Day too and still not a bad week

Tuesday, October 8, 2013 I'm in a 5th and 6th grade Math class that changes so I don't have the same kids all day. For the most part, things are fine. The teacher in the class is very neat and organized, which is great! Clean and coherent lesson plan for the day and students were explained the assignment the day before so unless they are just messing with me, the students knew what they had to do. Of course, there will always be that one student in each class that will test me. The good thing about these classes today is that no one in the room found it the least bit funny and so that worked to my advantage. I hate it when a kids wastes my time with questions they either don't care about getting the answer to or just want to play dumb with me. I generally walk away without giving help to those students but this kid had diarrhea of the mouth...he just kept up with comments and then started smarting off to me about how did I get to be a teacher and other insults. Instead of humiliating the kid in front of his classmates, I asked him to step out of the room. This didn't seem to make a difference but I told him he need to change his attitude and stop with the comments. All he did was walk back in still running his mouth. I have a feeling the teacher will do something about this because one student mentioned detention if anyone was acting out in class while he was gone. So I have left a note about this student : ) Other than that, the classes were great. I did have a class working on a math magazine with questions they were not prepared to answer. I just told them to try their best because I really couldn't begin to teach them new math concepts. I always leave a nice note for the teacher. I try to compliment them or their students because I would hate to hear only negative parts of the day. Plus it really isn't fair to the students that work hard when it is only a couple that seem to ruin it for the rest. But so far, my week of picky school picking is paying off! I haven't had to yell which is good because I am coughing a lot and not sleeping well. If I had to yell I might lose my voice all together!

Best Day Ever!

Monday, October 7, 2013 Not only am I at a school less than a block from my home but I am in a 3rd grade class! It is still my favorite grade. There are 29 students in the room and the day began with them putting away their things and then getting their independent reading books. It was quiet! Students knew their routine and listened. I called them to the carpet to have them explain what they need to write in the margins when they are reading their Time for Kids magazine. They were to read the cover story and underline information they either connected to, had prior knowledge of, questions if they didn't understand and anything new they may have learned while reading it! I LOVE THIS! Students could sit anywhere in the room to do this and this was the same at writing time too. Writing, they were working on memoirs and final drafts could be typed on the ipads that were in the room. I am writing during my prep time...students are in gym. We have math this afternoon and they are working on a research project about the Arctic. Teachers keep asking me how is it going and I just say I am in heaven. This is great and they laugh. Yes, it is a great class, school and no reason why everyday shouldn't be this way everywhere. I THINK, and I could be wrong, but I picked jobs this week that should all be this way but at different schools. I love this. I only wish I hadn't been coughing until 1am but at least it is a good, active day with great, active learning happening.

Friday didn't end soon enough

Friday, October 4, 2013 My last assigned south side school. I was in a self-contained room with 5-6th graders, 8 of them. I was told there would be an aid to assist me but he was late. There were two teacher desks in the room, one neat and the other a hot mess. I just set my stuff on the side counter near one desk in the back of the room. The teacher had been out all week with multiple subs who picked through the once organized work left by the teacher...so basically, I was scrapping the barrel to figure out what to do with the students. There was one student that was supposed to be in class but he was suspended the day before for pulling the fire alarm. So as I am trying to do work with students and working on descriptive words, the aid for the class comes in and proceeds to take over the class. Was I happy about this? No. It felt like a tug of war, in a way, because he is not a teacher and even though I may need his help, it wasn't with the teaching aspect. At one point, I asked for an example of what they ate for dinner, thinking they could tell me something and we can add descriptive words to it. This is when the aid says to me, "These kids don't eat dinner like you do." ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? I said to him, "Last night I ate a peanutbutter sandwich. They should be able to describe anything that they ate or drank." He looked at me and said, "oh." This was ridiculous. Later in the day I asked the students why they were all in this class and they told me it was because they had anger management issues. And did they! They would argue with me about the color of the sky. It was exhausting to argue when they had no idea about what they were saying. It was frustrating to no end. I had one boy pulled out a few times, thinking he was going to be violent to me. He was violent by throwing a bucket of books across the room and hitting another child. He punched something and said he wanted to hit me. But the school kept bringing him back into my room. I tried not to say anything to him at all unless there was a danger to what he was doing. One boy, whom I believe had autistic tendencies but the aid said no, sat hand writing the words from a book he was reading and drawing pictures to go with it. Very neat and beautiful. He sat smiling...even when one of the boys took a foam cup of water and smashed him on the top of his head with it. I wanted to cry as they laughed. It was so disturbing. I only saw the aid for about an hour and in a way, I was glad. He asked me, when he came in, if I would move my stuff so he could put his stuff down. Seriously? If he cleaned off the crap everywhere on his desk, my little bag wouldn't have been in the way. At the end of the day, the very nice secretary told me it seemed like a better day than the other subs had because security was hardly called. I bet the other subs were ringing that bell all day long but I am a gluten for punishment. I only call in case of emergency...otherwise I deal with it. Was glad this day was over.

