It is time for me to retire this blog! I started at my summer job this past Monday and I'm calling it quits as a substitute teacher.
For the record, this subbing gig wasn't the worst thing in the world. Yes, a substitute teacher is constantly being taken advantage of by students. Yes, a substitute teacher leads a lonely life surrounded by teachers and staff s/he barely knows. Yes, a substitute teacher does very little teaching and a lot of babysitting. And yes, the job has very few rewards and the lowest pay imaginable.
What, then, did I get out my six months of subbing? The ability to manage a classroom of unruly, hormonal teenagers. The appropriate language to encourage children to follow rules and respect authority without any anger or frustration on both the teacher and the student's part. The quiet confidence that allowed me to sit in the lunchroom with a bunch of strangers and have a decent conversation. The ability to know when a student has crossed the line and when a student just needs to be ignored or given a task. And finally, six months of experience in a classroom setting. This experience will be of use later in life when I return to the possibility of classroom teaching (as I predict I will).
I do not recommend this course of employment for anyone who wants to make ends meet. People who lack self-confidence, or are over-confident, should steer clear of subbing (the kids will tear apart the weak sub and will retaliate against a sub with too many rules/too much confidence). Anyone who will take what the kids say personally should never, ever, be in a classroom.
I have grown a lot as an educator and I'm a much more confident group leader. This shows when I teach for my part-time job and this will show when I start teaching programs for my summer position. I'm moving on to a position that allows me to contribute to the world in a more concrete way. I get to plan programs, deal with visitor complaints, design advertisements, and be outside every day at a beautiful site.
So long, public school system! Maybe we'll be together again in the future.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Another Day In Spanish Class
I was pretty disappointed to hear that I'd be in the same Spanish class for a second day in a row. I knew that if she didn't have great plans for me the first day, the second day would probably be worse. I was right.
The teacher had assigned things like this, "Answer the following questions in English: what are your favorite foods? What do people in Spanish speaking countries eat? Write down a typical breakfast, lunch, and dinner for your family." What kind of assignment is that??? No seventh grader is going to take that seriously, and very few did. I thought maybe the kids only have Spanish once a week so I might have different classes but no, I had to take on the same group of unruly 7th graders two days in a row.
The lovely 12/13 year olds decided to discuss their virginity (which they've already lost). One boy was explaining that he wanted to sleep with a girl so he lied about his virginity so she'd feel more comfortable. I had to swoop over several times to try and stop these conversations but they just didn't listen. Sometimes I wonder if I should just kick these kids out of the classroom. I never do because I don't feel like they've done anything worthy of being kicked out, they just need to shut their mouths.
The one positive is that the school administrators didn't have me take on other classes during my prep periods. Wednesday I had to cover an English class during my one prep period but yesterday the teacher had three preps in a row so I got to finish my book (finally!). I'm not subbing today because I'm meeting with my former bosses to discuss whether I'll be returning to my summer job again. Cross fingers and toes in the hope that they're willing to pay me what I need to survive!
The teacher had assigned things like this, "Answer the following questions in English: what are your favorite foods? What do people in Spanish speaking countries eat? Write down a typical breakfast, lunch, and dinner for your family." What kind of assignment is that??? No seventh grader is going to take that seriously, and very few did. I thought maybe the kids only have Spanish once a week so I might have different classes but no, I had to take on the same group of unruly 7th graders two days in a row.
The lovely 12/13 year olds decided to discuss their virginity (which they've already lost). One boy was explaining that he wanted to sleep with a girl so he lied about his virginity so she'd feel more comfortable. I had to swoop over several times to try and stop these conversations but they just didn't listen. Sometimes I wonder if I should just kick these kids out of the classroom. I never do because I don't feel like they've done anything worthy of being kicked out, they just need to shut their mouths.
The one positive is that the school administrators didn't have me take on other classes during my prep periods. Wednesday I had to cover an English class during my one prep period but yesterday the teacher had three preps in a row so I got to finish my book (finally!). I'm not subbing today because I'm meeting with my former bosses to discuss whether I'll be returning to my summer job again. Cross fingers and toes in the hope that they're willing to pay me what I need to survive!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Spanish Class
I'm not sure this particular Spanish teacher is ever actually in school. I don't know if she thinks I do a great job with her classes or if no one else will take them, but I feel like once a month at least I'm in this teacher's classroom. And I really don't like it.
For one, the teacher doesn't ever leave good assignments for her classes. My recent favorites: copying vocabulary words for food items into their notebooks and drawing their "dream houses" and labeling the rooms in Spanish. The kids never take these assignments seriously and that leaves me with a room full of kids who know I have no power over them. I can't tell them their dream house drawing is going to be graded because obviously it's just busy work. I wish she would realize that I need worksheets or real assignments to keep the students from taking advantage of the situation.
My best class was eighth graders taking a vocab test. It was a hard test and they spent almost the whole period in silence, working on their tests. Second best was the other eighth grade class working on projects that are due tomorrow. The worst was my first period, a group of seventh graders that I already know from my various placements. The class included some of my least favorite students from my long-term position in seventh grade and also some known problem kids from my other subbing experiences. It was a little crazy in the room but I'm glad I knew the kids. If I was a new substitute coming into that classroom I think I would have died! They were so loud, didn't listen well, and didn't do any of the work. But I now know that they won't get out of hand if I remind them to quiet down and let them get away with doing no work.
I had my first out-of-the-classroom encounter with a student this past weekend. And of course I saw the same kid in my first period today. He exclaimed, "I saw you this weekend!" and then proceeded to try and find out where I was going (to a birthday party) and where I live (two blocks from where I saw him, but I certainly didn't tell him that!). It was a weird encounter and even weirder to see him in class a few days later.
For one, the teacher doesn't ever leave good assignments for her classes. My recent favorites: copying vocabulary words for food items into their notebooks and drawing their "dream houses" and labeling the rooms in Spanish. The kids never take these assignments seriously and that leaves me with a room full of kids who know I have no power over them. I can't tell them their dream house drawing is going to be graded because obviously it's just busy work. I wish she would realize that I need worksheets or real assignments to keep the students from taking advantage of the situation.
My best class was eighth graders taking a vocab test. It was a hard test and they spent almost the whole period in silence, working on their tests. Second best was the other eighth grade class working on projects that are due tomorrow. The worst was my first period, a group of seventh graders that I already know from my various placements. The class included some of my least favorite students from my long-term position in seventh grade and also some known problem kids from my other subbing experiences. It was a little crazy in the room but I'm glad I knew the kids. If I was a new substitute coming into that classroom I think I would have died! They were so loud, didn't listen well, and didn't do any of the work. But I now know that they won't get out of hand if I remind them to quiet down and let them get away with doing no work.
I had my first out-of-the-classroom encounter with a student this past weekend. And of course I saw the same kid in my first period today. He exclaimed, "I saw you this weekend!" and then proceeded to try and find out where I was going (to a birthday party) and where I live (two blocks from where I saw him, but I certainly didn't tell him that!). It was a weird encounter and even weirder to see him in class a few days later.
Monday, May 2, 2011
I'm Back!
I'm officially back. I had my week "off" then my week at the high school. I filled my vacation with work for my other job and my week in the high school went pretty well. I remembered a lot of names and the teacher left me with tons of stuff to do. The topic for the week was ecology, which I love, so I had an easy time coming up with extras for the kids to learn about and little tidbits of interesting information to keep them interested. It was a good week and nice to be back with teachers I can eat lunch with (when I go to a random school I generally eat alone or eat silently while listening to the teachers gab).
I was not looking forward to today. To be honest, I'm really tired of substitute teaching. I have a graduate degree, I've done a million and one internships at some pretty great institutions, and I've had good jobs in the past. This job search funk I'm in is pretty serious and in the last few months I've really lost hope. I finally got a call from last year's summer job and I may be transitioning back there some time in the near future. For now, though, I have to keep subbing and it's bumming me out.
Thankfully the universe was good to me and gave me a great day in the 6th grade. I was a math teacher and her students were probably the best behaved I've ever had. Not a single kid tried to get away with anything and they were actually completely silent while working on their math packets. I was so happy with their behavior I gave every period 10 minutes of game time. I was blown away at how well-behaved they were! Thank you, universe.
On a slightly different note, Osama was killed last night and the kids had a lot to say about it. Many don't think he's really dead and I don't know if that's because their parents are skeptical or they themselves are skeptical. They also knew this was BIG NEWS but since they're young they wanted to discuss it but didn't really have a lot of background information. Sixth graders were two years old in 2001 so they've lived knowing what happened but not fully comprehending. They made me feel old today - "where were you on September 11?" As it happens, I was walking into the choir room for third period (in high school) and saw a plane crash into a building on the TV. I thought, "what kind of idiot can't see a GIANT building in front of them???" I didn't realize the location until I listened to the reporters. It was interesting to compare my experiences with the sixth grader's and think about my parents and JFK's assassination as a sort of parallel.
Anyway, no more ruminations. I'll be off at my other job tomorrow and back in the schools Wednesday.
I was not looking forward to today. To be honest, I'm really tired of substitute teaching. I have a graduate degree, I've done a million and one internships at some pretty great institutions, and I've had good jobs in the past. This job search funk I'm in is pretty serious and in the last few months I've really lost hope. I finally got a call from last year's summer job and I may be transitioning back there some time in the near future. For now, though, I have to keep subbing and it's bumming me out.
Thankfully the universe was good to me and gave me a great day in the 6th grade. I was a math teacher and her students were probably the best behaved I've ever had. Not a single kid tried to get away with anything and they were actually completely silent while working on their math packets. I was so happy with their behavior I gave every period 10 minutes of game time. I was blown away at how well-behaved they were! Thank you, universe.
On a slightly different note, Osama was killed last night and the kids had a lot to say about it. Many don't think he's really dead and I don't know if that's because their parents are skeptical or they themselves are skeptical. They also knew this was BIG NEWS but since they're young they wanted to discuss it but didn't really have a lot of background information. Sixth graders were two years old in 2001 so they've lived knowing what happened but not fully comprehending. They made me feel old today - "where were you on September 11?" As it happens, I was walking into the choir room for third period (in high school) and saw a plane crash into a building on the TV. I thought, "what kind of idiot can't see a GIANT building in front of them???" I didn't realize the location until I listened to the reporters. It was interesting to compare my experiences with the sixth grader's and think about my parents and JFK's assassination as a sort of parallel.
Anyway, no more ruminations. I'll be off at my other job tomorrow and back in the schools Wednesday.
Friday, April 15, 2011
High School Part II
Today I returned to my long term high school biology and physics teacher position. The teacher is having a second surgery so I'll be in for one more week. I'm crossing my fingers that this might be my last subbing gig before transitioning to my summer job.
This is the deal: the teacher had surgery today, April vacation is next week, and I'll be in for her the entire week of the 25th. She left me lesson plans and activities and since this is the ecology chapter she has left me lots of room to improvise (yay!). It should be super fun to teach one of my favorite subjects and I can be more enthusiastic about how cool it is than I was for genetics.
I think most of the students were happy to have me back. I'm pretty sure I overheard one girl complaining right outside the door, "I didn't know she was coming back! Ugh, I can't believe we have to have her again... (blah blah blah)" I don't think I ever had a problem with this particular girl so it's a little weird that she apparently hates me. Oh well. Her problem! The girl in physics that I had a big problem with, G, was definitely not excited to see me. She asked in class whether I would be their sub for the whole week after break and I said yes. Her face was stony, flat, unimpressed. Again - oh well! The feeling is mutual, G, trust me.
The biology students had to graph the population number of deer in a particular preserve over time and I was shocked at the students' lack of graphing skills. I kid you not, they simply wrote the years on one axis and the corresponding population sizes on the other axis and plotted the points (this is after asking me which axis is which). This results in a straight line. I've been subbing in almost every grade level and these kids have absolutely no excuse. They have learned to graph, I've seen it, I've probably taught it at some point. How do you get to your sophomore year of high school and not understand simple graphing??? So I had to explain how to create intervals on the axes, why these intervals increase evenly (in 2s, 5s, 10s, etc) and why they can't simply write down the years from the data set. There are some truly dumb people in this world. There. I said it. Sad but true.
