Comments on: No. 7: Be kind to children, old people and your creditors

By: adrianr

adrianr — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:49:28 +0000

We don’t toot under the sheets.

By: Shawn Vestal

Shawn Vestal — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:16:24 +0000

excellent — you know, that article and the whole “classroom management” thing really struck a note with me, because my tendency is not to want to do that kind of thing, order and discipline, etc. I think I can be a laid-back, “whatever” kind of guy and hope it all works out.

which is so totally wrong. I regret not being firmer and clearer in every class I teach. And I even see it as a parent now — i hate, hate, hate nagging my son. though he must be nagged, lest he run into the street or chew on an electrical cord. I have this juvenile anti-authoritarian thing in my brain that is foolish, but stubborn…

By: Asa Maria

Asa Maria — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:31:43 +0000

I like this use of “we,” I’m totally stealing it for my classroom.

By: Pete Sheehy

Pete Sheehy — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:17:06 +0000

Shawn, I read that NYTMag article about teaching teachers today, and what struck me was that they seemed to be saying success began (and by “began” I mean “is impossible without”) effective classroom management. As someone who wears the black hat in a classroom for boys with severe behavior disorders, I can tell you that being an effective human being “begins” with “classroom management.” With that in mind, here are my commandments:
1. We form and make clear reasonable, healthy boundaries.
2. We give utmost respect to people who care enough to consistently perform #1; we avoid those who don’t.
3. We never try to save our face and our ass at the same time.
Note the inclusive use of “We.” This is not a “do this,” or “don’t do that,” list, because then you are just begging for someone with half a ball to say, “fuck that.” I’m simply stating what “We,” do, and if you don’t want to be part of “We,” you don’t have to, but when you see what it’s like to deal with people who can’t/won’t adhere to Commandment #1, all you have to do is pay heed to #3 and you are welcome back.

By: Shawn Vestal

Shawn Vestal — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:38:55 +0000

awesome…i’ll credit you when it’s a best seller

By: Asa Maria

Asa Maria — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:11:38 +0000

1) If what you’re doing makes you feel too good or too bad, you should probably stop doing it.
2) Wipe off gym equipment after usage.

My nephew who has been ahead of the curve in everything but potty training called yesterday to inform me that for his birthday he needs big boy spiderman underpants because he no longer “pees or makes a mess” in his pants. So, hang in there Shawn.

For book title, I suggest: “What Moved in My Spider-Man Training Pants.”

By: MelinaCR

MelinaCR — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:04:14 +0000

Don’t hand me your lifetime’s worth of issues and tell me they belong to me.

By: Brian O'Grady

Brian O'Grady — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:24:02 +0000

How about “Don’t use your stature as a persuasive public intellectual and your blinding (but justifiable) disregard for Middle Eastern religious zealots to justify the invasion and exploitation of a sovereign country by Western religious zealots and free-market ideologues.”

I also considered “Don’t be a fat, sweaty, loudmouth fucking drunk,” but I’m actually fine with that.

By: Shira Richman

Shira Richman — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:29:09 +0000

Learn to embrace your current situation as if you invited it. I stole that from Pema Chodron.

By: Jaime R. Wood

Jaime R. Wood — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:20:36 +0000

Oh, and this is awesome: “Everything I Needed to Know About Life I Learned While Pooping on My Father.”