My "Day" Off : )

Thursday, October 3, 2013 I took today off so that I could fulfill my master's program requirement of observing in either a middle or high school classroom. I decided to go back to a school I taught at last year for 6th grade during a maternity leave. Over the summer, a couple of those students emailed me about how they missed me and liked having me for a teacher. Wanting to know if I would be coming back but, of course, due to budgets and school closings, there were not open positions available to me again this year. It is hard to explain that to kids. I want them to understand but sometimes it is difficult to explain and understand as an adult! During the summer, I was having a down day, thinking about how badly I want to teach and watch a group of students grow and move on, when I received an email from a former student. This girl, when I first started teaching her class, really tried to give me a hard time but I never backed down and expected more from her. One day she cried and said she didn't think I liked her. I told her that was not true at all but that she needed to follow directions and not try to fight me so hard when I expect things from her. After that day, we never had a problem and she started to open up to me about her family and share things. I've learned that no matter how bad or what a student tells me that I don't react or seem shocked. I usually just ask them what THEY think or feel. And I listen, I don't judge. So this summer I received this email: Dear Ms.Lahare I Was Just Wondering How Yhu Have Been? Well Excuse My Spelling But It's Called "Txt Talk" And I Donno What I Did Wrong But I Got A "C" In Research.. That Surprised Me.. And Even Though We Hadn't Start Off Good..You're A Nice Teacher..I Was Disappointed When You Were'n't There On That Next Morning. Well Bye!! I started to cry. I know that sounds stupid but it just touched me that she thought to write and funny that she KNEW I would comment on her spelling! LOL! But as luck would have it, this student went home sick on the day I went to the school. But I will see her in a couple of week when I go back. When my students from last year saw me, they were so excited and hugging me and asking me if I was coming back to teach. But I explained that I was just finishing course work. They were bringing up advise I gave them or wanting to know if I remembered their names. It was bittersweet. But it is days like this that remind me that teaching is what I am meant to do.

Today was a good day : )

Wednesday, October 2, 2013 I was lucky enough to get a school about 15 minutes from home, which was nice. The teacher ACTUALLY attached a schedule and list of students to me thru the sub service website so I knew I would be with a group in a special education setting. I was in a classroom where 3, 4, 5th graders came in for services throughout the day. There were two students that stayed all day, a girl with Down's Syndrome and a boy who's disability was not known to me. The students all had ipads that they could uses when their paper work was finished. It was a lot of repetition and reading and partner reading which was nice. The kids all knew their routines so well. The aid was helpful. He was assigned to the 10 year old with Down's Syndrome. She was very funny. She wanted to know if I was married, had brothers, what their names were, if I had sisters, what were my parent's names. Later in the day she became more agitated about her cat being gone but in the morning she mentioned only that she had a cat. More importantly, she just wanted to go home. When the aid tried to work on sight words with her, she threw the cards and would let out these random screams or screeches. She was determined to get her way and go home. She was done. The aid was very patient waiting for her to pick up the cards (which never happened). But she was funny. She liked to purposely copy what you were doing even if it was rubbing your eyes or ears. She got a kick out of that. I think she may have cursed but wasn't quite sure...if it wasn't, it was awfully close! At the end of the say, I walked the boy who was in third grade, down to the office where everyone knew his name and said hi and he walked out to his bus with a bus aid. If only every day could be like this!

