Fires in the Bathroom Chapter 2: “Respect, Liking, Trust and Fairness"

           In chapter two, the part that presented me with both an understanding of where the student comes from and the difficulties and challenges of being a teacher was when the book discussed how students were able to relate better to teachers who are closer in age to them (page 20).

            I was able to relate to this well because in my experience having both teachers young and older, I was able to relate to those closer to my age easier. However, I was in high school at this point but it allows the students a sense of understanding and compassion from the teacher if they feel that the teacher can understand the demands of being an adolescent or teenager in school these days. This also addressed my thoughts on respecting a teacher though and how it must be challenging for young teachers to gain the respect of students who are not that much different in age from themselves. This may have been what jumped out at me in this chapter because it has been a concern of mine that as a future teacher my own students won’t take me seriously, especially in times when I have to discipline them if I am so close in age with them. However, this chapter’s discussion on respect and the importance of a teacher’s first impression on students has allowed me to feel as if there are ways to be a successful young teacher that is able to gain the respect of their students.