On a different note, it seems that the tanning spree has begun. Several girls in school were nice and brownish orange today. Almost no students wore a jacket to school even though it was a lovely 36 degrees this morning. A kid walking into school in front of me had a t-shirt on and was carrying a red bull in one hand and a Powerade in the other. Oh my.
This is the deal: the teacher had surgery today, April vacation is next week, and I'll be in for her the entire week of the 25th. She left me lesson plans and activities and since this is the ecology chapter she has left me lots of room to improvise (yay!). It should be super fun to teach one of my favorite subjects and I can be more enthusiastic about how cool it is than I was for genetics.
I think most of the students were happy to have me back. I'm pretty sure I overheard one girl complaining right outside the door, "I didn't know she was coming back! Ugh, I can't believe we have to have her again... (blah blah blah)" I don't think I ever had a problem with this particular girl so it's a little weird that she apparently hates me. Oh well. Her problem! The girl in physics that I had a big problem with, G, was definitely not excited to see me. She asked in class whether I would be their sub for the whole week after break and I said yes. Her face was stony, flat, unimpressed. Again - oh well! The feeling is mutual, G, trust me.
The biology students had to graph the population number of deer in a particular preserve over time and I was shocked at the students' lack of graphing skills. I kid you not, they simply wrote the years on one axis and the corresponding population sizes on the other axis and plotted the points (this is after asking me which axis is which). This results in a straight line. I've been subbing in almost every grade level and these kids have absolutely no excuse. They have learned to graph, I've seen it, I've probably taught it at some point. How do you get to your sophomore year of high school and not understand simple graphing??? So I had to explain how to create intervals on the axes, why these intervals increase evenly (in 2s, 5s, 10s, etc) and why they can't simply write down the years from the data set. There are some truly dumb people in this world. There. I said it. Sad but true.
On a different note, it seems that the tanning spree has begun. Several girls in school were nice and brownish orange today. Almost no students wore a jacket to school even though it was a lovely 36 degrees this morning. A kid walking into school in front of me had a t-shirt on and was carrying a red bull in one hand and a Powerade in the other. Oh my.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Oh, Friday.
Oh, Friday, what a crazy day you are. You induce extreme ADHD symptoms in even the most calm of students. I say this even though I really didn't have a bad day. But it is a true fact and it is annoying for all who teach.
I had sixth graders today, in a science classroom. It was the nicest classroom I've ever been in! I think the ceiling was about two stories tall with big windows on each end. It must be a very specific part of the building that I've never been in - I didn't even notice that architecture from the outside. Anyway, I had pretty good kids and I did have an aide for two periods. They were rowdy but their assignment was to keep working on building little cars out of cardboard and tape. Assignments like that are difficult for subs because the kids can get away with a lot of stuff. Groups wanted to test their cars in the hall, asked for materials a lot, and generally goofed around while I wasn't watching. No one got hurt and most finished their cars so my day was successful in that sense.
I also had to fill in for a seventh grade teacher for the last period of the day. These are the kids I had long-term a few weeks ago and they remembered me. It was not a good group of them, though, and they were super loud and rambunctious. It took all I had to remain calm and keep them doing something other than attacking each other. The teacher hadn't left much work at all so I allowed them to play games if-and-only-if they finished the worksheet. I was afraid a teacher was going to come in and yell at me, that's how loud these students were. But thankfully the bell rang and they all went home. Happy weekend!
I had sixth graders today, in a science classroom. It was the nicest classroom I've ever been in! I think the ceiling was about two stories tall with big windows on each end. It must be a very specific part of the building that I've never been in - I didn't even notice that architecture from the outside. Anyway, I had pretty good kids and I did have an aide for two periods. They were rowdy but their assignment was to keep working on building little cars out of cardboard and tape. Assignments like that are difficult for subs because the kids can get away with a lot of stuff. Groups wanted to test their cars in the hall, asked for materials a lot, and generally goofed around while I wasn't watching. No one got hurt and most finished their cars so my day was successful in that sense.
I also had to fill in for a seventh grade teacher for the last period of the day. These are the kids I had long-term a few weeks ago and they remembered me. It was not a good group of them, though, and they were super loud and rambunctious. It took all I had to remain calm and keep them doing something other than attacking each other. The teacher hadn't left much work at all so I allowed them to play games if-and-only-if they finished the worksheet. I was afraid a teacher was going to come in and yell at me, that's how loud these students were. But thankfully the bell rang and they all went home. Happy weekend!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Compliments
Young kids give the best compliments! But I'll get into that later. Today I had fifth grade and the kids were great.
It was a prime example of a hallway where the teachers expect too much (in my humble opinion). It was nice of them to check in but they were really worried about the behavior of the kids and if they were doing well for me. They were fine. The teacher had left a note pointing out three of the students and listing what their normal problem behaviors are and how to deal with them. That was really awesome and I knew what I was dealing with right away. The three listed "problem students" didn't even misbehave today. They were a bit loud at times but no pushing, no swear words, and no lack of work ethic.
I'm not sure if all of the other teachers were having a bad day or what but they had a harassed look about them and seemed really annoyed with the fifth graders at all times. They yelled at them in the hallway and I think would have been appalled at the noise level in my classroom. I thought everything was fine, although I understand that being distracting in the hallway is annoying for other classrooms.
Overall I didn't have to reprimand anyone and the only reminder was to "quiet down". Not out of the ordinary.
Now on to the compliments! I have gotten some great compliments from the younger students in the past, and for some reason they are always about my hair. I really don't think my hair is anything special. It used to be nice and blond but has retreated to a boring brownish color in the last 10 years. The kids always say how beautiful my hair is and I revel in the compliment! The other compliment I got today was about my boots, which I agree are quite nice. I'm glad these kids have no filter and just say nice things because I think as adults we don't speak up when we have positive things to say. I've been trying to do that lately, for example: complimenting someone with a beautiful yard as I walk by or telling a woman on the bus that I like her dress. It might be slightly creepy but hopefully it makes people feel a little better!
It was a prime example of a hallway where the teachers expect too much (in my humble opinion). It was nice of them to check in but they were really worried about the behavior of the kids and if they were doing well for me. They were fine. The teacher had left a note pointing out three of the students and listing what their normal problem behaviors are and how to deal with them. That was really awesome and I knew what I was dealing with right away. The three listed "problem students" didn't even misbehave today. They were a bit loud at times but no pushing, no swear words, and no lack of work ethic.
I'm not sure if all of the other teachers were having a bad day or what but they had a harassed look about them and seemed really annoyed with the fifth graders at all times. They yelled at them in the hallway and I think would have been appalled at the noise level in my classroom. I thought everything was fine, although I understand that being distracting in the hallway is annoying for other classrooms.
Overall I didn't have to reprimand anyone and the only reminder was to "quiet down". Not out of the ordinary.
Now on to the compliments! I have gotten some great compliments from the younger students in the past, and for some reason they are always about my hair. I really don't think my hair is anything special. It used to be nice and blond but has retreated to a boring brownish color in the last 10 years. The kids always say how beautiful my hair is and I revel in the compliment! The other compliment I got today was about my boots, which I agree are quite nice. I'm glad these kids have no filter and just say nice things because I think as adults we don't speak up when we have positive things to say. I've been trying to do that lately, for example: complimenting someone with a beautiful yard as I walk by or telling a woman on the bus that I like her dress. It might be slightly creepy but hopefully it makes people feel a little better!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Thank Goodness for Third Grade: Part II
I had the same group of third graders today (from Monday) and it made my day interesting in a few ways. First, the kids remembered me because I had just been in the classroom (their teacher had been with them in the intervening day). I guess she was really sick and needed another day off. So they were surprised to see me but apparently happy that I was their sub again. I tried to keep those happy feelings going by reminding them of the day on Monday and how good their behavior had been (although it really wasn't great on Monday, but I felt like saying something like that might help). I do think that having a fairly positive day on Monday made today's position easier.
Second, because I was just in this classroom on Monday I remembered the problem kids and what they were like. I could build on whatever strategy I had started to develop a few days ago. I also had a leg up on names and I remembered quite a few. This is always helpful because telling a kid to be quiet and telling "David" to be quiet are two very different things. I think part of the reason students can take advantage of substitutes is because we subs can't learn names that quickly. If I can't directly address a misbehaving student they aren't likely to fix their behavior, but if I can name the kid then they start listening.
I don't keep track of the school schedule and was pleasantly surprised to find out that today was an early release day (we got out of school an hour early). It impacts the elementary school by taking away recess and some classroom time. I love recess because it gives the kids a chance to get out their "wigglies". The good thing about today is that recess was replaced by a movie, National Treasure, that they got to finish after gym. So they got to play some games in gym and then watch a movie - the perfect day! We barely had a chance to finish half the math work assigned.
I did feel bad that I didn't get through much of the work but I don't think it was necessarily my fault. The class didn't settle down very quickly after gym or lunch and we watched 30 minutes of the movie. I think she may have left a lot of work just in case, but I still wish I had gotten the kids through more of the math. There's always tomorrow!
Second, because I was just in this classroom on Monday I remembered the problem kids and what they were like. I could build on whatever strategy I had started to develop a few days ago. I also had a leg up on names and I remembered quite a few. This is always helpful because telling a kid to be quiet and telling "David" to be quiet are two very different things. I think part of the reason students can take advantage of substitutes is because we subs can't learn names that quickly. If I can't directly address a misbehaving student they aren't likely to fix their behavior, but if I can name the kid then they start listening.
I don't keep track of the school schedule and was pleasantly surprised to find out that today was an early release day (we got out of school an hour early). It impacts the elementary school by taking away recess and some classroom time. I love recess because it gives the kids a chance to get out their "wigglies". The good thing about today is that recess was replaced by a movie, National Treasure, that they got to finish after gym. So they got to play some games in gym and then watch a movie - the perfect day! We barely had a chance to finish half the math work assigned.
I did feel bad that I didn't get through much of the work but I don't think it was necessarily my fault. The class didn't settle down very quickly after gym or lunch and we watched 30 minutes of the movie. I think she may have left a lot of work just in case, but I still wish I had gotten the kids through more of the math. There's always tomorrow!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Art!
I got to be an art teacher today! The coordinator didn't even hint at the possibility so when I arrived at the middle school and was told I'd be the art teacher I was pretty psyched. The secretary said, "I guess you're the art teacher today - good luck with that" in a tone that suggested I should not be excited about the opportunity. Turns out, she was kind of right.
I had three periods of art kids: one 6th grade group, one 7th grade group, and one 8th grade group. They got progressively worse as the day wore on. The 6th graders were relatively quiet and didn't mess around too much. The 7th graders were a little bit more rowdy, not as respectful, and didn't really work on the sketch they were supposed to be doing. The 8th graders were pretty bad. No respect, no work ethic, just walked around and talked to their friends. I picked my battles and won a few of them. As long as nothing really bad was happening I let stuff slide. There is no other good way to deal with kids like that. Especially since they fully believe in taking advantage of a substitute teacher.
However!
The great thing about my day was my schedule: three art classes and one period spent in a tutoring classroom. That's it! I had four periods free! Well, three and lunch. I colored a picture and read a new book I got from the library. It was great. I even got to leave early because I didn't have a class last period. A schedule like that makes me want to be an art teacher.
I had three periods of art kids: one 6th grade group, one 7th grade group, and one 8th grade group. They got progressively worse as the day wore on. The 6th graders were relatively quiet and didn't mess around too much. The 7th graders were a little bit more rowdy, not as respectful, and didn't really work on the sketch they were supposed to be doing. The 8th graders were pretty bad. No respect, no work ethic, just walked around and talked to their friends. I picked my battles and won a few of them. As long as nothing really bad was happening I let stuff slide. There is no other good way to deal with kids like that. Especially since they fully believe in taking advantage of a substitute teacher.