No More Southside...I think

Tuesday, October 1, 2013 I found out that another change was made to the sub system so I was able to put in my preferred sub-area. Some schools would take over an hour to get to and back. And with taking evening classes for special education, it is just too much. So at least my schools will now be within 30 minutes of my apartment. It was another rough day. At first, it started out ok. I had a small group of students in a self-contained special education classroom. A nice group of kids. A little hyperactive but polite and tried to work hard. I wasn't exactly filling in for one teacher. I was then in with a group of 7th graders while their teacher had a meeting. That lasted about an hour and they were fine too. Just when I thought it was going to be ok...I was sent to cover gym for the rest of the day so that teacher could test students. My first group: 4th grade. I love 4th grade! They came in, took their spots and proceeded to make my life a living hell. I should say that it was really only about 7 of them...one girl in particular. It was lovely. She called me a bitch for telling her to get quiet and listen since we were in a large gym with sounds bouncing off the walls along with several kids. When I got closer to her I was told to "get my white face out of her face". This group was pulled out and placed on a wall inside the gym but when the male teacher left, they screamed and yells and ruined any chance of giving this group a gym period. We say and waited. I waited to tell her teacher and escort her to the dean because she wasn't going to talk to me that way and get away with it. When the dean told her to apologize to me, she turned her back to me. NICE! For the rest of the day, gym was in their classrooms and a part of me felt bad about that but then there was no way in hell I was going to let another group of seemingly good kids ignore and mistreat me. On top of that, I didn't want to lose my voice. The whistle I was given only encouraged them to be louder.

Monday, Monday....

Monday, September 30, 2013 My day began as it usually does at the beginning of a payday week....I check my upcoming paycheck for errors. There always is. I almost expect there to be an error. So I call payroll to find out what hours and days they see me working on. THEN, I have to call the schools that messed up my hours and ask them to re-enter the time for me. Now, last year, corrections would be made and fixed for the same pay period but NOW, the lost hours go on the NEXT paycheck...it's going to be a long 2 more weeks. It's frustrating to say the least. It is sometimes the system and sometime the clerk. All I know is that I will have less money this Friday than I thought. The school today was pretty easy. I live for these days. The 8th grade teacher left a reading and asked that students write a 2 paragraph response. Fairly easy and they could work together to read the information. But there is always that one class that chooses not to do the work. With 5 minutes left, I told the students to just write their names on their papers and give them to me. I think I had 11 blank papers (except for their names). I told them this was ridiculous. During class, I took advantage of the fact that I had an overhead and started a discussion about the reading to ensure they understood what they were doing. There is alway on or two girls with attitudes and an excuse for everything. I clipped those 11 papers together and wrote a note to the teacher: The attached papers belong to a group of students that talked and chose not to work even after I used the projector and explained the reading. There were some funny moments. One boy today was wearing socks he was extremely proud of. They were a leopard print and he was wearing house slippers and shorts. The girls liked the socks and he told me that was his motive behind wearing them. Another boy was working on his paragraphs and instead of writing " endangered species" he wrote about the "endengered spices". I started laughing and asked, "What endangered spices are you referring to? Oregeno? Parsley?" The class started laughing and so did he. Yes, he quickly changed what he was writing. Another just made up some random stuff that was nowhere in the reading to include quoting Allstate insurance. It was crazy! But at least this class made me laugh before my lazy group came in for the day. It was also interesting to me that the Special Ed teacher came in and mentioned that if a particular student had a problem in class today to send him to her. I thought for sure I knew which student it would be but I was wrong. The boy she was talking about was perfectly fine for me. The other boys I THOUGHT, were not even in special education classes. I secretly love when this happens because bar is always set so low for students in special education. But the last couple of teaching assignments I've had, the students in special education were the best!

TGIF

Friday, September 27, 2013 Because of the week and weeks I've been having, I decided to check into the school I went to today. Since the school had a website (and not all schools do), I was able to look up the teacher's name that I was filling in for and know the grade: 6th. But when I looked down at the list of teachers I recognized the name of a teacher I worked with in my first year. I was so happy! I sent her a message on Facebook letting her know I would be there. The sub system listed the start/end time at 8am-3:30. Because the end time was 3:30, start time is supposed to be 8:30. I assumed the 8am start time was so I got there early...I was wrong. So I pulled up at 7:55 only to struggle to find a place to park...then realized there were two different buildings and, of course, I entered the wrong building and had to run to the next. The secretary told me the teacher I know was in the classroom with the 6th graders I was teaching and I was relieved. When I got up to the third floor, I saw my friend and had to try not to cry. I know it sounds stupid but after this long week, I was emotionally drained. It was a relief to see a friendly face. I ended up having a good day and never raised my voice once. The school I was in was predominantly Hispanic but also African American and White students. It was a nice mix of respectful and good kids. A nice ending to a horrible week. Today, I just wanted to cry. I don't know how much more of this I can take. Substitute teaching is not simply a paycheck for me. I LOVE to teach. I don't want to just babysit and hand out busy work. But I understand that teachers leave real lessons only to find out that the sub didn't follow them. But everyday I wake up and drive to a school that I don't know. I never know what grade or the students or staff. I never know how strict I have to be so I am not taken advantage of. Some days just really get to me. When I started teaching, I wanted to teach where I was really needed, thinking I could make a difference but I don't believe this anymore. I shouldn't have to fight with students to get them to learn and want to learn. Teachers keep getting blamed for students not doing well in schools but if you only knew what they go through every day. I really believe that when parents or families are involved and care, the schools are better and teachers feel supported. Off for the weekend!

