Reflection on my teaching practice

Regarding my own practice as a teacher I see a lot of things that could be changed in order to help my students' brain. I am going to name a specific case. Something similar to Tony's case, by Zull, was happening to me. The point is I didn't realize it until I read the text at the plataform. 

A student of mine had the same lack of posture. She wouldn't seat upright, she would not respond to my commands and so on. With her group, I am working with a lot of spoken activities for they have a good level of English. I ask them to work in groups, discuss themes and most of the times, present something to the entire class. Catarina, that was her name, never refused doing that. She would go presenting,  even with the most unhappy face. After reading the text, I thought this behaviour could be extremely related to the amygdala. She never meant to confront me, but she was so threatened by her insecureness that she started hating the classes (showing it by the posture and faces).

After having studied the amygdala, decided to talk to her. I used my most  sincere smile, because I had read a smile could amenize the amygdala effects, and smoothly talked to her. I asked her what could I be doing to make her feel unconfortable during my classes. She was disarmed by the smile and opened her heart. She said the problem was not exactly with me, but with English itself. She explained that most of the class have a really good level of English and she barely understands it. And speaking in front of the whole class was something from the other world to her. 

Catarina didn't want to disappoint me, but she indeed felt so insecure about speaking English. She was telling me that with every part of her body but I couldn't see it. I just thought she was being a rebel teenager. My mistake. By talking to her, in a very humble and sincere way, I could recognize to her that I didn't realize I was pushing to hard on her. I said I was sorry. I also recommended her to attend English classes outside the school in order to gain more confidence. I told her not to worry about the presentations anymore. She seemed to be happy and I felt so relieved. The next class she told me she had enrolled herself into an English course. That was the confirmation she heard me and communication started happening between us. 

This event has taught me that the more you try to understand and get close to your student as a human being (not a learning machine) the more rewarding is our profession. That's where real teaching happens.