However!
The great thing about my day was my schedule: three art classes and one period spent in a tutoring classroom. That's it! I had four periods free! Well, three and lunch. I colored a picture and read a new book I got from the library. It was great. I even got to leave early because I didn't have a class last period. A schedule like that makes me want to be an art teacher.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Thank Goodness for Third Grade
I was on the verge of calling in sick, if you can believe it. I got very little sleep and woke up nauseous. Sadly I had already taken the call from the coordinator without realizing my nausea, so instead of calling back I decided to suck it up and get to work.
Thankfully I had a relatively easy third grade class. I was amazed at the level of quiet in the room as compared to last week's first grade. Especially in the morning, when they all seemed to understand that they had to take care of their work. Most of the kids worked diligently and finished as quickly as possible. Up until lunch time they did well with the worksheets and math problems.
Unfortunately it was raining so we had indoor recess. This meant that a small amount of havoc occurred after lunch but I felt like the kids needed a break so I let them go a little crazy. It was hard to pull them back to reality. They were pretty distracted after lunch and we didn't get through everything the teacher had laid out for the day. That said, I think they did plenty of work today (I swear there were 10 different worksheets).
I realized while playing multiplication bingo that I had prizes with me so I decided to hand them out to the winners. It's so hard to give kids prizes because everyone wants one and when it's a game of "luck" they all freak out and complain about how unfair the game was. It's a stupid plastic animal, come on! But I know we all used to be like that and I complain when I don't win raffles even now. So I guess it's understandable.
Thankfully I had a relatively easy third grade class. I was amazed at the level of quiet in the room as compared to last week's first grade. Especially in the morning, when they all seemed to understand that they had to take care of their work. Most of the kids worked diligently and finished as quickly as possible. Up until lunch time they did well with the worksheets and math problems.
Unfortunately it was raining so we had indoor recess. This meant that a small amount of havoc occurred after lunch but I felt like the kids needed a break so I let them go a little crazy. It was hard to pull them back to reality. They were pretty distracted after lunch and we didn't get through everything the teacher had laid out for the day. That said, I think they did plenty of work today (I swear there were 10 different worksheets).
I realized while playing multiplication bingo that I had prizes with me so I decided to hand them out to the winners. It's so hard to give kids prizes because everyone wants one and when it's a game of "luck" they all freak out and complain about how unfair the game was. It's a stupid plastic animal, come on! But I know we all used to be like that and I complain when I don't win raffles even now. So I guess it's understandable.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Blah
I'm feeling blah. Yesterday and today were both difficult placements and now I have a lurking headache. It isn't quite there, but I can feel something right behind my eyeballs.
Yesterday was a gem because I was in 1st grade with no aide. Twenty three six and seven year-olds and me. Here is the profile of the classroom: 25% tattletales, 25% crybabies, 35% ADHD/behavioral problems, 15% normal. All day long I had kids running up to me complaining that "she hit me with her elbow" or "he took my pencil and won't give it back" or "she's talking about me". What the heck am I supposed to do about this crap? I also had the crybabies sniffling in the corner, or refusing to leave the library, or asking to go to the nurse every 5 minutes. And then I had my problem kids who could not focus, would not sit, had to bother the kids sitting next to them all day long. I cannot be in 14 places at once but that's what was asked of me. The day was sooooooo loooooooong. Where did my little kid skills disappear to?
Then today I got 8th grade, a classroom I've been in already and a hall that I've been in a lot lately. Sadly this 8th grade hallway is not my favorite. There are some that are good - the right side seventh grade hall at middle school A for example. But this particular hall has some real winners, including H who smiles at you the whole class period while totally ignoring your requests, making farting noises, and sharing sexual jokes with his neighbor. Ick.
This particular middle school is my least favorite because they tend to sign me up to cover for other classes throughout the day. All teachers get prep periods that are free and I usually spend them snacking and reading a book. Middle school teachers get two free periods out of seven total (not including lunch). But today, since it was going so well for me, I was signed up to cover for a Spanish class for my two free periods. No wonder I have a headache! It sounds stupid that I should need time off from teaching a measly five periods of class, but when the kids are driving you up the wall you need some time to decompress before the next class. I didn't get that today.
By the time the last period arrived I was ready to give up. This was a double block so I had already had these kids before lunch. Not my favorite class, it included H, and the girls would NOT STOP TALKING. And they laughed at me when I told them to change seats! Laughed right in my face! I just wanted to smack them and tell them to grow up. Alas, that is not an acceptable response. I had to channel my inner calmness.
Thank goodness for the weekend. I can't take much more of this!
Yesterday was a gem because I was in 1st grade with no aide. Twenty three six and seven year-olds and me. Here is the profile of the classroom: 25% tattletales, 25% crybabies, 35% ADHD/behavioral problems, 15% normal. All day long I had kids running up to me complaining that "she hit me with her elbow" or "he took my pencil and won't give it back" or "she's talking about me". What the heck am I supposed to do about this crap? I also had the crybabies sniffling in the corner, or refusing to leave the library, or asking to go to the nurse every 5 minutes. And then I had my problem kids who could not focus, would not sit, had to bother the kids sitting next to them all day long. I cannot be in 14 places at once but that's what was asked of me. The day was sooooooo loooooooong. Where did my little kid skills disappear to?
Then today I got 8th grade, a classroom I've been in already and a hall that I've been in a lot lately. Sadly this 8th grade hallway is not my favorite. There are some that are good - the right side seventh grade hall at middle school A for example. But this particular hall has some real winners, including H who smiles at you the whole class period while totally ignoring your requests, making farting noises, and sharing sexual jokes with his neighbor. Ick.
This particular middle school is my least favorite because they tend to sign me up to cover for other classes throughout the day. All teachers get prep periods that are free and I usually spend them snacking and reading a book. Middle school teachers get two free periods out of seven total (not including lunch). But today, since it was going so well for me, I was signed up to cover for a Spanish class for my two free periods. No wonder I have a headache! It sounds stupid that I should need time off from teaching a measly five periods of class, but when the kids are driving you up the wall you need some time to decompress before the next class. I didn't get that today.
By the time the last period arrived I was ready to give up. This was a double block so I had already had these kids before lunch. Not my favorite class, it included H, and the girls would NOT STOP TALKING. And they laughed at me when I told them to change seats! Laughed right in my face! I just wanted to smack them and tell them to grow up. Alas, that is not an acceptable response. I had to channel my inner calmness.
Thank goodness for the weekend. I can't take much more of this!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
High School Assembly
Today I was feeling annoyed. I think it was a combination of not sleeping well and hitting annoying traffic on my way to school. I had already left late and by the time I got to school the kids were already shuffling into the classroom for homeroom. Plus, they weren't sitting in their assigned seats and that really annoys me. Do they really think the teacher didn't leave me a seating chart? They're such dummies sometimes. Since I was already annoyed it just added to my frustrations.
Then, during one of my better groups of kids, I overheard a boy talking about how he was going to get either a komodo dragon or a pit bull over the summer. What is wrong with this kid's parents? I'm hoping he was just talking out of his butt because I don't think komodo dragons can be legally kept as pets. He was surrounded by his dopey friends and talking up his desire for a lizard on a leash. Ridiculous.
I also noticed the large number of girls with manicured nails. I'm not talking just nail polish - these girls had acrylics with all sorts of colors and metallic sheens. When I was in 8th grade I didn't know anyone with fake nails. We painted them, sure, and sometimes tried to do designs, but we didn't start getting manicures until the high school dances. And then we only got them done for the dances! Acrylics are expensive and they have to be filled all the time and I just don't understand how they have the money for them. I guess their parents are willing to shell out some cash for black tipped fake nails.
Besides my classes, which were mostly fine and went smoothly, I had to take my homeroom down to the auditorium for an assembly. Two weeks ago I had to do the same thing but I didn't realize that I would have the pleasure of listening to that very same assembly today.
The high school guidance counselor for the rising freshmen came to talk about the transition up from 8th grade: how to pick classes, joining clubs and sports teams, what discipline is like at the high school, etc. She brought four seniors with her to talk about their experiences and how they chose classes and clubs. It was all very interesting (although the exact same schpiel I listened to last week). The kids asked some good questions at the end, mostly about grades and how they would affect participation in sports and clubs. There was some snickering when one of the seniors said she was president of the Gay Straight Alliance. Otherwise I was impressed with the 8th graders for being respectful and asking good questions.
I remember hating middle school and being ready to make new friends in high school. It all worked out in the end but it's hard to see that when you're only 13!
Then, during one of my better groups of kids, I overheard a boy talking about how he was going to get either a komodo dragon or a pit bull over the summer. What is wrong with this kid's parents? I'm hoping he was just talking out of his butt because I don't think komodo dragons can be legally kept as pets. He was surrounded by his dopey friends and talking up his desire for a lizard on a leash. Ridiculous.
I also noticed the large number of girls with manicured nails. I'm not talking just nail polish - these girls had acrylics with all sorts of colors and metallic sheens. When I was in 8th grade I didn't know anyone with fake nails. We painted them, sure, and sometimes tried to do designs, but we didn't start getting manicures until the high school dances. And then we only got them done for the dances! Acrylics are expensive and they have to be filled all the time and I just don't understand how they have the money for them. I guess their parents are willing to shell out some cash for black tipped fake nails.
Besides my classes, which were mostly fine and went smoothly, I had to take my homeroom down to the auditorium for an assembly. Two weeks ago I had to do the same thing but I didn't realize that I would have the pleasure of listening to that very same assembly today.
The high school guidance counselor for the rising freshmen came to talk about the transition up from 8th grade: how to pick classes, joining clubs and sports teams, what discipline is like at the high school, etc. She brought four seniors with her to talk about their experiences and how they chose classes and clubs. It was all very interesting (although the exact same schpiel I listened to last week). The kids asked some good questions at the end, mostly about grades and how they would affect participation in sports and clubs. There was some snickering when one of the seniors said she was president of the Gay Straight Alliance. Otherwise I was impressed with the 8th graders for being respectful and asking good questions.
I remember hating middle school and being ready to make new friends in high school. It all worked out in the end but it's hard to see that when you're only 13!
March 28th
I forgot to post again (Monday) so you'll get a double dose today.
After a week off I was back in middle school. I've been in the middle school so much lately that I'm starting to recognize kids and they are recognizing me. I don't know if I'm a good or bad substitute in their eyes, but things seem to be going well.
I was in a 7th grade science classroom subbing for a teacher I had subbed for a long time ago (way back in November I think). Back then I had just started doing middle school classrooms and this was one of the first days that I was really bored.
I think I just subbed for this particular group of 7th graders but for their math teacher, maybe a week ago. At any rate, I really didn't have any discipline problems at all. This particular group is really good. Every time I've been in for their teachers they've done well.
The nicest thing to know is who is going to misbehave. If I know that ahead of time I can know where to hover the most, who to be firm with, and who to sit these kids with during group work. I can mentally prepare myself and I think it gives me the little extra confidence I need to have a smooth day.
Tuesday I was off at my other job for the day so there is nothing to report.
After a week off I was back in middle school. I've been in the middle school so much lately that I'm starting to recognize kids and they are recognizing me. I don't know if I'm a good or bad substitute in their eyes, but things seem to be going well.
I was in a 7th grade science classroom subbing for a teacher I had subbed for a long time ago (way back in November I think). Back then I had just started doing middle school classrooms and this was one of the first days that I was really bored.
I think I just subbed for this particular group of 7th graders but for their math teacher, maybe a week ago. At any rate, I really didn't have any discipline problems at all. This particular group is really good. Every time I've been in for their teachers they've done well.
