Week #14 in Germany

This past week was the last meeting for most of my conversation groups. I made a little form about the class and topics for all my students to fill out, so I could get feedback about what they thought of the groups, what they liked, what they didn't like, etc. Overall, there was mostly positive feedback, but, of course, the handful of negative comments are what stood out the most. It's never fun to take criticism, especially when it's not entirely constructive. The worst part is when the criticism is something personal. 

In general, I can go along with it when people tell me, "don't take it personally." However, there was one survey that was very obviously personal. The surveys were meant to be an analysis of what we did in class and my performance in the classroom. But, one student mentioned my blog. I have never discussed my blog with students and I have never mentioned my blog in class, because my blog is something personal and, therefore, belongs outside of the classroom. I am a very open and transparent person, so it honestly doesn't bother me if a student reads my blog. What does bother me is when they are not able to leave their personal differences out of the classroom. As long as what I do on my own time does not affect my abilities to perform my job, then my personal life should not be a topic of discussion at my work.

I write my blog for my family and friends, so they are the audience I typically have in mind while writing a post. Something my family and friends love (and sometimes hate) about me is how brutally honest I am about situations. In general, I make observations in my posts. I don't write to attack or criticize people, especially not my students. I love teaching. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was five years old. I really enjoy my students, even if some of them may occasionally frustrate me. As with any job, I don't like every single day of my work life. There are always ups and downs. But on the whole, there's no other job in this world that would make me happier. And, for any of my students who are reading this, it's because of you.