Last Full Day of School

Wow. I have made it. I never thought that I would sub for an entire year and still be alive to write and tell people about it. I finally starting to hit my grove in January and it has been almost non-stop since then. I have had good days, bad days, excellent days, and the more horrible than hell days of subbing. But I survived.

I am an happier person, since I have started subbing. It is my degree and profession, so that burden of actually using the degree is off my shoulders. I have normal hours and weekends free to hang with friends, which is very important. I still believe that I would be a good, if not great, teacher if I am ever blessed with an full-time teaching gig (take that the person who said I should not be a teacher).

Today is the last "normal" full school day, either seniors are done today, or everyone else as finals next week. I subbed at the alternative high school for a teacher that I have subbed before. As the story goes, they do not like their normal teacher because (according to them) she treats them like they are in second grade. I have met her and she is nice. Today went okay. When it is the last full day of school, students have checked out before they even step foot onto the campus, so I knew I was not going to get anything productive out of them. It was true. The teacher, bless her heart, wanted them to work on a review for the final (that is on next Monday) for the entire 60 minutes, plus 30 minutes to work on a paper that is also due Monday. It really didn't happen, most of the kids were either already prepared (they get to use all their notes for the final) or are already failing and having to retake, so why even bother. I knew I was not going to win the battle. Instead we watched TBS/CNN and chatted. A few students in each class worked, so it wasn't a total loss. It would also be nice for a class of 9 students, for all of them to show up. It throws me off to have only 6 students in class. According to another teacher, this behavior is normal, and the teacher I am subbing for will not be shock with my notes.

I also finally had a decent and productive conversation with a teacher that I have subbed for a half of a dozen times since January, she was thrilled to finally met me and likewise. She is really cool and her name is also the same as mine. She told me that if I was still subbing in the Fall, I would be the first sub on her list. I thanked her.

Another class comes in. For some reason at the Alternative school, all the female students are trying to hook me up with the two single male teachers that are on campus. I have met one, not bad looking and he teaches English. We chatted once and he wrote my name down to sub (I was so flustered, I forgot to give him my sub info business card it has my email address on it).

After school I was invited to have a beer with the teachers from the school. I turned them down, because I am poor, moving and had not eaten anything the entire day. It would have been cool to hang out with the teachers. I promised myself, the next time I will say yes. It is all about connections, and this was a year that I made them. I have a handful of teachers that call me first, an office manager that loves me, and a social studies department that has me high on their list of "recommended subs."

I can do this. I will make it. I will survive.

WITH An Emphasis on Special Education

I sub for the behavioral intervention program again today that the district has at certain schools. For some apparent reason, I get these calls a lot, because not many subs will walk into these classrooms, because everything is so up in the air. It can be a great day, or a day from hell with nervous breakdowns and students in isolation rooms, freaking out (I have never experience it, but I have heard stories). To be honest, as a substitute teacher in these classrooms, I rarely do anything because the amazing Para-Educators know more about the students and how the day goes, so usually I am just there as a legal requirement, but a legal requirement that gets paid (a license teacher must be present...). I am suppose to be in charge over Para-Educators that are usually my mom's age or very nice young single guys. So, I let them take the lead and do whatever they would like me to do. Today, I worked one on one with students that ended help with their reading and make up work.

I can read what a classroom will be like within 5 seconds of the bell. I knew today was going to be easy. I am not one who barks orders, especially at behavioral trouble students, that is not the answer and as a sub you need any kernel of respect you can get within the first 5 minutes. I usually take the first five minutes to chat and hang out while I am going the attendance and talking to the Para's and the Para's totally do not seem to mind, at least I have the students attention because that is usually half the battle.

Today was fine. I work with a 16-year-old girl who is in 8th grade still, she was cool. We chatted about life and she told me about her boyfriend who is 23 (her mother knows). This was going to be her last day attending this school. I could tell she has had a hard life, she has a parole officer (or something similar) because she complained about it for a while. I didn't ask her much about brought her to this place. But I was able to get her to work on her reading. She is far behind, but I know she likes learning and believes it is important. I just hope the pieces fall into place.

