I am currently teaching part time at a middle school, and I'm having quite a bit of difficulty handling the AS-related issues that would obviously arise in such a social position. I've always enjoyed teaching, and had great success with private lessons and tutoring, which is why I figured it would be a good career path. Trying to run a classroom full of 12-14 year olds has been a different story though, as well as my time spent at a high school.
Thanks to my recent introspection and readings on these forums, I've found some more specific causes for the difficulty. When I am teaching a small group or an individual, I am very comfortable and successful using the good ol' AS "intellectual emotion" to remain focused and analytical about the students' difficulties. When a student becomes frustrated with a concept, I don't empathetically share in the frustration, instead I quickly move to a different explanation that generally makes more sense to them. In front of a full class, though, trying to analyze the facial expressions, moods, and attitudes of each student (very much active interpretation, not an NT passive sense) is a monumental task that leaves me exhausted at the end of the day. My classroom has become rather chaotic, and my discipline systems are unfortunately more arbritrary than consistent.
Firstly I'm wondering if anyone is involved with teaching grade school. Perhaps they could give some advice on how to cope with some of these issues.
For everyone else, I'm curious what you think about my chances sticking with the profession. This is one of those choices that causes a contradictory train wreck of the 2-6 word proverbs (never quit, cut your losses and move on, just do it, believe in yourself) so it requires critical thinking. Do you often hear about people dealing with the nonverbal interpretation successfully after lots of experience, or will it always be mentally draining day after day?
-James
27 Apr 2007, 8:25 pm
