Resetting: Article By John Poulsen, Lawrence Bolokoski, Shelby Carlson, Jeffery Charlton, Lauren Copp, Tristan Gilmour, Kevin

Goodyear, Megan Henze, Hannah Rud, Diana Sposito, Elyse Whittaker. Ten University of Lethbridge Interns from the 2013 Fine Arts (Drama) cohort examined the concept of resetting. The Interns functioned much like a half time teacher for the time period from August to December 2013. This article is a distillation of their thoughts on resetting. It is organized chronologically: pre-resetting, during resetting, and post-resetting. Definition Resetting was defined as the act of letting go of previous hurts, insults, and anger from previous classes, interactions, or actions. A teacher must come into his/her day, class, and each interaction with reset optimism, energy, and politeness. Pre-resetting This is an examination of what happens before the presetting takes place, what a classroom looks like before resetting, and what are the emotions present in a teacher before pre-resetting. The Interns indicate that a classroom can, at times, be a difficult and hostile environment, moreover, teachers can make errors. The stresses of being a teacher can build and start to play havoc with a teachers evenness and patience. Elyse states, There are times when I find it hard to not bring an experience with one class into another. Lauren indicates, When a day comes off onto a bad start, or begins with a tough interaction, the stress and tension can build throughout the remainder of the day. There are times when the pressures get so high, you (the teacher) can feel completely defeated and apathetic. Tristan continues, I have had several classes that did not go as I had hoped. Sometimes my planning didnt work out as well as I had hoped or the students were uncooperative and we didnt get very much done. Megan states, Its extremely difficult to enjoy teaching when surrounded by negativity and hurt feelings, etc., and when you dont enjoy something, it is more like work. Kevin explains that as a teacher and a person he makes mistakes in the classroom, and if I let those mistakes govern my life and I consistently dwell on the negative consequences of those mistakes, I cannot improve but I also just become pessimistic and poor-natured. Holding on to negative consequences only emphasizes how bad it was and then creates a grudge that could be held against the student. Lawrence questions, What wouldve happened if I had come into the class in a huff? What if I had allowed the feeling from last class continue and drive my approach to this class? I couldve walked into this class and started with a lecture about how the last class was a failure. I mightve recalled the painful moment I had to stop the class and apply discipline. I could have called out the few particular students in the class and charge them to be better. If you are like me then as you are picturing this situation you are feeling awkward and uncomfortable. The students who may have been feeling better,

are now once again in an unproductive emotional state. If I had held onto the confrontation I would have cultivated the perfect environment for another confrontation of the same nature. Hannah admits, I did not take the time to build real, solid relationships with the students, and then I asked them to perform for me. They would have none of that, if I could not be bothered to take the time to learn who they were, or introduce myself properly they had no trust or respect for me and did not care if we had a safe and/or successful classroom. After two weeks of battling, day in and day out I eventually threw the program out the window and started from scratch. Shelby states, Drama Nine has been my biggest challenge so far. They have pushed my buttons in ways that they have never been pushed before. Everyday I am fighting to gain respect in the classroom. Resetting has to do with letting go of previous assumptions. Diana maintains, On the first day of school you meet your students for the first time and it can be easy to make an assumption from this first impression, whether it be good and bad and then carry it into the next day. Jeff comments, As I entered my class on the first day it would have been easy to identify the troublemakers, the class clowns, and the social butterflies. It was even tempting to begin treating these students in a certain way so they would know that I was onto them, and was prepared for their tricks. However, this would have been the wrong approach. During Resetting The act of resetting is important and can occur in a number of ways. Hannah clarifies, Resetting occurs at least twice a day for me. The first time it occurs is in-between my drama 10 class and my drama 9 class. I sometimes have to stop and reset right in the middle of a lesson. I must let go of the drama teacher I am with the 10s and prepare myself for the other kind of teacher I am. Lawrence suggests that, Teachers have feelings too. Yes, they will get hurt. So what do you do with those feelings? You reset. Megan indicates, Its important that any negativity from the first class doesnt transfer into the second class. In the context of teaching, it means being able to let go of anything negative that happened, whether it be a student who was misbehaving, a lesson that didnt go well, or any negative experience, so that the next day can be a day filled with positive learning experiences for everyone Resetting means starting with a blank slate with students, but also with ourselves as teachers. Resetting means being able to start fresh. Kevin elaborates, To reset is to start over; to begin fresh and to start anew. Resetting is creating a clean slate and starting over again. Teachers need to make resetting an almost instant reaction to any negative thing that may occur in their classroom. They need to be able to recognize that a mistake was made, learn how to correct that mistake, grow from the correction, make note of it for future issues, and then forget it happened. Every night when the sun goes down, the day resets again when it rises. Every night when we go to sleep, our bodies reset for the morning. There is also a strong sense of cleaning and letting go of hurts within the act of resetting. Lauren indicates, Resetting is the cleansing process enacted by both teachers and students each night. Diana defines resetting as, Resetting to me is constantly being able to reset emotionally with my students as well as my classes. During the day you are going to see certain students that may not have been on their

