She asked me if I had anything else planned. I told her no. The assumption was that she was talking 10-15 minutes. I didn't expect that I'd take the class to lunch for her...
My day was awful because I have one student causing a lot of chaos. I can't get any answers from his parents. They told me earlier that he had a doctor appointment and that he would be seeing a specialist in child behaviors. I WANT to know what's wrong with him! He has some speech problems and babbles and screams some sort of gibberish when I discipline him. His parents say it's because he is frustrated that he can't verbalize what he wants to say. Well, I would really hate to hear what words he really wants to say!!! I'm stressed.
Very well-run and respectful 5th grade class on Tuesday. Today... SIX periods in the HEAT today... I'm toast.
Today was my 1st LONG day at my new SLP job! There is just so much to learn, it's hard to figure out where to start, but I'm getting in there & doing as much as I can each day!
Easy day today for a good veteran teacher. Question: when a Supt. or someone is touring classrooms, are we (the teacher) supposed to acknowledge them when they walk in? I normally will, by nodding my head or smiling, and continuing with my business. I don't go over and talk to them... it seems that the P, who is showing them around, seems to be doing that. But... am I supposed to go by and talk to them? It is annoying, because 1) I find it pointless. He's in there all of one minute at the most. But more, 2) He comes in like he's some sort of dignitary, seemingly not acknowledging me back as the teacher who's class you happen to be walking in on. A head nod, a wave from the back of the class, something to show a mutual respect. This cross-eyed bozo just walks in, glances around, and walks out.
I've always wondered about acknowledging people who are just poking their head in for a minute to observe as well. I usually go on with what we are doing. If they are wanting to observe what's going on that seems like the best thing to do. I might pause a tiny bit to see if there is anything they needed from me but that would be it. There are schools where the principal willl walk in to ask if there is anything that I need. I've also had principals who just sit in the room to observe for a bit.
When people are doing their walk-throughs of the classrooms, I think they want to not be conspicuous & they're just observing or wanting to check out mabye some item in the room (technological item), but I think a quick nod/smile at them is good. If one's a regular teacher at the school & were pre-warned that this was going to happen & they already greeted the P that day, then just pretending they're not even there should be fine.
Depressing. Went to a middle school assignment, where I ran into a para-ed who I used to see regularly way back when I started subbing (before I got my credential). It's been 8-10 years since I saw this person... sad that I'm still just subbing.
Third grade today....the librarian cracked me up. She kept referring to them as "first graders" because of the way they were behaving. Actually, the majority of the class was good, but there were about four boys with various "issues" - autism, behavior contract, etc.
I had kinders today. I am not a person for that age. I am too sarcastic and salty (thats what my fourth graders that LOVE me say!!) However, I picked up a 5 day job a teacher offered me at the end of the day! Also, the school psychologist came in to compliment me on the way I talked to the kids in the hallway. It's always nice to feel valued!!
Half day that felt like a whole day! I too have the students that want to do every little thing for you that I didn't even know had to be done. I talked to the teacher before she left and I was only there for 3 and 1/2 hours...but it seemed too long. I also subbed for this teacher a week or two ago for a full day. But I believe that a couple of the boys were absent that day, which apparently made a huge difference. I am not as good with the dictatorship part of it. I hate to make them pull a card and have to miss part of their recess. But today I felt like giving several of the boys time out of recess. I know it seems that sometimes it is boring because it is just worksheet after worksheet and they don't like that so it is hard to get them to stay quiet focus and do the work. Then on boy started crying because we were going over the study guide answers and apparently we were going to fast and he could not keep up. That is why I gave them 15 minutes to work on it firtst so that they did not have to write down answers as we go and they would already have many of the answers. He cried on and off for a while even though I assured him that after we finish going over it I will make sure that he has all of the answers. Then I just felt like I was mean today, like I had to raise my voice alot. It wasn't that I was yelling I just had to be loud to talk over them because they kept getting too loud. Then I had the kid who had to either go to the bathroom or the nurse constantly because he had bathroom issues.. I didn't even ask I just let him go. It was a long day not the worst day, but one that tells me I need to get a little tougher for them to take me seriously and talk and goof around less.
Some days are just like that. It's exhausting, but fortunately there are a lot of days that are completely the opposite.