The nicest thing to know is who is going to misbehave. If I know that ahead of time I can know where to hover the most, who to be firm with, and who to sit these kids with during group work. I can mentally prepare myself and I think it gives me the little extra confidence I need to have a smooth day.
Tuesday I was off at my other job for the day so there is nothing to report.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Cute!
Since I've been unable to post anything new this week, here are some drawings for your viewing pleasure (from various grades).
Monday, March 21, 2011
Away
Now don't be alarmed when I fail to update this blog all week. I'm out of town and will be back in action next Monday. You're all going to have to get your substitute teaching fix somewhere else for a few days!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Back to Elementary School
It's been a while since I've done any subbing at an elementary school, with my kindergarten day as the one exception. Yesterday I was an 8th grade math teacher and the kids were pretty much fine all day. I was busy after school and didn't get a chance to post. It wasn't an eventful day so I don't feel it warrants a full write-up. There are always annoying 8th graders (they're at the top of their game in school, the oldest until they get to high school) and I dealt with them.
Today I was a fifth grade teacher and I had the kids for language arts, science, and social studies (they went next door for math). It's hard to teach the elementary ages. They need a lot more guidance and even though these kids were really helpful I was still overwhelmed with the details of the day. There are a lot of hour-long subjects and I have the same kids all day, which is both good and bad. I almost learned all of their names (good) but I was just about done with J, a boy with an attitude (bad).
There is also a lot less personal time in elementary school. I did have a free hour while they went to gym class but I didn't have my usual lunch period and second free period like in the middle schools. The teachers go outside for recess so I lose that precious alone time to clean up the room and write up some of my notes to the teacher. I stayed an extra 20 minutes after today, which is really unusual when I sub in the older grades.
I finally put my prize system in place today. I used to carry around a bag full of little plastic animals and bookmarks but I never remembered to use them so I stopped bringing it to school. I had "Star Students" today and wrote the names of kids being really great students on the board. They got to pick from my bag of goodies at the end of the day. In the end, I gave every kid a prize because I don't know what I'm going to do with all of the stupid things. They were pretty psyched.
A kid told me today, "You're a really interesting teacher". What a funny comment! He was smiling when he said it so I think it was a compliment. I was letting the kids choose their colonial profession (anyone want to be a miller or cooper?) and having them tally on the board who wanted to be what. I guess that was a cool and interesting thing to do!
Today I was a fifth grade teacher and I had the kids for language arts, science, and social studies (they went next door for math). It's hard to teach the elementary ages. They need a lot more guidance and even though these kids were really helpful I was still overwhelmed with the details of the day. There are a lot of hour-long subjects and I have the same kids all day, which is both good and bad. I almost learned all of their names (good) but I was just about done with J, a boy with an attitude (bad).
There is also a lot less personal time in elementary school. I did have a free hour while they went to gym class but I didn't have my usual lunch period and second free period like in the middle schools. The teachers go outside for recess so I lose that precious alone time to clean up the room and write up some of my notes to the teacher. I stayed an extra 20 minutes after today, which is really unusual when I sub in the older grades.
I finally put my prize system in place today. I used to carry around a bag full of little plastic animals and bookmarks but I never remembered to use them so I stopped bringing it to school. I had "Star Students" today and wrote the names of kids being really great students on the board. They got to pick from my bag of goodies at the end of the day. In the end, I gave every kid a prize because I don't know what I'm going to do with all of the stupid things. They were pretty psyched.
A kid told me today, "You're a really interesting teacher". What a funny comment! He was smiling when he said it so I think it was a compliment. I was letting the kids choose their colonial profession (anyone want to be a miller or cooper?) and having them tally on the board who wanted to be what. I guess that was a cool and interesting thing to do!
Monday, March 14, 2011
A Name For Myself
This post will be short since I was in the same classroom as Friday and the kids were equally good, if not better, today. I was really bored most of the day because they were just sitting and doing their work - I barely had to do anything at all!
As it turns out the teachers seem to really like me in this particular 8th grade hallway and I guess I was requested to return to the classroom. It's a nice compliment and I'm glad I can do a good job. When days go well I always end up thinking I could teach full time but then I'll get a bad group of kids and be reminded why I probably won't teach. Not to mention the fact that someone would have to hire me without any formal education courses in my background.
Even if I don't teach, I'm still getting a lot out of the job. Ultimately I think subbing gives me a really good sense for child/adult management. I typically work with a new group of kids each day that range in age from five to fourteen. I also work with different groups of teachers and aides every day. I'm getting really good at introducing myself, choosing the best strategy to work with the adults and students, and nipping problems in the bud. I'm at ease working with brand new people and have not a care in the world about standing up in front of a group of people and talking (and being wrong too!).
As it turns out the teachers seem to really like me in this particular 8th grade hallway and I guess I was requested to return to the classroom. It's a nice compliment and I'm glad I can do a good job. When days go well I always end up thinking I could teach full time but then I'll get a bad group of kids and be reminded why I probably won't teach. Not to mention the fact that someone would have to hire me without any formal education courses in my background.
Even if I don't teach, I'm still getting a lot out of the job. Ultimately I think subbing gives me a really good sense for child/adult management. I typically work with a new group of kids each day that range in age from five to fourteen. I also work with different groups of teachers and aides every day. I'm getting really good at introducing myself, choosing the best strategy to work with the adults and students, and nipping problems in the bud. I'm at ease working with brand new people and have not a care in the world about standing up in front of a group of people and talking (and being wrong too!).
Saturday, March 12, 2011
I Might Be A Good Sub!
I'm beginning to think I have control in the classroom! Although this only applies to middle school classrooms. That fact in and of itself is a shock since I used to really hate being in the middle schools. I've been subbing in K-8 classrooms, plus some high school experience, since November 1st (ish) and I finally feel like I've got the older kids under control.
Yesterday I was in an 8th grade science classroom. This is usually scary and makes me nervous. But lately I've been getting so many middle school calls and the days have been going so well that I wasn't too nervous.
Each period the kids were quiet and were legitimately working on the assignment. I was in shock! The aide for one of the classes was really impressed, as were the other teachers in the lunch room. They couldn't believe how quiet the students were for me. I was amazed too, to be honest, but happy as well. Apparently my system is working and I have an air of confidence and a don't-mess-with-me attitude that causes my students to behave (and I think have a tiny bit of fun).
Of course, now that I've posted these thoughts I'm sure I'll get the middle school class from hell...
Yesterday I was in an 8th grade science classroom. This is usually scary and makes me nervous. But lately I've been getting so many middle school calls and the days have been going so well that I wasn't too nervous.
Each period the kids were quiet and were legitimately working on the assignment. I was in shock! The aide for one of the classes was really impressed, as were the other teachers in the lunch room. They couldn't believe how quiet the students were for me. I was amazed too, to be honest, but happy as well. Apparently my system is working and I have an air of confidence and a don't-mess-with-me attitude that causes my students to behave (and I think have a tiny bit of fun).
Of course, now that I've posted these thoughts I'm sure I'll get the middle school class from hell...
Friday, March 11, 2011
March 10th
I have to keep writing multiple posts in one day because my after-school time gets so hectic! Sorry about that. Yesterday I went straight from school to a coffee "date" with a teacher-now-friend, from there to pick up stuff from the store, then straight home to cook dessert for a dinner with friends. Whew!
I was given a choice in the morning: kindergarten or middle school gym. It's too early in the morning to make smart decisions, but I thought gym with pre-teens sounded horrific so I chose kindergarten. I assumed I'd have an aide with me all day who could help with kid management and the various lessons throughout the day.
When I arrived at school the aide wasn't there. She didn't arrive until 20 minutes after the kids. So I had get them in the door, jackets and backpacks put away, they had to get their breakfasts and sit at the table and eat. Me versus 17 kindergartners. Needless to say this was difficult. I didn't know any names and the teacher didn't leave me much in her plans for the day. I was relieved to see the aide walk in!
Breakfast had not gone well - a kid was throwing Trix everywhere, a girl dropped her entire cereal bowl full of milk on the floor, some boys were throwing straws at each other, and a table of girls kept tattling on each other and tugging at my sleeve to get me to pay attention. When morning meeting started (this is when each kid has a job, like reading the date or telling us what the weather is like - it involves a lot of singing) there were several children that I could tell were going to be real problems. A particular boy, D, ran around the room trying to avoid sitting in the circle. He shot his fake gun at me and ran around, saying "no". It was not fun. Eventually he had a long piece of paper in his hand, the border from a display board I think, and he whipped a girl in the face with it. I immediately got the principal and he was sent home.
The kids all went to music (thank goodness) and I found out that the aide is part-time and would be leaving at 12pm, leaving me alone with 17 kids for two and half hours. !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to gather my thoughts at that point and brainstorm some ideas to keep the kids from killing me.
The rest of the day was similar to the above description. One girl, W, didn't want to do a thing I asked her to do. She flashed all of the kids over and over again and kept talking about her breasts. She talked through all of the lessons and got the other kids in trouble. Another kid, C, didn't want to do anything I asked either. He chose to scream and cry through half the day. He actually fell asleep during story time and when I woke him up bawled his eyes out for a good 10 minutes.
I took them out to recess after lunch and prayed they would get some of the jitters out. It didn't really work and riled them up instead of calming them down. By the end of the day I was ready to pull my hair out. The room was a mess because none of them would clean anything up and I barely got them all out the door. When I met my friend for a coffee I got a huge pastry to calm my nerves.
Every other kindergarten experience has been sort of fun and I'm really sad that I had such a difficult day yesterday.
I was given a choice in the morning: kindergarten or middle school gym. It's too early in the morning to make smart decisions, but I thought gym with pre-teens sounded horrific so I chose kindergarten. I assumed I'd have an aide with me all day who could help with kid management and the various lessons throughout the day.
When I arrived at school the aide wasn't there. She didn't arrive until 20 minutes after the kids. So I had get them in the door, jackets and backpacks put away, they had to get their breakfasts and sit at the table and eat. Me versus 17 kindergartners. Needless to say this was difficult. I didn't know any names and the teacher didn't leave me much in her plans for the day. I was relieved to see the aide walk in!
Breakfast had not gone well - a kid was throwing Trix everywhere, a girl dropped her entire cereal bowl full of milk on the floor, some boys were throwing straws at each other, and a table of girls kept tattling on each other and tugging at my sleeve to get me to pay attention. When morning meeting started (this is when each kid has a job, like reading the date or telling us what the weather is like - it involves a lot of singing) there were several children that I could tell were going to be real problems. A particular boy, D, ran around the room trying to avoid sitting in the circle. He shot his fake gun at me and ran around, saying "no". It was not fun. Eventually he had a long piece of paper in his hand, the border from a display board I think, and he whipped a girl in the face with it. I immediately got the principal and he was sent home.
The kids all went to music (thank goodness) and I found out that the aide is part-time and would be leaving at 12pm, leaving me alone with 17 kids for two and half hours. !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to gather my thoughts at that point and brainstorm some ideas to keep the kids from killing me.
The rest of the day was similar to the above description. One girl, W, didn't want to do a thing I asked her to do. She flashed all of the kids over and over again and kept talking about her breasts. She talked through all of the lessons and got the other kids in trouble. Another kid, C, didn't want to do anything I asked either. He chose to scream and cry through half the day. He actually fell asleep during story time and when I woke him up bawled his eyes out for a good 10 minutes.
I took them out to recess after lunch and prayed they would get some of the jitters out. It didn't really work and riled them up instead of calming them down. By the end of the day I was ready to pull my hair out. The room was a mess because none of them would clean anything up and I barely got them all out the door. When I met my friend for a coffee I got a huge pastry to calm my nerves.
Every other kindergarten experience has been sort of fun and I'm really sad that I had such a difficult day yesterday.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
7:38 a.m.
