One thing I've learned over the years is that people want to be heard. They want to feel like someone is listening and offering a little "tenderness" towards the situation. This is very true in teaching. I've found that most high school students just want to know that what they are saying and going through is understood.
Now, you can hear them, and "understand" them, but it does not justify their behavior. That is the key, and also the hard part of the whole situation. You understand what they are going through, but it does not make it okay for them to act the way they do. I often have to remind myself of that while teaching. It is easy to get caught in "understanding" them, but hard to go against them to help them. It is for the better, and you know that - they will get over it. If they don't, then there is still more learning to do on their part, and someday it will sink in.
I'm looking at teaching differently these days. Parenting is becoming a reality and its hard to look at those situations at school differently when you are going to have a kid.
20 more days until little VZ is here - can't wait!!
