Teacher Cars, Introversion, and Extroversion

It's pretty amazing to watch introverts and extroverts teach.  More interesting is watching these same teachers without students.  

And I think a teacher's car is the best way to see this play out.  Watch the parking lot when teachers leave. There are teachers who are on their phone talking to someone before they close the door with them in the car. These teachers crave sharing their day with someone. They talk, they listen, the chat, they have conversation.  

Then there are the introverts. The ones that turn on the radio and watch the scenery go by. They listen to NPR or play some music. They watch the trees go by. They might be thinking about the day or they might be planning a nap on the couch. Or replaying a conversation with a student. Or planning their next lesson. Or what to make for dinner. 

Notice that an introvert's mind isn't empty, It's just working differently than extrovert's.

I totally fall into the second scenario. Some days, it's NPR, some days it KFAN, some days it's blasting 90s hip-hop. 

My brain would explode if I tried to talk to someone after teaching all day. It's an exhausting thing and having to tell someone about might just kill me. 

But, is the teacher you see in their car at the end of the day, the same one that see in the classroom during the school day?  How many teachers try to be someone they aren't to try and fit into what a teacher should be?

I've given up on that. I can't be an extrovert teacher. I struggle with whole group, direct instruction. I've set up my classroom and teaching to allow me to move around and work with small groups, individuals, or partners. The direct instruction happens with screencasts, mini-audio podcasts, or written directions. Once students have that part, then we start working. 

The drawback is that it seems to take longer.  However, I also feel like students are going deeper because I'm able to give them academic feedback multiple times during an activity. 

Don't be what you think you should be in the classroom. Learn who you are. Explore your personality. Be true to yourself in your classroom. Explain this to your students. Help them understand you and, in turn, themselves.