I also worked with a student who doesn't really talk much, he was a sweet kid. I got him to work on stuff to. He was pretty funny and thought I was cool.

Before I left, one of the Para-Educators demanded that I give her one of my calling cards with my sub info on them. She was going to tell the teacher that I was subbing for that she should always try to get me because I am good with the students. Because I give off a good vibe, I do not bark orders and I just let the kids be (sort of, I did barter with the students today to get some work done) and I am able to a get them to work, which I guess is unusual.

This is not the first time Para-Educators tell me I am good with their students. For some apparent reason, I can get emotional and behavioral kids to stay on task and rarely lash out when I am around. For some reason they like me. I think it is that I do not walk in with all the answers, I let them breathe and try to find something we all can relate to, and then I ease into the day. Some of the Para-Educators have even ask if I would consider getting an endorsement in Special Education or Master's because they can see me doing it. Plus they are always hiring Special Education Teachers, the lifespan is not that long. I have considered it, but I can do it for a day, but can I commit my year and life working with these emotional and behavioral students? I do not know the answer.

I am realizing that I am not a stereotypical teacher, I believe that gaining respect from the students is far more beneficial than barking orders withing the first 5 minutes. It is even harder for subs to get respect. I have learned that sometimes a little conversation and not getting everything completed makes for a easier day than being a task master. But I have been a task master on occasion, I didn't like it, but it had to be done.

Calm BUT No Work Completed.

I subbed for the same teacher that I subbed for last Friday, the same day as the lock down. Today there was actual work to be done, but getting these students to do work without a full-blown yelling match that is one-sided (theirs) is tricky. I tend to pick my battles very wisely, iPods are okay; however dancing on the desk, is not okay. Looking at yearbooks fine, but designing shoes on the web not okay. I know that I do not have the "real" authority to take away year books and it is the end of the year, so I do not usually try any clout that I might have as a substitute teacher, it is a battle that is not worth much. If the student is concern about their grade and the class, they will work. If they do not care by the last two weeks of school it is a lost cause.

For some reason, okay for the most part was a calm day. Students are there, not at all focus but calm (unusual). I would encourage work to be done, but did not force it. When I emailed the teacher about the day and was honest about the lack of work completed, she responded that she understood and would have a calm day over actual work completed too.

When a teacher agrees on the lack of progress, but is glad that there was no major full-blown attitude issues, you know that I am subbing for one of the most difficult classes. I still do not know why I put myself through is torture. Then again, the teacher was the one that requested me for today, perhaps at least a familiar face is better in a classroom like this, at least I know what I am getting into.

When I do tell stories about working in the Special Education system, I mostly end up working with behavioral and learning disabilities, not physical disabilities. I learned really quickly not to push students who do not want to work if they have behavior issues, which usually come out more when there is a substitute present. I tread lightly with these students and I am honest with the teachers. But it is usually the teachers that write in their notes, do not push or force the students to work, much rather have them sit there and do nothing than have a bad day. So, I let them sit there, listen their iPods and hope that one day they realize they need to get their act together in order to survive in the real world. All I can do is smile, be nice and say a quick prayer under my breathe for the students who need it the most.

Lock Down

I am realizing from last week's fire and today's lock down, that substitute teachers are ill prepared for disasters and emergencies. The information that schools are suppose to provide is never in the folder, the classroom or on the teacher's desk. The bucket with class lists and other important things is never where you can get at it, usually lock in a cupboard for which you do not have a key. It is hard because every school is different, and trying to know everything about every school is impossible. I improv security, something the United States Secret Service doesn't even improv, they go through drills that they hope they never have to implement.

Today was my first actual REAL lock down, meaning that there was someone/something in the surrounding the perimeter that was suspicious and the cops were called. I guess according from what I heard, a man dressed in black with a gun across the street. It lasted for an hour.