Third grade today. Early release and there was a student teacher in charge. I pretty much observed. The break is nice, but man, does the time go slow!
This is true. I've only had it happen a few times. Once it was in a kinder with a guy who had no classroom management skills. I really agonized about stepping in to try to get control of the group for him. Today the ST was really good, though, so that did make it boring on my end. This is the second day in a row I've had adults in the room. Yesterday I was in kinder and had parent volunteers in and out that I had to manage along with the kids. It was from one extreme to the other in two days!
Now that I've been at my new job since 9/27, I find that 24 hrs in a day isn't enough. I need more hrs in a day to accomplish what I really want to. I know, many of you probably feel that way. I just hope this feeling doesn't last forever.
Today, I had high schoolers. My day is always interesting with them! For the most part they are good kids, and we have a lot of intelligent, interesting conversations. Some of them are doozies, though! I have subbed for this teacher several times this month. For the most part, the kids in her classes seem to take to me. Do all of them do their work? No, but that's their choice. I did have one student, whom I've had issues with recently, come up to me in the hallway before class to ask me if "so-and-so [the sub next door] could be the sub instead of you [meaning me]." I was sort of taken aback by this, and I said, "Well, [student], I'm sorry you feel that way, but you really don't have a choice in the matter." It's always trying and discouraging to hear things like that, but this student didn't say anything else the rest of the period about me, so I was pleased. And she didn't ask me her "question" in front of the class, so at least she spared me the embarrassment. I did, however, let the teacher know in my note to her about how everything went today.
LOL...I would have liked to see that exchange! I love that answer. I'm not sure what I'd say in that situation. That is a kid with some gall!
I had the most amazing group of 5th graders today. They paid attention, they put their heads down and worked quietly, didn't fight with each other, didn't argue with me, didn't whine and try to get their math assignment cut in half, nobody threw stuff in the room, nobody complained they didn't get it while I was explaining assignnments. I think it helped that they've had early release all week due to parent confrences, so they weren't exhausted by the end of the day. I've never had a group of 5th graders that was so enjoyable to work with.
Yay, it's Fri & I'm so looking forward to having next wk off, but I know it will zip by. My days next wk are pretty much booked up already: Lunch & shopping w/ friends, going to L.A. or Disneyland for the day, going to the movies, relaxing, & unfortunately having to do grad school HW & go take a test.
I had to sub for a H.S. collab teacher, so I was going from room to room all day which I really hate. I still had a good day as I got to meet some new teachers who were all very kind to me; I've been in other classes in other schools where I would be collaborating with the regular teacher who wouldn't speak a word to me the entire period or even acknowlege I was in the class. So, I had a boring day, but a good one
Oh you happy devil...lol..lol... I am glad that things are going great - I can totally understand your elation . thesub
Slow week this week. Nothing on Monday. Worked yesterday. Got a call last night for today, but I was feeling really sick yesterday and couldn't tell if it was a head cold or allergies. The school was at the furthest point on the map from any of the districts where I work so I just declined...so, home again today. I was hoping to take Friday off because I have a party that night to bake for and I'm going on a road trip on Saturday so I have to pack. I may end up working after all. On the upside, I got a call to work the first three days after Christmas break ends. Since there are only two weeks possible in that pay period, I hope it follows through. I've already had one cancellation from the same school for a pre-scheduled day. This time of year is rough. Between my own illnesses and the number of vacation days...it's no bueno.
The thing on my mind these days is this killer grad school course I'm taking on statistics. It's really something! I have a test to take on it today & another in a few days & an 8-15 page paper. Please pray for me that I do well! Thank you! Thanks!
D-m... I thought you had an SLP job already. Why are you taking a statistic course? Man... you are a professional student! :thumb:
I turned down a request for a .5 day assignment, in expectation that I'd be offered a full-day assignment. I also turned down a HS assignment (full-day) because I normally receive a request the morning of... Then, I didn't get called. Lost a day of work.
