprised “Hey! Mrs. Cole!” I’ve been teaching long enough now that even a bar is no guarantee of escape.
Personally, I have a dual-phase reaction. Phase one: minor panic. Am I appropriately dressed? Did I just swear? Am I holding or even standing next to something that could be compromising? Phase two: curiosity. What is this student like outside the classroom? Who is with them, and what might the student have told them about me? How do they see this student?
Then there’s a little dance, especially if the student is with a parent. Parent: I hope that Little So-and-So has been behaving for you in class. Me: Well…
Teaching Reflection 