Tyana Cullen

Perios
New Snapshot Narrative
April 17
th
, 2014
A Teacher's Daughter
I grew up around teachers. They are part of my life. I was raised by a teacher, and had
the experience of seeing her growth and progress. Ive learned about the techniques that work,
and the techniques that dont.
At the start of my second semester, sophomore year at High Tech High International, I
began my first modern world history class. To my surprise, we were introduced to William, Will
for short, the student teacher who would be teaching and taking over for Jen that semester.
Through the first couple days, the whiteboards, multicolored chairs, posters, and tables
stayed the same, but the ambiance of the classroom didnt. There was no authority figure
present anymore, only a man trying to make friends with students.
I remember asking my mom once about the line between being friends with students and
being their teacher. Her answer was simple, if you have inside jokes and you start acting
differently towards them, youve crossed the line.
Our days were full of goofing off, then rushing to get lessons done in between the
chatter. Most of the time, half of the class wasn't even in the classroom due to his lack of
authority over the students.
The line had been crossed.
After a couple weeks of giving him a chance to develop as a teacher, without any signs
of progress, I decided to take action. The next day, I went into Jens office and spilled out every
thought that came to mind. She sat there quietly, asking clarifying questions now and again.
Once I finished she just sat there staring at me, but I knew that she was just processing the
information. After a couple endless seconds of starring into her brown eyes, I was practically
begging she would break the silence. She opened her mouth and said the most dreaded
sentence I had ever heard, Why dont we have a meeting with all three of us so we can talk
about it? My stomach clenched at the thought of explaining the faults of another person straight
Tyana Cullen
Perios
New Snapshot Narrative
April 17
th
, 2014
to their face. My mind raced in fear, but the tone of my voice said the opposite, Sure, of course
we can.
I had agreed, so I couldn't turn back now. It was too late.
There are two sides of giving people feedback and advice. The side in which you know
its necessary and dire to make a situation better, but on the other hand, their feelings and
reaction is uncontrollable.
The upcoming Thursday was the day of our meeting.
The night before, I made up a list in my mind of talking points that I would hope to cover,
but nothing could prepare me for this.
I opened the door. The tension filling the room seemed to engulf my body, setting me
into a panicked state. The creak of the webbed spinning chair as I sat down helped break the
sound barrier that the office created.
Jen started to talk, but listening didn't necessarily come easy since Wills eyes were
fixated permanently on me. She motioned for me to start talking, so I did. The words seemed to
flow out of my mouth as if rehearsed. Politely saying, I feel like you have lost control of the
class, creating a setting which makes it hard to work in and I know its hard as a teacher to not
be bossy but still be assertive, but I feel like the class has gotten out of hand.
I was actually doing it.
By end of the thirty minute meeting, I felt lighter. Whether it was the tension fading, his
eyes relaxing, or the pressure off my shoulders, I felt rejuvenated. They both said they
appreciated the feedback from a student who understood the teachers perspective and who
understands the pressure teachers and dealt with.
Throughout the next couple weeks, the class felt like a classroom again. Rules were
established and the room was finally under control.
I learned that speaking up for change is sometimes better than waiting for it to happen.