My recent life

It has been 2 months since I took the job of being the homeroom teacher as well as the English teacher of Class 112, which is called the Language Talented class. It requires a lot of courage to take the job. I don't mean that I am more courageous than other teachers. The reason I would take this job was just that I was half forced to. The principal was too persuasive and a little bit arbitrary when he was talking me into taking this job. So, I could not but promise to take the job without any struggles. I knew, sooner or later, it would be my turn to teach the Language Talented class. But, I had never thought that I would be assigned to be the homeroom teacher of that class. I thought that I was still green and not experienced enough. There are still so many experienced teachers who are more qualified than me to take the job. Anyway, I have been on the boat. I can't get off the boat halfway. All I can do now is grit my teeth and move on. So far, I have taught the class for 2 months. To be frank, it is not as challenging as I had expected, although there are indeed some challenges or problems that I have never handled before. The problems of this class are very different from those of other "normal" classes. In a normal class, one thing a homeroom teacher does is remind students to study harder. A homeroom teacher of a normal class has to think up as many ways as possible to encourage students to work hard, get good grades, and be competitive. However, the situation is very different in a talented class. Students in a talented class are competitive enough and most of time, they put too much pressure on themselves. They always want to be perfect and they are too demanding for themselves. So, the task of a homeroom teacher of such a class is no more asking them to study harder but teaching them to relax. The homeroom teacher of such a class is more like a counselor. She has to give comfort and security for these anxious students. There has been too much tension in class and among the students. If the homeroom teacher adds more tension or pressure on the class, some students are very likely to break down. The competition between students is too keen, and the stress from the schoolwork is too much for them. If the atmosphere of the class is not good or the environment is not secure, it is very likely that some of the students will drop out of the class before long. However, to my relief, the students in my class are supporting one another. They have created a good atmosphere in class. Besides, I am not as anxious as I was during the first two weeks. I can be more relaxed when facing them. Just as an observant student of mine told me, "If you(I as their teacher) can be calmer and more confident, we(the students) will feel more secure to rely on you." I know I am making some progress. No matter how challenging the job is, I should feel appreciated that I got the chance to grow and mature.