Teacher = Superhero

Prompt:  If you could have one superpower to use in the classroom, what would it be and how would it help?

As I sit here try to figure out exactly what superhero power I would want as a teacher, I can't help but think that being a teacher requires a specific set of skills that sets one apart from the general public.  I mean, who else can train their bodies to go to the bathroom within a five minute period, or simultaneously answer five questions with one statement; or better yet, what average person can see exactly what the class clown is up to and stop them from doing something before they even thought of it?

I've actually freaked out a couple of students every semester with my weird sense of hearing.  I can hear whispered conversations from clear across the room.  If the students are off task, I redirect them, or if they are asking a question, I respond with the correct answer.  And every single time, they stare at me with this look of disbelief (mouths ajar, eyes wide - you know the look).  When they ask me how I was able to hear their conversation, I simply tell them, "I'm Batman, duh!"  We all laugh, but I guarantee you that they won't hold a personal conversation in our class.

Anyways, I've digressed from the prompt long enough.  I would have to say that the superpower I would really like to have is the ability to affect/change a person's emotions.  So many students have walked through my doors already in a bad mood because they've done poorly on an exam for another class, their boyfriend/girlfriend dumped them, or they have personal issues, and it truly reflects in the work that they produce in class.  It would be so amazing to be able to change their attitude and mood so that they can walk into the class with a clean slate (no worries or problems).  I know that as a teacher, I've tried to help students through personal issues, but sometimes it's too much.  It's in those moments that I wish I could flip a switch and help them see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So, as teachers we have developed some pretty nifty skills that could put us up there with the best superheroes.  Sure we can't fly or teleport, but we still have a way to change to course of history.  Every child that walks through our door needs someone that they can look to as a beacon of hope, and sometimes, we are a superhero for them.

-A