Ever since I’ve started handling advisory classes 4 years ago, I’ve never stopped evaluating and re-evaluating my teaching styles, methods and motives. Even up to now, I still do.

And in all those four years, this is probably the one when I doubted myself the most. Why? Because of so many failed expectations. You see, I start every year with a list of objectives for each class based on how I know them from the previous year/s. Then, I come up with goals for the whole group as well as goals for each individual, just like what I did this year.

From there, I work on a class with a pattern – a pattern which I’m sure a lot of other teachers and administrators use, a pattern which I thought was very effective until now. You see, each year I start with an advisory class by bearing my fangs, so to speak. This is to establish authority and strict adherence to the rules in class. Afterwards, I show my good side to acquire my students’ trust, but how quickly I soften up of course depends on how long it takes for them to learn how to obey rules. Then, once I have their trust, I work on each individual, because it’s easier and more effective to talk to them once trust is established. This has been my pattern for the past 3 years, and it is the same pattern I used this year.

This is also the reason why I have plenty of doubts. I used the same pattern this year, the same effective pattern, but produced very little this time and failed so many expectations. Does this mean that I am becoming obsolete? Is my pattern already outdated? Because if it is, or if I am, then I need to know. It would be useless to continue in this profession if I’m not going to be effective anyway, right?

And if there’s nothing wrong with me or my style, then where does the problem lie? How  most of my expectations were never met?