…but let me tack on that “second guessing” is NOT always a bad thing, as you noted. It’s great to cause them to really work to create a rationale that’s built on solid reasoning. In the context of my first response (above), I meant more that a new 6th grader is sometimes not quite ready to stand firm under cross examination.

Duh. I should have guessed that images would be blocked.

My face.

Mine.

ORLY?

This comes in handy as a principal more than I can possibly explain.

The Look.

@Chris – Sadly I use that same “look” when I can no longer read the fine print anymore, and have to peer over my glasses to see what I’m reading!

Believe it or not, this very day I had an 8th grade Algebra student who told me that I’m the hardest teacher to “read” — he said that he can usually figure out most of our other teachers by their response, but that I’m too tricky. He and his friends were quite amazed when I told them that I’d had a conversation about exactly that thing yesterday (and even more amazed that it was with a teacher from the other side of the country!).

Over time I’ve learned to let go of the teacher’s look in order to embrace a decidedly more martial arts approach to managing student energy. It’s my simplistic effort to live up to Buckminster Fuller’s engineering “Do not fight force. Use force.” mantra.

As a 1st, 2nd and 3rd year teacher, I occasionally carried a beat-up tennis ball in my right hand during class conversations early in the year as we were getting to know one another. You can picture it, I’m sure:

New hair-cut that is quite wet-behind-the-ears, one of 3 ties on and bulky pseudo dress shoes, sleeves rolled up in that ‘working man’ teacher look, trying to act like a real teacher in terms of position in the room and clever retorts, occasionally going for the dancing monkey approach when all else failed instead.

Just add a bouncing tennis ball in the dude’s hand, and you’ve got the picture.

Admittedly, it was a silly distraction at first. Nothing more elegant than wanting something in my hand to futz around with as an early-year career trying to keep nerves/passion at bay, keeping an eye on the clock at the same time.

Over time, however, it became something unexpectedly effective as I one day randomly tossed it to a few students I wanted to answer key discussion questions, especially the kids who were being too quiet (while not throwing it to the students who were talking too much). The point was not about my students catching it (although that helped keep things moving), but about they’re being prepared for the potential of my toss.

Over time, students began leaning forward (literally and figuratively), not only to catch the ball…

…but also to be always ready to ‘respond’ with something coherent and meaningful coming off their tongue/brain.

They figured out pretty licketty-split that being ‘ready’ was key and anything that distracted them from showcasing that preparation would result in looking foolish (literally and figuratively) in front of everyone else.

Funny what a tennis ball can do.

Where the look once served a purpose in allowing me to presumably hold firm my teacher’s ground while reinforcing that I was fully in control, the ball (and dozens of decidedly non-physical martial arts-like trickery in the years since) allowed the kids to re-direct their own energy in ways that were far more useful over time.

Years later, kids would ask if I still threw the ball around class. Years later, I didn’t need to. Something else even more subtle and less me-focused had replaced that side show trick as well.

***

Oh, yeah. One more thing:

If they didn’t lean forwards and contribute in meaningful ways during such conversations?

Well, I’d simply resort to giving them the look and then tossing the tennis ball between the eyes. (smile)

The Holy Teaching Trinity that never fails to work.

I use this on my fourth graders too! While the math, science, etc. are much simpler concepts, it is still “new to them.” My phrase is, “Are you sure?” (with “sure” drawn out in a slightly southern drawl. It always gets them thinking and rethinking. And usually by the end of the year, they just say, “Yep.” But for a good part of the year, it works well for me (and them) (Side note, it WAS more difficult the one year I looped, but new topics helped keep it working). I find it builds not only confidence, but an easier path to discourse and discussion. People can side for or against the answer, but it is more related back to me than the original student. I have heard them use it on each other too (in science experiments :)) and in working math together. It makes it more of a “It’s okay to be a risk – taker environment” – because she will question my answer anyway!!!!