I figure once it gets past 6:30 am I'm not getting called. So this morning I hadn't been called and fell back asleep, feeling sad that I didn't get work two days in a row. Then, as I'm drifting off into deep sleep my phone rings. At 7:38am. And someone has just called in to the middle school so I'm off. I had to shower and get ready quick and try to be there as soon as possible.
This particular school is so annoying - they just say the teacher's name, not what that person teaches, and today I only got a room number. It was a support classroom for 6th graders and the aide hadn't arrived at school yet even though it was 8:45am. This did not start the day off well for the kids. They definitely thought they were getting off easy - no one knew there was no teacher in the room for a while.
So the students were already revved up thinking they'd have no teacher. Then I arrive and try to get them to do some work, even though the teacher didn't leave any plans. This threw them off their game and I almost got them to do some work at which point the aide arrived. This caused a ruckus as they all greeted her. She took over the class at this point and I felt relegated to "shushing duty".
I usually like it when the aide takes control of the room because she knows the kids and knows what kind of work needs to be done. Especially on a day like today when the teacher is unexpectedly out and leaves no plans. But today I felt ignored and slightly disrespected. I'm not totally sure why, but I did.
Thankfully it was a half day so I arrived at 8:45am and left at 12pm. A very short day but thank goodness I got some work.
This particular school is so annoying - they just say the teacher's name, not what that person teaches, and today I only got a room number. It was a support classroom for 6th graders and the aide hadn't arrived at school yet even though it was 8:45am. This did not start the day off well for the kids. They definitely thought they were getting off easy - no one knew there was no teacher in the room for a while.
So the students were already revved up thinking they'd have no teacher. Then I arrive and try to get them to do some work, even though the teacher didn't leave any plans. This threw them off their game and I almost got them to do some work at which point the aide arrived. This caused a ruckus as they all greeted her. She took over the class at this point and I felt relegated to "shushing duty".
I usually like it when the aide takes control of the room because she knows the kids and knows what kind of work needs to be done. Especially on a day like today when the teacher is unexpectedly out and leaves no plans. But today I felt ignored and slightly disrespected. I'm not totally sure why, but I did.
Thankfully it was a half day so I arrived at 8:45am and left at 12pm. A very short day but thank goodness I got some work.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Autism
I don't know too much about autism. I think most of my knowledge comes from reading The Babysitter's Club story. I do know more than that, but still, not that much. So when I was placed in an autism classroom today I was surprised that the sub coordinator hadn't told me on the phone. She said I'd be in a 4th/5th classroom. Surprise!
A lot of people were out today and that ended up meaning that I subbed for two different rooms. In the 4/5 room there were two aides and the teacher was out sick. The kids were fine and doing well with just the aides so they sent me down to the pre-K classroom. In the pre-K room two of the three aides were out sick and the teacher was experiencing the final throes of a stomach bug. It was myself, the sick but present teacher, and an aide. Three adults, six children. Great ratio, right?
Wrong! Not only are these kids incredibly young (between 3 and 5), they're autistic, and it was one kid's third day in school ever. None of them had clear speech, all had attention problems, most had control issues, and the new kid was definitely out of his comfort zone. I spent the day simply trying to get the kids to pay attention to the task. We went to occupational therapy and the new kid screamed the entire time because he had to sit in a chair and wait his turn. It was pretty exhausting. Lunch was really hard because they don't want to eat, they throw food, they try to get up and walk around, they eat too much food at once, etc. Any problem imaginable happens at lunchtime. One kid had control issues and would get up and run around the room, looking for doors to slam shut. If you've never been in a special ed room it's hard to understand how much commotion is constantly occurring. Special ed teachers deserve a huge amount of respect. They teach these kids control, speech, respect for others, routine daily activities, and any number of things regular teachers take for granted.
It's also hard to substitute in a special ed room because I've never had any training for situations like those that occurred today. Do I restrain the kid? Do I help him? Do I fix the problem myself or make the kid fix it? Do I force the kid to eat his pretzels? It's hard to know the answers to these questions without understanding the rules of working with special ed kids.
The teacher was really sick so it was an easy day. We ended with a movie because she just kept getting waves of nausea. All day I was wiping snotty noses and I'm sure I'm going to reap the rewards later with a nice, awful cold. Just hopefully not the stomach bug!
A lot of people were out today and that ended up meaning that I subbed for two different rooms. In the 4/5 room there were two aides and the teacher was out sick. The kids were fine and doing well with just the aides so they sent me down to the pre-K classroom. In the pre-K room two of the three aides were out sick and the teacher was experiencing the final throes of a stomach bug. It was myself, the sick but present teacher, and an aide. Three adults, six children. Great ratio, right?
Wrong! Not only are these kids incredibly young (between 3 and 5), they're autistic, and it was one kid's third day in school ever. None of them had clear speech, all had attention problems, most had control issues, and the new kid was definitely out of his comfort zone. I spent the day simply trying to get the kids to pay attention to the task. We went to occupational therapy and the new kid screamed the entire time because he had to sit in a chair and wait his turn. It was pretty exhausting. Lunch was really hard because they don't want to eat, they throw food, they try to get up and walk around, they eat too much food at once, etc. Any problem imaginable happens at lunchtime. One kid had control issues and would get up and run around the room, looking for doors to slam shut. If you've never been in a special ed room it's hard to understand how much commotion is constantly occurring. Special ed teachers deserve a huge amount of respect. They teach these kids control, speech, respect for others, routine daily activities, and any number of things regular teachers take for granted.
It's also hard to substitute in a special ed room because I've never had any training for situations like those that occurred today. Do I restrain the kid? Do I help him? Do I fix the problem myself or make the kid fix it? Do I force the kid to eat his pretzels? It's hard to know the answers to these questions without understanding the rules of working with special ed kids.
The teacher was really sick so it was an easy day. We ended with a movie because she just kept getting waves of nausea. All day I was wiping snotty noses and I'm sure I'm going to reap the rewards later with a nice, awful cold. Just hopefully not the stomach bug!
Friday, March 4, 2011
So Many Worksheets
My life is filled with worksheets. Some are good, some are bad. Some are never-ending and some don't take any time at all. Some involve coloring and diagramming while others are pure text. Some are all fun and games, some require the use of a textbook, some are almost like a test. No matter what, I end up handing out a worksheet almost every day. It's no wonder we're losing so much forest to paper mills!
Today's worksheets, for 7th grade science, were the kind that require the student to find the answers in the textbook. Which of course means that instead of reading the whole chapter through they go through and try to find the answers. I am now convinced that this method takes a lot longer than simply reading the chapter first. I cannot tell you how many times a kid asked about a question from the book and all I did was simply point to the paragraph. "But where is the answer?" "In this paragraph, read the whole thing (in my head: you dummy!)"
The students were quite pleasant today, which is shocking considering it's Friday. The only problems I had occurred after lunch. I had a group of kids for double block today, meaning I saw them for the second time in the afternoon right after lunch. I basically was traffic control for a parade to the bathroom and they really didn't do much even though they were supposed to be answering questions on a worksheet.
Right after that I was asked to fill in for a computer teacher who had to go home early. So I didn't get my two free periods that I normally have, which sort of sucked. The kids were pretty zonked at this point and weren't very interested in acting like human beings. Lots of odd noises were emitted and lots of moving from computer to computer. They weren't even doing computer work - they were doing a word search. I left the teacher a note saying how crazy they were.
I also encountered another rude teacher today. My neighbor was pretty horrible. Not only did she look like a mess (really overweight, ugly plaid button down, ugliest shoes ever, not-pretty gray hair that was quite disheveled) but she yelled and shouted and berated the students all day. At the end of the day I was coming back from my stint with the computer class to take care of my homeroom and she yells at me to pass out some green papers, as if I was supposed to know about that. I was a little offended. I think her general tone and demeanor are just offending and she may not have meant to be rude, but she was. Nevertheless I had a good day and I'm glad it's Friday. Now on to a lovely weekend of hopefully 45 degree weather!
Today's worksheets, for 7th grade science, were the kind that require the student to find the answers in the textbook. Which of course means that instead of reading the whole chapter through they go through and try to find the answers. I am now convinced that this method takes a lot longer than simply reading the chapter first. I cannot tell you how many times a kid asked about a question from the book and all I did was simply point to the paragraph. "But where is the answer?" "In this paragraph, read the whole thing (in my head: you dummy!)"
The students were quite pleasant today, which is shocking considering it's Friday. The only problems I had occurred after lunch. I had a group of kids for double block today, meaning I saw them for the second time in the afternoon right after lunch. I basically was traffic control for a parade to the bathroom and they really didn't do much even though they were supposed to be answering questions on a worksheet.
Right after that I was asked to fill in for a computer teacher who had to go home early. So I didn't get my two free periods that I normally have, which sort of sucked. The kids were pretty zonked at this point and weren't very interested in acting like human beings. Lots of odd noises were emitted and lots of moving from computer to computer. They weren't even doing computer work - they were doing a word search. I left the teacher a note saying how crazy they were.
I also encountered another rude teacher today. My neighbor was pretty horrible. Not only did she look like a mess (really overweight, ugly plaid button down, ugliest shoes ever, not-pretty gray hair that was quite disheveled) but she yelled and shouted and berated the students all day. At the end of the day I was coming back from my stint with the computer class to take care of my homeroom and she yells at me to pass out some green papers, as if I was supposed to know about that. I was a little offended. I think her general tone and demeanor are just offending and she may not have meant to be rude, but she was. Nevertheless I had a good day and I'm glad it's Friday. Now on to a lovely weekend of hopefully 45 degree weather!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
March 3rd
And I'm finally caught up! This will have to be short because I'm running out of time. Today I was placed in some kind of "catch-up" classroom. The kids weren't special ed or behavioral problems. They just need extra help learning stuff. I'm sure there's an official name for it but I don't know what it is.
I only had three kids most of the day and they were a breeze. I don't think the teacher knew she was going to be out so there wasn't much for the kids to do. On top of that she was out the day before and they did a ton of worksheets so I decided to improvise a little.
The kids are with the teacher all day and do all subjects with her so for Language Arts we read a short mystery story and answered some questions. Then I talked to the kids about what made it a mystery and we all wrote our own mystery stories. Then for Social Studies they colored in maps of Great Britain and for Science we watched a video about Australia's crazy animals. They loved the video! I got to talk to them about my knowledge of Australian wildlife and they were kind of into the biology. For Math a fourth girl joined us and we did a couple of worksheets and played Bingo using times tables. It was pretty easy. I had been warned that the extra girl in Math might act up but she was fine. I'm not sure if I'm emitting confidence lately but something's on my side!
I only had three kids most of the day and they were a breeze. I don't think the teacher knew she was going to be out so there wasn't much for the kids to do. On top of that she was out the day before and they did a ton of worksheets so I decided to improvise a little.
The kids are with the teacher all day and do all subjects with her so for Language Arts we read a short mystery story and answered some questions. Then I talked to the kids about what made it a mystery and we all wrote our own mystery stories. Then for Social Studies they colored in maps of Great Britain and for Science we watched a video about Australia's crazy animals. They loved the video! I got to talk to them about my knowledge of Australian wildlife and they were kind of into the biology. For Math a fourth girl joined us and we did a couple of worksheets and played Bingo using times tables. It was pretty easy. I had been warned that the extra girl in Math might act up but she was fine. I'm not sure if I'm emitting confidence lately but something's on my side!
March 2nd
I know, I was bad and didn't post. I had a headache on Tuesday! And then yesterday I was running around after work and didn't even turn my computer on until 10pm. So I have some excuses.
I had middle school again yesterday, and it went really well. I think I was some sort of reading specialist, but no one ever told me. I did read a lot with the students and we talked about plot and setting and characters, etc.
It was a nice day. The teacher didn't have a lot of periods and the kids were all angels, actually. I have no complaints at all. We would read a story aloud and then answer some questions about the reading. We did some writing in one period. It was all very easy.
