MAJ K was correct in what he said about me during the journal conference today. He said that one thing he thought I could improve on that he saw was the fact that I am too nice. I want to be understanding, but instead I'm sometimes a pushover. That can't go on. Sophmore year of high school I made a list in my journal comparing the good teachers I'd had before to the ones that I didn't think could teach and lead the class very well. It turned out to be quite a long list, but I couldn't seem to figure out what was the main thing wrong with the poorer teachers. Today I realized it was that they were too nice and were pushovers. Nobody really respected them and it showed. They didn't have control of the class, and I for one didn't try very hard at all, but they wanted to be nice and understanding and so believed it when we said we did try. I ended up with good grades in both of those classes, but my effort level was down in the C or D range. I also came away from those classes with out learning very much, and in one instance I ended up repeating one of the classes I'd taken in middle school in high school because I didn't have a strong foundation. Now I'm the one that is at risk of being a pushover. If that happens I fail myself and I fail my soldiers. I asked MAJ K how to find the line between being too nice and being an asshole. He said that being an asshole is far better than being too nice, and to try and lean to that side. That's not to say that's what I aspire to be, not at all. In fact, I'd rather like to avoid that all together, but I have to be prepared to sometimes be percived as being one. A good leader cares about their soldiers, but does not baby them or let them slack off. The time to start is now, but how?