Good Minion, Bad Minion

I have a very special card on my bedroom wall from a student. It was the only card I took back with me during Teacher's Day. Not only because it made me laugh the most, but also because it was a very honest and sincere response from a student that made me think more about my classroom management skills and the kind of self I want to present to my kids.

Anyway, needless to say, I've made my fair share of blunders when it comes to managing my class. I took over from an extremely experienced teacher who believes in authoritarian classroom management. Her unyielding consistency and tough-as-nails approach has conditioned the kids to be well-mannered angels (I was amazed to see them march up to class on the first day, with arms folded behind their backs into two lines so straight I could see down the middle. Oh, and they also had 2 specific stops on the way to class so stragglers could catch up).

When I took over, I tried to incorporate her no-nonsense military approach into my management style. It didn't work. I do not, by nature, have a loud voice. And I hadn't yet made up my mind about who I could be with my kids, so I tended to speak to the kids sometimes as if they were my friends and let them get away with some things. But then, I would recall what other teachers tell me - to be extremely strict, to keep some boundaries at first so the kids don't step all over you etc. So there were a couple of times I let it rip and hollered at them to assert my expectations on the kids. And it kind of worked - I managed to scare them into submission (Apparently, it's all in the voice and the eyes.).

However, I think I just managed to confuse my kids with this inconsistency.

Are you ready? Here's the card:

1. So I see the front page of this card and immediately go 'AWWW.' because I love Despicable Me minions. I'm obviously the minion, because this girl has written ST in the little diamond box on the minion's clothes (unless she meant Super Teacher hehehe).

2. Then I open the card and start reading. At first, I think, "Oh this girl is so sweet." Then I get to the part about me being mad at the kids, and start feeling a little bad about it.

 3. THEN I get to this bit in the card and I sound like I have Split Personality Disorder. Haha! For those who don't know, the yellow minions in the film get kidnapped by the bad guy, get given a special potion and turn into little evil monsters that are set on taking over the world. They also have a serious case of aggression and are by default, berserk.

4. LOL. That's all.

So I guess I need to straddle the line of being friendly and tough to the kids without being two different persons with them. If anyone has any tips on how the best teachers interact with the kids I'd love to hear it!