I had that happen a few times my first year of subbing. Now I have things decided beforehand and I try to stick with it. I will always take a job that is in my content area (music) first even if it is a shorter job or farther away. I want to get a full-time music job and I am more likely to make contacts that will help me by getting to know music teachers. Music jobs also usually end up turning into more jobs for me too. If I get a request, I will always take it no matter how small it is. Requests turn into more jobs. I won't take something that I dread teaching (5th grade) until the morning of. Sometimes that is a little bit of a gamble but that's just part of subbing. I have found that since I set some of these things beforehand, it's way easier to make decisions when I have a call on the phone and two seconds to decide. It usually seems that as soon as I decide that I'm not going to be called for the day and decide on something else that I need to get done, then the call comes. I subbed 161 days last year and I'm trying to do more than that this year but I have learned to appreciate the occassional day off. I wouldn't feel too bad about missing a day. Use it to rest up!
My day was . . . about a C-, to phrase it in teacher-lingo. I subbed in an inner-city urban alternative school for at-risk students. The school is attached to a Target (in a kind of strip-mall setup) and several police officers are employed to support the staff. Scary, eh? I have a high tolerance for misbehavior, mostly because I was kind of a jackass as a teenager and know when to pick my battles with them now. I also tend to very much like the alternative high schools because they have a lot of personality and I like learning from them. This particular day was the same and I started first hour just like any other class. It was Forensic Science and they were doing a fingerprinting lab, so many of them needed to run to the bathroom to wash up afterwards. The police officers and principal noticed an inordinate amount of students leaving my classroom for the bathroom, so they pulled me aside and yelled at me about the bathroom policy without giving me a chance to explain (about the lab, the fact that I knew exactly who was leaving the classroom and when, etc.). I was pretty angry, but promised myself that I would now adopt a very strict zero tolerance policy with the classes and would take full advantage of the fact that the police officer told me to contact him immediately for any help (gave me his cell phone number). Next class, I had to administer a test. No talking, no group work, etc. I told them my expectations right away and they ignored me, naturally. I called the police immediately and asked him to stand by me and back me up while I delivered the instructions once more. He said to the class if he was called once more, they would be suspended for the rest of the day. I had to call him at least twice more that class. Third hour - same as second. I really tried. I did. When I told them no talking, they started arguing. "Ms. Anderson lets us talk! You're not our real teacher!" Naturally, Ms. Anderson of course does not let them talk during exams - she wrote that in bold, underlined, highlighted letters on her note to me. I called the officer in again, and he proceeded to deliver a fifteen minute lecture to them about graduating and about respecting teachers (right lesson, wrong time - others were trying to test). He left, the students continued to argue with me and call me names. I called him right back and requested they be immediately removed. He spoke to them about what they'd done and said he could give them another chance; he turned to me and said, "Does that sound right? They can have another chance." I shook my head and said, "We are way past second chances at this point. I would like them out of this classroom." He took them away. As the class neared the end and I was left with just the hard-working students who genuinely wanted to complete the work, two students came to me for assistance. As the last period was just prep work and they were working hard, I allowed them to stay for 15 minutes while I privately tutored them (that's good, right? It wasn't even my content area. And they are at-risk students, so I felt that any initiative to learn more should be encouraged, especially if they felt comfortable enough with me to ask). Ugh, so long. But it was a very trying day. I am normally a relaxed, easygoing teacher who relates quite well to students, especially at-risk or gifted and talented (I like the niche groups, what can I say?). But today kind of forced me to be a bit of a hard-ass and I hate that I had to call the police in about 5-6 times throughout the day to remove students. But the assistant principal (who was much nicer than the principal) told me to stand my ground and be consistent and to not let the students walk all over me and that's what I tried to do. So. Today sucked. But I'll go back. At least I didn't walk out. The teacher I subbed for told me that the last sub she had walked out during homeroom. Homeroom! I like to let students "accidentally" overhear me saying that I really like them. Sometimes just saying that I like the kids is enough to get them on my side enough to garner cooperation.
Well, I had my first day of subbing (ever) on Thursday of last week and again Friday. I subbed for high school art and it was a situation where I had no real plans to work from due to the teacher being out unexpectedly, however she did call to give me a basic rundown of what I needed to do and what I could do for alternate plans because there was much of it that they really needed her there for to complete. Both days went by pretty well, but I did have a few guys that were showing off a bit and kinda testing me but I figured that would happen anyway so I was ready for it (well as ready as you can be I guess lol) I did have to warn one student the first day with a trip to ISS due to his behavior but he straightened up pretty quick so I didn't need to send him ( turns out the following day that he was my most helpful and better behaved student that day ) The second day I had one that was continuously make rude gestures and using the F word regardless of my verbal warning to stop so I sent him to ISS for the rest of that period. Other than that I had a lot of fun with all of my students and both days went by pretty well, so I guess it was not too bad for my first and second days, thank God Here's praying that the rest of my assignments go well too.