Thursday, September 26, 2013 My post is late for Thursday. It was a rough 1/2 day of work which made me glad I only worked 1/2 the day. When I pull up to a school with a police presence around the school, I know I am in for quite a day. But I had no idea. I was assigned a 2nd grade class but don't let that fool you. Children are, at times, a perfect example of their environment. Disrespectful, getting out of their seats, talking loud, shrugging their shoulders when they are told to do or not do something. The teacher left work and information, however, at 10:30am, students with special needs came into the room because they were supposed to have technology and library in the classroom. SUPPOSED to. I waited. And waited. I had to get 29 second graders to be quiet so I could buzz the office to find out where the teacher was. When they finally answered, I couldn't hear a word they were saying. I had to raise my voice so much in this class just to be heard that I could feel my voice starting to go. One thing I find, in almost all of the schools is that they fail to tell the sub of the consequences established in the classroom. Every school, teacher and class is different. A heads up would be nice. When I took students down to go to recess, we had to wait for security. Behind me, I had a class whose teacher was getting annoyed thinking I was holding up the students from going out. She had her wig all done up, tons of make-up, large woman using a walking stick because she didn't seem to have good balance. I turned around to tell her the kids were going out but we were waiting for security. She looked right past me and mumbled about not waiting and she left. When I got back up stairs, she and I were the only two in the hallway. I took this time to say that security was late and that was the hold up. She completely ignored me. Didn't look at me. Then walking in her room. Are you kidding me???? I have a feeling she spends more time on her appearance than she does in teaching. I was glad to walk out of their and I've started making a list of schools to never, EVER go back to.

A Day in the Life of a Substitute Teacher: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 Today I pulled u...

A Day in the Life of a Substitute Teacher: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 Today I pulled u...: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 Today I pulled up to a new school...sorta. When I first started substitute teaching 2 years ago, I was ...

