I See U

Are you looking at me?
Why,...are you looking at me?

The two sacred questions running through the minds of students in my classroom,...perhaps students all over the world for that matter.

As a teacher, we're trained for the 'quick scan' - checking to see if students are on task, working on a given assignment or just simply trying their best to put off what their parents can help them out with later that evening.

Typically it's the student staring at me, as I'm staring at them, that sends up the 'red flag'.

'What?' they mouth the word as they throw hands outward as if to show me they're doing nothing.
I give a casual point towards their desk and to the work that sits in front of them.

Now I get the big eyes of wonderment, eyebrows raised high - as if to say, 'Why are you looking at me? I would be working right now, but you're staring at me.'
I try the finger point one more time and mouth the words, 'Do Your Work.' I even slow it down in order to help alleviate any confusion between 'Do Your Work' and 'It's Recess Time.'

Continued staring - as if I've been challenged by a five year old to see who's going to look away first. The only thing is,....I'm not intending to lose,...or to continue the stare down for much longer.

"Start working on your assignment," I finally blurt out. Heads pop up all over the room, first at me (the interrupter), then around the room for the non-working culprit.

For you see, while I'm all for not trying to interrupt the class while they work quietly, I'm also not into giving up the comfy seat at my desk to walk across the room and remind a student that this staring contest goes one way - I win.