To make matters far more interesting, I was subbing for a teacher in the Special Education Department, who teaches Foundations of World History (or US History, I forgot which one) and Practical Math, which means students who are grades below where they should be. Most of them have other issues too, mostly attitude. This is the same school that a female student threaten me (same class actually, the more I think about it... I do not think she was here today, another story for another day.) Luckily when the school announce over the PA system for the lock down, I had to Para Educators in my room (at least they knew what to do), so we all spent quality time together.

High school students fail to take things like this seriously. To be honest, I wasn't that nervous about it, cops were checking the school within minutes unlocking the lock classroom doors popping in and re-locking. But sitting in the dark and trying to keep high school students quiet with is impossible. Luckily, nothing happened.

I did not sign up to have to experience lock downs, worrying about the safety of my students and myself. Schools are suppose to be safe place, but ever since Columbine and the awareness of sexual predators rose in the 1990s, schools have to prepare for everything and everyone.

Since the Columbine shooting, I have had this recurring dream and the only thing I remember is the following: I am walking down this large hallway, lockers and classrooms are flanking either side of the me and I am running down the hall and there is a shot. I wake up. That did cross my mind today. Being an Educator is not for the weary, or the faint because the greater the chaos in the world, the greater responsibility for the teacher in the classroom protecting, educating and inspiring the students they are responsible for.

Yet, I still sub.

xen

I have come up with a title, all I need are the Stories...

I have finally decided on a good title for the time being for my blogger blog. The only problem is that the year is pretty much over and my subbing stories are in my head with nowhere to go. So I am going to share them here, out of order, but I will place in order later. So, I will post a stories throughout the summer and hopefully be on task the coming fall or whenever I stand infront of students again. Enjoy!

C-Momma, Power Outages & Fires: Part 1

Substitute Teachers want subbing jobs that are more than 1 or 2 days, because the longer they are subbing for the same teacher the more money you make, the likelihood that you will actually get to teach something instead of handing out tests, packets or monitoring computer lab time and it looks good on paper or whatever the list of the school district has on each sub (I am assuming there is one). I also like having the same job more than one day, because it means I will not get woken up in the morning with 30 minutes to get to the school when in reality I need at least 45 minutes.

I had eight days with the same teacher at my favorite local high school. It is my favorite because I have subbed for pretty much every single history teacher, and good portion of the math teachers (against my better judgement, sometimes money before knowledge comes into play) and a handful of other subjects. I sort of live at this school, because the Office Manager loves me and Teachers and support staff say hi to me when they see me. I also finally have a parking permit for that school (I dislike getting parking tickets, not my fault).

AP World History and AP Economics were the subjects for the next 8 days. But for those of you who took AP classes, know that after you take the AP test in early May the rest of the school year in those classes are pretty easy and lax, filled with movies and projects. So, my students mostly were working on projects that were finals and watched documentaries.

The second day (June 1), I received a nickname from my fourth period AP World History: C-Momma. It came out because I said was okay to call me by my first name, which they thought was cool. I really dislike my last name, and students always screw it up. So now I have a nickname that got passed around all the AP World History classes and when I walk the halls of this high school, you will hear "Hi, C-Momma." It will not die, and deep down inside I like it.

There is a Dark Side when I Teach - Death Threat OUT of Frustrations

I am currently on my lunch break at the school I am currently subbing. Today has gone as good as to be expected being the first day of a new semester and with an 1 hour delay start time (damn snow but I didn't know about the delay until I got to the school) and I am subbing in the Special Education with Basic History and Math and most of the students have behavior or lack of motivation. Luckily, alot of my students decided to skip today, which makes my day a little easier.

My third period, damn third period. It is foundational math, which breaks into four groups with four different teachers. One girl freaked out about her placement (I am guessing it had to do with the teacher rather the group). She threatened me and the other teacher about the unfairness and I told her either go into the group or to the office. She choose the office, along with threatening me again about how mean and evil I am. I am so glad for coming back tomorrow. I love working with students with behavioral issues.