Wednesday, September 25, 2013 Today I pulled up to a new school...sorta. When I first started substitute teaching 2 years ago, I was sent there. I was green and not much experience. My first impression was OMG, what am I doing? But today I am better and I don't put up with much. Sitting in the office, I find out that I am not teaching in a class that I was scheduled for. I was being placed in kindergarten. As I sat talking to two other substitute teachers also waiting for assignments, I found out that another (horrible) school a few blocks away closed and those students were now at this one! I was just praying for the best but my expectations were pretty low. I went to the classroom and found it was a self-contained class with 4 students ranging from autism to downs syndrome. There was a nice aid in the room. Shortly after being in there for 5 minutes, another person comes in and sends me to the kindergarten, another room. THIS teacher wrote out my schedule with the students on construction paper, in marker. A parent comes in and says she's a volunteer....who proceeds to take complete charge of the room, restroom break and discipline. I stood there. Don't get me wrong, help and guidance especially when the teacher left no lesson plan, is helpful. But I am there to be the teacher...not her. In my head I bounced around the fact that I am getting paid and to blow it off but I needed to gain control early on or the day would be lost. I was glad when she left after an hour. I was left with no lessons so I took her 1/2-assed plans and read the story she left me, had student draw a picture of one of the scenes we read. We worked on daily routines and a little math. I was dumbfounded when I got to a science worksheet with no reading materials but they were supposed to fill in the blank! Several still could hardly read and write. Just didn't seem appropriate for their level. But I've saved the best for last. A boy...four years old...couldn't sit for more than one minute. Was into everything and was everywhere. I literally had to hold his hand everywhere I went: walking around the room, in the hall, etc... Then he would yell, "I want to go home!" Sometimes it was following up with fake or no tears. What was funny to me was when he would drop and say he was tired. I'd be tired too if I did nothing but run in circles around the room and disrupt the class. At the end of the day, I waited for families to pick up their kids. Do you think this little boy's family showed up? Nope. I had to take him to the office. I asked one guy working there why he wasn't in the preschool class at age 4 and "they were working on it" with the family. Discipline? Structure? I don't believe this child had any hyperactivity issues. I think he was young and being allowed to do whatever he wanted because he's little and cute. What a mess!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013 After Monday, I decided to confirm my sub job for Tuesday and I did. It just so happens that this particular school was one block away from where my grandparents used to live and my mom grew up in this neighborhood. It now has a lot of gang activity. The house is still there but it isn't safe. I showed up and found out I was teaching 3rd grade. The school was taken over a few years ago because of doing poorly on state tests. Now it is run like a basic training camp (I know this because I am ex-military). One thing that doesn't sit well with me is that these particular schools are only in predominantly African American neighborhoods. I would think that if this style of school were in white neighborhoods, there would be a huge backlash. I understand that many kids are not being disciplined and so "tough-love" is the step but it seems unnatural for kids to be completely silent all day long without getting into some trouble. When I first went into the office to sign in, not one office person spoke to me. I tried to get their attention but I was ignored so I went to the teacher in-boxes to get the breakfast sheet. I waited and waited before finally a secretary apologized and told me my room and grade. They didn't know if there were lessons in the room. So I went up, had to pee and then race down to the 1st floor from the third to pick up the student. Keep in mind I have not been in the room. When we get to the room, it is locked! Students are standing silent, patiently, to get into the room holding all their belongings. (The door was locked all day so I had to remember to put a stop in the door to get back in.) The day wasn't entirely bad. I get self-conscious when I feel teachers see me dealing with out of control students and worry about what they are thinking. At times, as with this one, I feel the need to let them know that I have taught in schools like theirs before and I am familiar. But then I have to keep in mind I AM A SUB! I'm an over-achiever. But two other teachers told me that this group of 3rd graders were difficult. It made me feel better to know that they acted the same with their regular teacher! Maybe she needed a mental health day : ).

Monday, September 23, 2013 I reported to a school and when I got there, I was told that they had already asked someone one to sub for that teacher. Schools are not to do that. This was the second time this has happened to me so it was hard not to get angry. I told them that the system put me in this spot and that if they didn't have a place for me, I would not get paid for this day. There were plenty of positions still available but by now it was too late. So the school had me go to classrooms, relieve teachers so they could have hour meetings and basically babysit until they got back to their rooms. So I was running around all day and didn't get to teach. I know what you are thinking? What am I complaining about? I still got paid, right? Yes, but it makes for a long day walking up and down and all over. The asst. principal was nice and friendly. But I think the secretary messed up and put her friend in the spot I was supposed to take for the day.

Why Write About My Substitute Experience?

I've decided to start this blog because of all the craziness that I have encountered as a substitute teacher, especially this year! I will not mention school names or districts because that would be wrong. I will, however, paint a picture of what it is like to be a substitute teacher in a large urban area. I started teaching 2 years ago thinking substitute teaching will help me to grow as a teacher and find a school that would see how great I am and hire me. Unfortunately, with all the school closings, the teacher competition is growing and jobs are limited. I've been lucky enough to teach 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade for materity leaves. I grew attached to my students and miss them so much. This year, I am being randomly sent all over and not getting the opportunity to be attached to students. It makes me sad. When I was younger, I remember giving our substitute teachers a hard time. But never to the extent of what I encounter now. It is a different world and I am expected, each day, to walk into a classroom, control it, teach and navigate in schools and neighborhoods I have never been in before. Each day presents a new challenge. So far this year, I subbed for a 7th and 8th grade class in a neighborhood with a high gang-level activity. In fact, many students discussed gangs in their conversations in the room or tried to put on colors in the room thinking I had no clue as to what they were doing. I was called a bitch and "fuck you". Security came to the room because of the noice and there was little respect for the principal who came in and was dispected as badly as I was. At the end of the week, I found myself at a culturally diverse school with 3rd graders, 30 of them! The teacher whom I was filling in for left detailed plans and lessons for me to teach! I was so happy! At the end of the day that Friday, several students drew pictures for me telling me I was their favorite "substitute" teacher and that they would miss me. It is days like this that I live for. Days like this that give me hope of teaching in my own classroom one day. Basically, this blog is my way of venting the good, the bad and the ugly of substitute teaching. There seems to be a lot more ugly these days.