I also had lunch duty, which worried me. I didn't know how rambunctious the kids were going to be. But they were fine - they just ate and then we went outside and they ran around screaming and chasing each other.
My biggest annoyance was actually the teacher next door. This man came over after my first period, in which I only had three students, and he proclaimed "Well that's got to be the easiest class you've ever taught! Just wait until the 8th graders tear you apart! (dramatic pause) Just squash 'em!" Umm, ok? How was I supposed to respond to that blustery man's statement? Was he assuming I couldn't handle 8th graders? How does he have any idea? In fact, the 8th graders were perfect just like all the other grades I had. What an ass. He really wasn't nice to me all day. He dismissed most of my questions and was just unpleasant.
Ah well, I suppose I'm over it. It may just be my defensive female side coming out, but I think he was being a sexist a-hole and I bet his students hate him. So there.
I had middle school again yesterday, and it went really well. I think I was some sort of reading specialist, but no one ever told me. I did read a lot with the students and we talked about plot and setting and characters, etc.
It was a nice day. The teacher didn't have a lot of periods and the kids were all angels, actually. I have no complaints at all. We would read a story aloud and then answer some questions about the reading. We did some writing in one period. It was all very easy.
I also had lunch duty, which worried me. I didn't know how rambunctious the kids were going to be. But they were fine - they just ate and then we went outside and they ran around screaming and chasing each other.
My biggest annoyance was actually the teacher next door. This man came over after my first period, in which I only had three students, and he proclaimed "Well that's got to be the easiest class you've ever taught! Just wait until the 8th graders tear you apart! (dramatic pause) Just squash 'em!" Umm, ok? How was I supposed to respond to that blustery man's statement? Was he assuming I couldn't handle 8th graders? How does he have any idea? In fact, the 8th graders were perfect just like all the other grades I had. What an ass. He really wasn't nice to me all day. He dismissed most of my questions and was just unpleasant.
Ah well, I suppose I'm over it. It may just be my defensive female side coming out, but I think he was being a sexist a-hole and I bet his students hate him. So there.
March 1st
I'm up and running again, doing on-call work. I may be back to this grind for another month or so and then I hope to move on to bigger and (much) better things.
Seventh grade math - I was worried. I don't like getting middle school calls because the coordinator doesn't tell you the grade. You just go to the middle school in question and check in, at which point the secretary tells you where to go. This builds the tension until you get the placement you don't really want (7th graders!).
It is always when I expect the classes to be really terrible that they pull themselves together and act appropriately. I'm starting to wonder if my demeanor is somehow different when I think kids are going to act up. At any rate, every single period went by smoothly and with nothing to report! This would be a short post if it weren't for the last period of the day.
Granted, the kids just ate lunch and there is only one more period to get through before dismissal. However, sometimes kids are just stupid. A few girls came in before lunch to put their stuff down before lunch and they started to go for their assigned seats, saw me, then giggled and put their stuff in the back few desks. Do they think I'm an idiot? Then the kids start coming in after lunch and their seats have these girl's books on them and they look confused, glance around the room, see me, I can see them processing the thought, then they quietly choose a different desk. Again, am I an idiot?
So I said, "I know you aren't sitting in your assigned seats so please move to the correct seats." I said this in a polite tone, not mad yet. No one moved. No one said anything.
So I said, more sternly this time, "Ok. So I'll say it again. I know, for a fact, that you aren't in your assigned seats. Please move now." No one blinked an eye.
So, finally, in my teacher-stern-I-take-no-shit voice, "This is your last chance. You are choosing a path. You are forcing me to act the part of a mean strict substitute. If you move to your assigned seats we can move on with class and I can remain a friendly teacher." Again, no one moves.
So now I'm mad. I went through the attendance sheet and made the kids move to seats in alphabetical order. No talking was allowed. They had to complete their work quietly and then do homework. Unfortunately, they didn't respond well to being quiet but I was checked out by this point so I didn't bother correcting them. I ended up getting a wicked bad headache and lying in bed for a few hours with a pounding in my brain. Gosh darn kids.
Seventh grade math - I was worried. I don't like getting middle school calls because the coordinator doesn't tell you the grade. You just go to the middle school in question and check in, at which point the secretary tells you where to go. This builds the tension until you get the placement you don't really want (7th graders!).
It is always when I expect the classes to be really terrible that they pull themselves together and act appropriately. I'm starting to wonder if my demeanor is somehow different when I think kids are going to act up. At any rate, every single period went by smoothly and with nothing to report! This would be a short post if it weren't for the last period of the day.
Granted, the kids just ate lunch and there is only one more period to get through before dismissal. However, sometimes kids are just stupid. A few girls came in before lunch to put their stuff down before lunch and they started to go for their assigned seats, saw me, then giggled and put their stuff in the back few desks. Do they think I'm an idiot? Then the kids start coming in after lunch and their seats have these girl's books on them and they look confused, glance around the room, see me, I can see them processing the thought, then they quietly choose a different desk. Again, am I an idiot?
So I said, "I know you aren't sitting in your assigned seats so please move to the correct seats." I said this in a polite tone, not mad yet. No one moved. No one said anything.
So I said, more sternly this time, "Ok. So I'll say it again. I know, for a fact, that you aren't in your assigned seats. Please move now." No one blinked an eye.
So, finally, in my teacher-stern-I-take-no-shit voice, "This is your last chance. You are choosing a path. You are forcing me to act the part of a mean strict substitute. If you move to your assigned seats we can move on with class and I can remain a friendly teacher." Again, no one moves.
So now I'm mad. I went through the attendance sheet and made the kids move to seats in alphabetical order. No talking was allowed. They had to complete their work quietly and then do homework. Unfortunately, they didn't respond well to being quiet but I was checked out by this point so I didn't bother correcting them. I ended up getting a wicked bad headache and lying in bed for a few hours with a pounding in my brain. Gosh darn kids.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Been a Long Time
I guess it's been a while since my last post (February 9th!). I have to say that I love this blogging thing but it is so easy to slip out of the habit! And sometimes writing a post is overwhelming not because I don't have the time but because there is so much to write about!
Since my last post I spent a week in a 7th grade classroom teaching science. I went in to it scared silly and came out of it a stronger person.
The week is long over (it is February break at the moment) and I think I can condense my thoughts into one blog post. I had four classes of kids and each day a different class had a double block of time with me (meaning they spent two periods in my classroom once a week). Two of my classes were regular old groups of 7th graders and I rarely had a problem with them. They were fairly responsive, did their work, and I got through the material in time for them to take a test at the end of the week. The other two classes were much different.
Two of my classes were "combined", meaning regular kids and special ed kids were together in the classroom. When I say special ed I mean kids with dyslexia and ADHD, not cerebral palsy or anything too crazy. About 50% of each class was special ed and it is this fact that made everything so difficult. The grand majority of my issues stemmed from restlessness and too much talking. I'm not one to enforce dead quiet, but being blatantly talked over is not my idea of fun. These kids would not shut up. They had no filter, they were unresponsive to my reprimands, and had not a care in the world about disrupting class. A couple of the boys were really problematic and were constantly putting down other students. It was so difficult to get them through any material.
I even had an aide in these classes and she was extremely frustrated too. Every day I spent at least 5 minutes of my time lecturing them, and not in a good way. I really lost it the last day I was with one group - I laid into them. Shredded them. Really tore them apart. "Why do I have to lecture this class every single day? What is the problem? Grow up! It is unbelievable how disrespectful you all are to me and to your classmates. I can't understand why you think it is acceptable to say the things you all say to each other. Be quiet! This is not a joke! You need to be respectful! Show some respect and shut your mouths when the teacher is talking! I can't believe I have to yell at you all every day. Do you think this is fun for me? I hate disciplining all of you every day. I hate yelling. I hate that I have to be mean in this class. This is not fun for me and it's not fun for you either." Etc.
Luckily the aide said that I did a great job with them overall and that she knew it would be a rough week. She actually said I should be a teacher, which is what everyone seems to think these days. I really couldn't handle it. I would lose it. I really shouldn't have yelled at that class but I couldn't hold it in anymore - they were driving me crazy! Maybe it would be different if I wasn't the substitute but I really don't think I could muster the patience for nine or ten months of the year.
Thank goodness for school vacations and a part-time job with really little kids that's only a half day! Time to breathe and collect my thoughts.
Since my last post I spent a week in a 7th grade classroom teaching science. I went in to it scared silly and came out of it a stronger person.
The week is long over (it is February break at the moment) and I think I can condense my thoughts into one blog post. I had four classes of kids and each day a different class had a double block of time with me (meaning they spent two periods in my classroom once a week). Two of my classes were regular old groups of 7th graders and I rarely had a problem with them. They were fairly responsive, did their work, and I got through the material in time for them to take a test at the end of the week. The other two classes were much different.
Two of my classes were "combined", meaning regular kids and special ed kids were together in the classroom. When I say special ed I mean kids with dyslexia and ADHD, not cerebral palsy or anything too crazy. About 50% of each class was special ed and it is this fact that made everything so difficult. The grand majority of my issues stemmed from restlessness and too much talking. I'm not one to enforce dead quiet, but being blatantly talked over is not my idea of fun. These kids would not shut up. They had no filter, they were unresponsive to my reprimands, and had not a care in the world about disrupting class. A couple of the boys were really problematic and were constantly putting down other students. It was so difficult to get them through any material.
I even had an aide in these classes and she was extremely frustrated too. Every day I spent at least 5 minutes of my time lecturing them, and not in a good way. I really lost it the last day I was with one group - I laid into them. Shredded them. Really tore them apart. "Why do I have to lecture this class every single day? What is the problem? Grow up! It is unbelievable how disrespectful you all are to me and to your classmates. I can't understand why you think it is acceptable to say the things you all say to each other. Be quiet! This is not a joke! You need to be respectful! Show some respect and shut your mouths when the teacher is talking! I can't believe I have to yell at you all every day. Do you think this is fun for me? I hate disciplining all of you every day. I hate yelling. I hate that I have to be mean in this class. This is not fun for me and it's not fun for you either." Etc.
Luckily the aide said that I did a great job with them overall and that she knew it would be a rough week. She actually said I should be a teacher, which is what everyone seems to think these days. I really couldn't handle it. I would lose it. I really shouldn't have yelled at that class but I couldn't hold it in anymore - they were driving me crazy! Maybe it would be different if I wasn't the substitute but I really don't think I could muster the patience for nine or ten months of the year.
Thank goodness for school vacations and a part-time job with really little kids that's only a half day! Time to breathe and collect my thoughts.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Keeping the Right Perspective
I recently watched the documentary "Waiting for Superman", about the education system in the U.S. and how it is failing kids. The stories in this film, and the school districts they choose to highlight, are really interesting and often depressing. Teachers unions, tenure, teachers, administrators, bureaucracy, and many other issues in our educational system are discussed and shown in detail. It depresses me to think about all of the kids out there who are lost, looking for support, but can't get any at home or at school. It brought some of the experiences I've had working for a school system into sharp perspective.
I was thinking about the movie today as I was subbing for an 8th grade English teacher. For the most part her students seemed average, but it is sometimes hard to tell because even the good and motivated students will still take advantage of a substitute teacher. I had some especially difficult kids my last period of the day. The assignment was to fill out a packet with arguments and evidence that will eventually be written out as a persuasive essay. These four or five kids, all sitting in a row, didn't write a single word on their packets for the entire period. Instead, they talked about smoking, weed, sex acts, orgasms, 1001 Ways to Die, and a variety of other topics that would normally be strictly off limits in a classroom. On top of that they had their phones out. I ended up taking one of the phones away because the girl was blatantly texting.
One girl in particular, C, was a mess. She was wearing extremely tight clothes, her boobs were falling out of her shirt, and she had a lip ring (remember, C is in 8th grade so she's probably 13 or 14). The instant I saw her walking down the hall in the morning I knew she was going to be trouble. The way she walked and carried herself said "I don't give a flying f***". She walked in to the room for her class period and slammed her books on the desk, looking up to see if I'd do anything about it (I did not). Then she sauntered around the row to get to her chair and fake-punched a kid on her way. She was disruptive, obnoxious, mean, and a bully to the kids around her but they clearly revere her for her lack of care toward teachers. I chose my battles today and I was not going to have one with her.
