ABSTRACT
Bob Fecho begins his narration of this chapter with a discussion of the prevalence of what he calls teacher dreams, which quite frequently manifest into images of classrooms gone amok. The chapter then continues with Emelio, after graduating in the fall, picking up a long-term substitute position at a middle school in New York City. It's a less than ideal situation because his students haven't had a regular teacher since early November. Emelio's stories highlight his concerns about managing behavior in his classroom and his habit of second guessing his teaching decisions. Emelio speaks to the tension flowing from trying to honor and respect the needs of students while also navigating the complexities of lesson planning and assessment. Emelio's stories and reflections invite readers to consider how a teacher's sensitivity to emotions and commitment to nurturing relationships with students simultaneously cloud judgment and enable important insight about how to respond to tension in productive ways.