best behavior and I should not in any way let this effect how I teach the remainder of my classes. It is making sure I take a second to breathe and to put my students interest and education first while putting my emotions aside. The moment of resetting seems to be a conscious effort and can be learned, moreover it can be developed and improved. Elyse explains, I believe resetting means, for me, that I am purposefully taking some deep breaths and trying to focus on positive memories that I have of the class. It can take a lot of focus and energy to push an unpleasant situation out of your mind when dealing with a particular student or class. She continues, Between my classes I try to take at least a moment to myself, where I go check the curtains or clear the stage that allows me to take some deep breaths and mentally prepare myself for the next class. At the end of the day when I arrive home, I have the exact same routine that helps me strip off all connections to school and to take a break before continuing on with my planning. Jeff muses, The ability to reset is a skill that is not a subconscious action. It is not a trait that one simply develops over time and, if not actively thought out, can result in a decrease in the studentteacher relationship as well as a drop in the positive learning environment of the classroom. What I mean is this: Resetting must be considered and planned according to the individual student every day. A teacher must be able to understand their students well enough to realize that what works for some may, and probably wont, work for others. It must be a conscious effort put in by the teacher to identify how the specific student wants to be treated by an authority figure, and how to repair that respect when issues arise. Tristan states that resetting happens to students as well, But what I have seen through the next day from the students is that they dont remember the bad things about the class the day previously they are just present ready to learn again. The students dont exhibit negative feelings towards me or bring up yesterdays class. They show up ready to go. Hannah suggests, I need to start each day off being high with energy in order to show my students that yesterday was yesterday and we start again today. Shelby states, By giving a student your forgiveness youre able to move on and reestablish a great classroom environment, which will allow the student to succeed.

Post Resetting This last section deals with the impact of resetting including the overall benefits of resetting. Shelby indicates the importance of resetting, Resetting can come in many shapes and forms, and can leave you wondering, but no matter what, it is essential in order to survive as a teacher. Elyse muses, I see resetting as a necessity in my day. Tristan states that, Resetting is one of the most important things that I have learned so far.

Megan says, For me, when I reset, Im able to make work more like fun, and so Im better equipped to help my students succeed. Diana continues that resetting impacts her work, because I wont take

what had happened the day before with a particular student or class into the next day or even the next period. Lauren says, Resetting, is waking up the next morning and letting go of yesterday, taking the lessons learnt but releasing the negativity before walking back into your classroom. Jeff continues, But one thing has to be common the teacher must always treat the student with the respect, kindness, and open-mindedness that they offer every other student in the class. That is the key to resetting. To be able to do that each and every day for all the students in your class.

Lawrence cautions, Resetting is not forgetting that a confrontation took place. It is allowing you to be positive and creating a relationship that can weather some of the tougher storms. It means allowing each new day to be exactly that; a brand new day. Kevin states, In terms of education, resetting is the idea that everyday is a new day and the mistakes of yesterday are learned from and then forgotten. Mistakes are great to make, they teach us something; I learn everyday from the mistakes I make, its how I improve as an educator and as a wholly-developed person.

Hannah gives a nice wrap up, The more we know about our students and the more we work to connect, the better classes can be. If I can keep this in mind and keep plugging away with some of my harder to reach students then my resetting will be more effective which will benefit me, as well as my classes.