Watching that movie made me think of her differently than I might have normally. It is easy to say, "What a mean spirited person. What is wrong with her. She needs to straighten up." Instead, I thought, "She must have the worst home life I've ever heard about." At the end of the day I mentioned C to the next door teacher and he said her life story is so bad it could fill several novels. What a disaster, to have a life wasted by whatever conflict is at home and to be such a difficult student that teacher's have probably given up on her.
On top of watching the documentary I'm also reading the book "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv, which discusses the current lack of any connection kids have to nature. This is my personal cause, the one that I have so far dedicated my working life to. It is imperative that kids get a chance to connect with nature in a way that is free and without direction. To simply explore a field on your own or with friends allows the senses to act fully, allows the mind to focus on something other than life issues and problems. It gives kids the freedom to concentrate on a leaf, a beetle, a tree, the sky, a field of daisies. In his book, which I haven't finished yet, Louv discusses the therapeutic power of nature and the chance it offers for kids to simply run and play freely (and keep off the pounds). The combination of documentary and book have caused me to fear for the future of this world - a future where kids know about deforestation in the rainforests of Brazil but not about the white pine tree right outside their school's window.
I was thinking about the movie today as I was subbing for an 8th grade English teacher. For the most part her students seemed average, but it is sometimes hard to tell because even the good and motivated students will still take advantage of a substitute teacher. I had some especially difficult kids my last period of the day. The assignment was to fill out a packet with arguments and evidence that will eventually be written out as a persuasive essay. These four or five kids, all sitting in a row, didn't write a single word on their packets for the entire period. Instead, they talked about smoking, weed, sex acts, orgasms, 1001 Ways to Die, and a variety of other topics that would normally be strictly off limits in a classroom. On top of that they had their phones out. I ended up taking one of the phones away because the girl was blatantly texting.
One girl in particular, C, was a mess. She was wearing extremely tight clothes, her boobs were falling out of her shirt, and she had a lip ring (remember, C is in 8th grade so she's probably 13 or 14). The instant I saw her walking down the hall in the morning I knew she was going to be trouble. The way she walked and carried herself said "I don't give a flying f***". She walked in to the room for her class period and slammed her books on the desk, looking up to see if I'd do anything about it (I did not). Then she sauntered around the row to get to her chair and fake-punched a kid on her way. She was disruptive, obnoxious, mean, and a bully to the kids around her but they clearly revere her for her lack of care toward teachers. I chose my battles today and I was not going to have one with her.
Watching that movie made me think of her differently than I might have normally. It is easy to say, "What a mean spirited person. What is wrong with her. She needs to straighten up." Instead, I thought, "She must have the worst home life I've ever heard about." At the end of the day I mentioned C to the next door teacher and he said her life story is so bad it could fill several novels. What a disaster, to have a life wasted by whatever conflict is at home and to be such a difficult student that teacher's have probably given up on her.
On top of watching the documentary I'm also reading the book "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv, which discusses the current lack of any connection kids have to nature. This is my personal cause, the one that I have so far dedicated my working life to. It is imperative that kids get a chance to connect with nature in a way that is free and without direction. To simply explore a field on your own or with friends allows the senses to act fully, allows the mind to focus on something other than life issues and problems. It gives kids the freedom to concentrate on a leaf, a beetle, a tree, the sky, a field of daisies. In his book, which I haven't finished yet, Louv discusses the therapeutic power of nature and the chance it offers for kids to simply run and play freely (and keep off the pounds). The combination of documentary and book have caused me to fear for the future of this world - a future where kids know about deforestation in the rainforests of Brazil but not about the white pine tree right outside their school's window.
Monday, February 7, 2011
What's Hot and What's Not
Since I had such an easy day as an 8th grade Social Studies teacher I figure I'll depart from my normal ranting and raving and list What's Hot and What's Not for 8th grade students in 2011.
What's Hot
Victoria's Secret "LOVE PINK" sweatshirts
Hollister and Aeropostale (especially if the brand name is plastered onto a t-shirt)
Side ponytails
Plain braces (I haven't seen any crazy colored rubber bands yet!)
Ugg style boots for ladies, DC shoes for men
Leggings and sweatpants, especially if there are words/brand names on the butt
Trapper Keepers (they're still cool!)
Plastic wristbands that say "Save the Ta-Tas" (or any other support group, but no more Livestrong)
iPods and smartphones - texting
What's Not
Note: I'm basing this on what I haven't seen in class, not on the kids I assume are dorky.
Jeans and other types of pants - the overwhelming selection is for sweatpants and leggings
Hair poufs/bumps
Folders that have cartoon and movie characters on them
Backpacks - a lady uses a shoulder bag, of course, and gentlemen are far too brawny to be seen using a book-carrying device
Appropriate winter clothing - the North Face fleece jacket rules this winter, although it provides no shelter from the elements
I swear, my children will wear hats and gloves to school. On the absolute coldest day this winter I witnessed high school kids walking in to school with a fleece jacket and nothing on their hands or head. Not even a fashionable scarf. Did I do that? I think I had a pretty hefty winter jacket when I was in high school. Then again, we also carried backpacks and didn't have cell phones to distract us. Even with technology the kids still love to pass notes - it's nice to see that tradition persevere.
What's Hot
Victoria's Secret "LOVE PINK" sweatshirts
Hollister and Aeropostale (especially if the brand name is plastered onto a t-shirt)
Side ponytails
Plain braces (I haven't seen any crazy colored rubber bands yet!)
Ugg style boots for ladies, DC shoes for men
Leggings and sweatpants, especially if there are words/brand names on the butt
Trapper Keepers (they're still cool!)
Plastic wristbands that say "Save the Ta-Tas" (or any other support group, but no more Livestrong)
iPods and smartphones - texting
What's Not
Note: I'm basing this on what I haven't seen in class, not on the kids I assume are dorky.
Jeans and other types of pants - the overwhelming selection is for sweatpants and leggings
Hair poufs/bumps
Folders that have cartoon and movie characters on them
Backpacks - a lady uses a shoulder bag, of course, and gentlemen are far too brawny to be seen using a book-carrying device
Appropriate winter clothing - the North Face fleece jacket rules this winter, although it provides no shelter from the elements
I swear, my children will wear hats and gloves to school. On the absolute coldest day this winter I witnessed high school kids walking in to school with a fleece jacket and nothing on their hands or head. Not even a fashionable scarf. Did I do that? I think I had a pretty hefty winter jacket when I was in high school. Then again, we also carried backpacks and didn't have cell phones to distract us. Even with technology the kids still love to pass notes - it's nice to see that tradition persevere.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Unhappy Parents
I found out today that a parent called the science and math director to complain about me. Well, it was sort of about me. Apparently this person's child went home and told his/her parent's that an unqualified person was teaching them math, that this person's lesson plans were repetitive, and that the real teacher was never coming back. Let's set the record straight. I am not necessarily math certified, but I've certainly taken enough math classes in my life to make me qualified enough. You can't blame the lessons on me since I'm simply the messenger of the actual teacher's plans (got a problem with them, email him!). I have no idea if/when the real teacher will return and have told the students that he could return tomorrow or in April. I have still not been told why the teacher is out and have communicated that to the students.
The director had predicted that parents would be unhappy and she was right.
I've been told that a math certified person has been chosen and that this person has to pass an interview with the Assistant Superintendent and will subsequently replace me. To be honest, math class isn't too bad and I'd stay if people weren't complaining.
The director had predicted that parents would be unhappy and she was right.
I've been told that a math certified person has been chosen and that this person has to pass an interview with the Assistant Superintendent and will subsequently replace me. To be honest, math class isn't too bad and I'd stay if people weren't complaining.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Parallelograms
As it turns out, I'll be subbing for the math teacher all week. It's a little scary, but I found out today that they found a math certified sub who is willing to take over the class in the near future. It seems like the original teacher will be out for the rest of the year, but the administration is so vague it's hard to tell. Even though I'll be done subbing for this particular math teacher on Friday (or so it seems), I will be doing a week-long position for a different high school math teacher all of next week.
This teacher's classes are really pleasant to sub for. I even got to joke around in class today (the kids were making fun of me for not seeing the new Mean Girls movie and I told them I didn't have cable TV - they were apalled). They work when asked, and work individually without talking when asked. It's really amazing! As compared to my standard level kids in biology, these honors level kids are much more respectful. I even have some of the kids from my old biology classes in these math classes and they are so much nicer!
We started parallelograms today, which was actually an easy topic for me. Whereas, in algebra we did compound inequalities (-3 < 4x -1 < 6) and I really don't think I did a great job explaining it. This is the hard part about teaching math for me - I can't explain it well. I just know how to do the problems, not how to explain them.
Overall I'm happy I keep getting hired for long-term positions even if they aren't in my favorite subjects. I have to apologize if this isn't the most well-written blog post ever - I'm watching a movie at the moment :).
This teacher's classes are really pleasant to sub for. I even got to joke around in class today (the kids were making fun of me for not seeing the new Mean Girls movie and I told them I didn't have cable TV - they were apalled). They work when asked, and work individually without talking when asked. It's really amazing! As compared to my standard level kids in biology, these honors level kids are much more respectful. I even have some of the kids from my old biology classes in these math classes and they are so much nicer!
We started parallelograms today, which was actually an easy topic for me. Whereas, in algebra we did compound inequalities (-3 < 4x -1 < 6) and I really don't think I did a great job explaining it. This is the hard part about teaching math for me - I can't explain it well. I just know how to do the problems, not how to explain them.
Overall I'm happy I keep getting hired for long-term positions even if they aren't in my favorite subjects. I have to apologize if this isn't the most well-written blog post ever - I'm watching a movie at the moment :).
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Congruent Triangle?
I was contacted by the math and science department director at an obscenely early hour yesterday morning. She wanted to know if I could be a math teacher for the week. I said sure.
How hard could high school math be? I definitely understand algebra. Geometry, not so much, but it should be easy by now, right? I remember thinking I'd be really good at geometry in high school and then finding it really difficult. Today was even more difficult because I was thrown into the teaching position with almost no lesson plan. Apparently whatever is going on with this teacher happened suddenly. His lesson plan book is completely empty for the week with the exception of some problems for the algebra class and a geometry worksheet. Going into a subbing position with no plan is highly dangerous and I was a little worried.
The day actually went pretty well. The algebra kids are learning about inequalities - I've got that under control. The geometry kids are doing proofs, triangles, things like that. I don't really remember that stuff but at least I had a worksheet. The department director told me not to use the worksheet and gave me problems for the kids (I'm not sure why she decided to overrule the actual teacher) and it turned out the kids had already completed those book problems. Of course, 3rd and 4th period didn't tell me this. In fact, they showed me the old problems they had already completed and since I thought they were doing their homework they got away with doing practically nothing for 30 minutes. I didn't find out this little factoid until 5th period, and that was my last class. I will definitely assign the first two periods more work for tomorrow and tell them why they're being "punished". Little turds.
I can tell that I'm a much better biology teacher. I have a lot more background knowledge and I can explain things much better. I know how to do math problems but I can't explain how to do them or why to do them in certain ways. You just solve for x, right? I can't tell you why.
As an aside, why the heck are all high school girls obsessed with Victoria's Secret? I've never seen any other age group wear so much VS! They all have giant tote bags with PINK or SECRET or GLAM written on the sides. At least one girl in every class, every day, is wearing a sweatshirt or t-shirt that says LOVE PINK or VICTORIA'S SECRET. I've seen way too many skinny butts with PINK written on them. The obsession is a little too much for me.