So, I haven't worked since Thurs (today's Mon). Every once in a while, I have 4-day weekends due to my part-time job status. EVERY week though, I have a 3-day weekend. I'm so ready for Christmas vacation, its' not even funny. I'm on a break from grad classes for the next month, so my mind's on apt hunting these days & adding to my list of items I want to furnish & decorate it with. ihollywould, for a long time, I used to give my subbing days a letter grade too. When I'd grade a class a "C", the chances that I subbed for them again was probably slim to none. If people want to call that being picky, then yes, I was picky.
I would sub for that class again, because a C isn't enough to deter me completely. If it stayed consistently low and/or dropped even further, I'd remove the school from my list. I had a school that I would have rated lower than an F, if possible, and I still tried them again. Three times, in fact. All three additionally attempts were Fs and I removed them, never to even consider going back. I've also removed schools that have given me unwarranted and unexplained negative feedback.
Got an unexpected call to sub early this morning for an 8th grade math teacher that wasn't feeling well. This is our last week before Christmas Break, so I really wasn't expecting any calls - unless a teacher got sick. I also got to drive the teacher's bus route in the afternoon. It was short, so I was still home by 4:00pm. During lunch, the P came in while I was eating with the rest of the 8th grade team and said he always thought of me first when he needs a sub because I'm the "complete package" with certification in two areas and a bus driver's license. I don't know that that really makes me a "complete package", but it IS nice to know it places me high on his list of subs to call. The day itself went very well. The kids were a little talkative, but stayed on task for the most part. I only had to get stern with the last class of the day. They kept ignoring repeated warnings whereas the others caught on and settled down pretty quick.
I had a wonderful day today! I subbed for a special ed teacher that I've subbed for 2 or 3 times before. Usually the last 2 hours are kind of challenging because it is a group of only 6th grade boys and they're kind of rough. Today they were perfect angels. I was prepared to deal with testing and that kind of thing because that is usually what they do. I wasn't expecting the almost perfect behavior that I got. It was a VERY nice surprise.
Hmmm, what are they up too? LOL Just kidding but that would be a thought that would run through my mind at least at first I am glad that you had a good day. It is always nice to get such a pleasant surprise.
Subbed PE today. I shared an office with another sub teacher. Note to "teachers": You create the environment you'd like to work in. This girl (she was young) was either a mute, or being extremely anti-social. I don't really want to sit and gab, but certainly you should at least acknowledge other adults when in their presence. She didn't even look my way, not even a little pleasantry, I introduced myself to her, etc. This BTW, is a dynamic I see with LOTS of assistants, aides... I don't know what it is... I've been in many rooms where the aide doesn't even acknowledge me as a new adult in the room that day. It's dumbfounding to me.
Yay, this week's a piece of cake! I only work T, W, & Th without any kind of meetings to attend & then I'm off for 18 days straight for the break! I did laundry & took clothes to the cleaners this week, so I'm not bothered by it during my vacation.
Worked in a very messy room today. I was in this room last year and it stuck out because of the incredible mess. Piles of stuff everywhere. The top of the cabinents had stacks of worksheets with dust so heavy it was gray. It doesn't help that it's an old school and the doors and carpet needs to be replaced and the walls painted, so the mess on top of the aged appearance makes for a pretty terrible aesthetic. Today when I was in there, the stacks of worksheets were gone, but it was still a mess. I went through before the kids came in and picked up the stuff on the floor and straightened the bookshelves. Throughout the day as I circulated, I picked up all kinds of stuff off the ground - broken crayons, paper, stacks of books....I told the class that we were going to take a minute and clean up the floor around their seats. The response I received? "There's a guy that comes in and does that job for us." I could not believe my ears. I lectured them about it being their place that they were responsible for and that it wasn't anybody's "job" to follow them around and pick up their cast-off scraps of paper.