How hard could high school math be? I definitely understand algebra. Geometry, not so much, but it should be easy by now, right? I remember thinking I'd be really good at geometry in high school and then finding it really difficult. Today was even more difficult because I was thrown into the teaching position with almost no lesson plan. Apparently whatever is going on with this teacher happened suddenly. His lesson plan book is completely empty for the week with the exception of some problems for the algebra class and a geometry worksheet. Going into a subbing position with no plan is highly dangerous and I was a little worried.
The day actually went pretty well. The algebra kids are learning about inequalities - I've got that under control. The geometry kids are doing proofs, triangles, things like that. I don't really remember that stuff but at least I had a worksheet. The department director told me not to use the worksheet and gave me problems for the kids (I'm not sure why she decided to overrule the actual teacher) and it turned out the kids had already completed those book problems. Of course, 3rd and 4th period didn't tell me this. In fact, they showed me the old problems they had already completed and since I thought they were doing their homework they got away with doing practically nothing for 30 minutes. I didn't find out this little factoid until 5th period, and that was my last class. I will definitely assign the first two periods more work for tomorrow and tell them why they're being "punished". Little turds.
I can tell that I'm a much better biology teacher. I have a lot more background knowledge and I can explain things much better. I know how to do math problems but I can't explain how to do them or why to do them in certain ways. You just solve for x, right? I can't tell you why.
As an aside, why the heck are all high school girls obsessed with Victoria's Secret? I've never seen any other age group wear so much VS! They all have giant tote bags with PINK or SECRET or GLAM written on the sides. At least one girl in every class, every day, is wearing a sweatshirt or t-shirt that says LOVE PINK or VICTORIA'S SECRET. I've seen way too many skinny butts with PINK written on them. The obsession is a little too much for me.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Last Day
My last day as a high school science teacher was Friday. I can say with 99% certainty that full-time teaching is not for me. I could do it if all of the kids were motivated. The kids who don't care bring me down every day. I can't "love them all", as they say.
Anyway, the teacher was with me for the last day (actually, I was with the teacher). She was so happy to have me there because she knows they are all going to complain loudly that I was terrible, blah blah blah, and she didn't want to deal with that just yet. So the kids were happily surprised to see her and kept the complaints in their heads.
I went over all of the class details - who was a pain in the rear, who did well, who had a lot of absences, etc. I caught her up on the material and how far we'd gotten. She was happy to see my grade book and lesson plans nicely organized and ready for her to take over. I love being organized :). I had a nice last lunch with the other teachers. They were all so nice and helpful, giving me tips on classroom management and how to deal with certain issues. It was a nice four weeks of camaraderie and now I'm back to the daily (solitary) grind.
But wait! I got an email this morning at 7:15am - the high school needs a long term substitute for a math teacher and they want me to sub in all week while they look for a person licensed in math! So I get to stay at the lovely pay rate and short commute.
I'll be seeing y'all in math class!
Anyway, the teacher was with me for the last day (actually, I was with the teacher). She was so happy to have me there because she knows they are all going to complain loudly that I was terrible, blah blah blah, and she didn't want to deal with that just yet. So the kids were happily surprised to see her and kept the complaints in their heads.
I went over all of the class details - who was a pain in the rear, who did well, who had a lot of absences, etc. I caught her up on the material and how far we'd gotten. She was happy to see my grade book and lesson plans nicely organized and ready for her to take over. I love being organized :). I had a nice last lunch with the other teachers. They were all so nice and helpful, giving me tips on classroom management and how to deal with certain issues. It was a nice four weeks of camaraderie and now I'm back to the daily (solitary) grind.
But wait! I got an email this morning at 7:15am - the high school needs a long term substitute for a math teacher and they want me to sub in all week while they look for a person licensed in math! So I get to stay at the lovely pay rate and short commute.
I'll be seeing y'all in math class!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Monday
First, I should say that I'm flattered. It's really cool to know that there are people out there waiting for me to share a new post. The fact that these people are all close friends and family may make the sample a bit biased, but I'm still glad to hear that people are interested!
As far as Monday goes, it's a rather calm day. For the most part students are still sleeping. I always think to myself, "Don't you kids realize why you do poorly on quizzes and tests?" They barely take in a word I say and half-ass the in-class assignments. Particularly in second and fourth periods. The motivation level is so low in these two periods, I don't know how they manage to pass any classes. I'm a little appalled at their grades.
In particular there are several students who clearly have the smarts but do not have the work ethic. I wish they would commit themselves for an extra 10 minutes a day. The improvement in their grades would be enormous.
I also don't understand what these kids are doing after school. Perhaps 50% turn in homework on a regular basis. It's no wonder they have C's and D's! I'm not giving them a lot of stuff to do at home. They had all weekend to complete a short worksheet and many of them "forgot" to do it. Unbelievable. I forget that I was always in advanced track classes with kids who were crazy about good grades. I almost never forgot to do homework! I've never been confronted with so-called slackers before and they drive me up the wall.
On a positive note, I think I'm getting better at "lecturing". I try to talk about the material a little bit so the students don't feel like all they do is read and take notes. And I've been throwing in really cool videos too. All in all I'm getting better at anticipating problems and explaining things.
As far as Monday goes, it's a rather calm day. For the most part students are still sleeping. I always think to myself, "Don't you kids realize why you do poorly on quizzes and tests?" They barely take in a word I say and half-ass the in-class assignments. Particularly in second and fourth periods. The motivation level is so low in these two periods, I don't know how they manage to pass any classes. I'm a little appalled at their grades.
In particular there are several students who clearly have the smarts but do not have the work ethic. I wish they would commit themselves for an extra 10 minutes a day. The improvement in their grades would be enormous.
I also don't understand what these kids are doing after school. Perhaps 50% turn in homework on a regular basis. It's no wonder they have C's and D's! I'm not giving them a lot of stuff to do at home. They had all weekend to complete a short worksheet and many of them "forgot" to do it. Unbelievable. I forget that I was always in advanced track classes with kids who were crazy about good grades. I almost never forgot to do homework! I've never been confronted with so-called slackers before and they drive me up the wall.
On a positive note, I think I'm getting better at "lecturing". I try to talk about the material a little bit so the students don't feel like all they do is read and take notes. And I've been throwing in really cool videos too. All in all I'm getting better at anticipating problems and explaining things.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The High School Experience
I'm being constantly chastised for not continuing to blog. Who knew I could be so popular? So I'm doing everyone a favor and writing an update on my long term position.
So, my first two weeks were the last two weeks before winter break. The kids were pretty sad about losing their teacher and not ready to have a substitute. Unfortunately for me (and for them) I can't be the really cool substitute who is really lax about stuff. That sets the wrong tone because things only relax from the starting point. If I started low on the strictness scale, I'd be screwed later on. So of course they weren't happy when I had rules and regulations. The kids who were bound to hate me definitely hate me at this point. However, the majority of my students are just fine with me in the classroom.
Second period is extremely quiet. They are clearly still asleep and glide through class periods, no questions or comments about the material. There is a group of four sitting in the front right who do not do a thing. The two boys in the front row are smart kids, they get stuff right on tests and quizzes, but they won't do a thing in class unless I remind them to keep working every minute. The boy and girl behind them are flying just below the level of disrespect. They don't do a thing and keep up a running conversation that never has anything to do with biology. They don't do classwork and don't do well on the tests. The boy can be particularly rude.
Third period bounces into the classroom all smiles. They are a wonderful class as far as attitude. One boy has a million questions but I think he helps the rest of the class by having the guts to ask them. He's clearly respected by his peers so he gets them all thinking about the material every time he asks a question. There are some chatting issues but I quelled them with seat changes. As long as I keep reminding them this class tends to get things done.
Fourth period is surly. They are not into biology, or school. They don't want to be in class and make that clear every day. There are a few nice kids who are interested and get good grades but mostly these kids have a bad attitude. I have to remind them over and over to keep working because they fall into conversation much too easily. I wish they'd be more cheerful, because they wear me out.
I do not enjoy sixth period. I have freshman physics and they are out of control. They continue to talk no matter my anger level. I've tried every method I can think of to get them paying attention. I talk and they keep talking. I hate the disrespect and I'm exhausted by the end of class just trying to keep myself in control. One girl in particular, G, drives me up the wall with her attitude. This is a classic G stunt: everyone has to be sitting in their assigned seats to leave class. G kneels in her chair, she doesn't sit. The bell rings. Everyone tries to get up but I say, "Nope, not everyone is sitting". All the kids look around and I look right at G. She says, "I am sitting!". I say, "No, you're kneeling. No one can leave until everyone in the room sits in their assigned seat." She continues to argue, I continue to say "sit". She finally says, "Oh my God, this is ridiculous" in the most exasperated tone she can muster and sits down. The class leaves.
My other problem child is L. L really wants to keep playing for the basketball team but isn't getting a high enough grade. I'm willing to work it out with him so I told him to meet me after school to talk about it and he said okay. He didn't show. I figure, if he doesn't care enough to show up then he doesn't need me to figure out a passing grade for him.
Every day is a constant battle with some kids and my patience is gone. So far I haven't really snapped but I'm going to one day and it will be bad.
Thank goodness there are nice kids in each class!
So, my first two weeks were the last two weeks before winter break. The kids were pretty sad about losing their teacher and not ready to have a substitute. Unfortunately for me (and for them) I can't be the really cool substitute who is really lax about stuff. That sets the wrong tone because things only relax from the starting point. If I started low on the strictness scale, I'd be screwed later on. So of course they weren't happy when I had rules and regulations. The kids who were bound to hate me definitely hate me at this point. However, the majority of my students are just fine with me in the classroom.
Second period is extremely quiet. They are clearly still asleep and glide through class periods, no questions or comments about the material. There is a group of four sitting in the front right who do not do a thing. The two boys in the front row are smart kids, they get stuff right on tests and quizzes, but they won't do a thing in class unless I remind them to keep working every minute. The boy and girl behind them are flying just below the level of disrespect. They don't do a thing and keep up a running conversation that never has anything to do with biology. They don't do classwork and don't do well on the tests. The boy can be particularly rude.
Third period bounces into the classroom all smiles. They are a wonderful class as far as attitude. One boy has a million questions but I think he helps the rest of the class by having the guts to ask them. He's clearly respected by his peers so he gets them all thinking about the material every time he asks a question. There are some chatting issues but I quelled them with seat changes. As long as I keep reminding them this class tends to get things done.
Fourth period is surly. They are not into biology, or school. They don't want to be in class and make that clear every day. There are a few nice kids who are interested and get good grades but mostly these kids have a bad attitude. I have to remind them over and over to keep working because they fall into conversation much too easily. I wish they'd be more cheerful, because they wear me out.
I do not enjoy sixth period. I have freshman physics and they are out of control. They continue to talk no matter my anger level. I've tried every method I can think of to get them paying attention. I talk and they keep talking. I hate the disrespect and I'm exhausted by the end of class just trying to keep myself in control. One girl in particular, G, drives me up the wall with her attitude. This is a classic G stunt: everyone has to be sitting in their assigned seats to leave class. G kneels in her chair, she doesn't sit. The bell rings. Everyone tries to get up but I say, "Nope, not everyone is sitting". All the kids look around and I look right at G. She says, "I am sitting!". I say, "No, you're kneeling. No one can leave until everyone in the room sits in their assigned seat." She continues to argue, I continue to say "sit". She finally says, "Oh my God, this is ridiculous" in the most exasperated tone she can muster and sits down. The class leaves.
My other problem child is L. L really wants to keep playing for the basketball team but isn't getting a high enough grade. I'm willing to work it out with him so I told him to meet me after school to talk about it and he said okay. He didn't show. I figure, if he doesn't care enough to show up then he doesn't need me to figure out a passing grade for him.
Every day is a constant battle with some kids and my patience is gone. So far I haven't really snapped but I'm going to one day and it will be bad.
Thank goodness there are nice kids in each class!
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