It's time for another school year! Well, it's past time. It was time, like, 2 months ago. I may have let this blog fall by the wayside. But I am currently on a week-long break from school, so I actually have time to blog!
But first, I wanted to kind of give an explanation of what's happening with me and what all is technical and official.
I'm currently still a substitute... technically. The junior high that asked me to sub full-time at the end of last year asked me to come back in the same capacity this year. I accepted, and am still in the books as a long-term sub.
That doesn't mean I'm going anywhere. According to NCLB law, the school was required to let parents know that I am not a "highly qualified" teacher, but a substitute filling a vacant position until a highly qualified teacher could be hired. Some students took that to mean I wasn't going to be there for the whole school year. However, I'm currently taking steps towards becoming a full-time teacher. If everything goes according to plan, I will be on contract in January.
I love my job. Yes, I use this blog to tell of stupid, funny, and/or annoying things that students say and do. And yes, there are times when I wonder if I'm in the right profession. And yes, there are aspects of my job that I could definitely live without (I'm looking at you, grading). But at the end of the terribly long day, I'm very glad to be a teacher.
I still may not blog much. I want to say that I'll schedule time to make sure I blog every week or something like that. But the reality is, I'm always tired when I leave the school, which is often a couple hours after the students have left, though I get there way before they leave. And on the weekends, I'd rather relax and watch entire series on Netflix in my underwear while eating things that I know will only go straight to my thighs. I mean, yeah, I can give that up, but what part of that doesn't sound appealing (besides the whole weight gain thing). Plus, with that contract in January will come classes on top of working. So I need to learn to use my time wisely or I'm gonna fall way behind in work and in school and effectively ruin my chances at succeeding in both.
I'll post something this week, since I have the time and I have an entire quarter to catch you up on. Until then, I'm enjoying my fall break, and I hope you do too (in your job that probably doesn't have fall break).
Class dismissed!
Monday, October 6, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
The Worst of the Worst: Elementary
Now that I'm quasi-full-time at this one school, I wanted to look back at all the classes that I've had the misfortune of teaching over the past 2.5 years. These are the stories of the worst classes I've had to deal with and how I dealt with them. There's a series with 2 in each grade level (high school, junior high, elementary). Enjoy the elementary edition!
This class I had for 2 days. They had different subs for the rest of the week. I actually wanted to have them for the rest of the week. Not because I enjoyed the little darlings, but because I was afraid of what would happen if another sub got into that classroom and couldn't handle them (I kind of had a savior complex going on).
What made this class so horrible was the sheer amount of students acting up. I had an aide for this class, who took it upon herself to make a good list and a bad list. A couple crazy kids can really cause you to have a bad day. In this class, the lists were 50-50. Half of these 3rd grade monsters were out of control. This included two boys separated from the rest of the class who were on behavior plans, a girl who had one of the worst attitudes I have ever encountered, and a kid who kicked a soccer ball around inside the classroom. I was already on edge when the bell rang for them to go, but this boy asked me if I took him off the bad list. 5 minutes after he was kicking a soccer ball inside the classroom. I was (possibly disproportionately) furious that he had the audacity to ask if he was off the bad list. When he asked that, I gave him a lecture about how his behavior was inexcusable.
On top of this, you know the girl with the attitude? My first day in this class, another student's mom called me to talk about this girl bullying her child. Why she called the classroom about something that should have been taken to the office, I had no idea. But we had an agreement with Little Miss Attitude when she came in the next day. If she talked back, if she argued with another student, if she rolled her eyes or stared anyone down, if she gave any ounce of the attitude that she thought she was entitled to, she'd be gone. Lo and behold, the moment she decided to talk back, I had one of my many problem children out of the room.
I would often get to the end of the day and say to myself, "Well, that wasn't the worst class I've ever had." After my second day in this class, I thought to myself, "Wow... I think this was literally the worst class I've ever subbed for. I haven't been back since.
Lumps of Coal
There have been a couple times when I've seen kids at one school that recognize me from their old schools. One such kid noticed me at my favorite school to sub at. He said, "Do you remember my class over at Other Elementary School?" to which I responded, "Oh, yes...."This class I had for 2 days. They had different subs for the rest of the week. I actually wanted to have them for the rest of the week. Not because I enjoyed the little darlings, but because I was afraid of what would happen if another sub got into that classroom and couldn't handle them (I kind of had a savior complex going on).
What made this class so horrible was the sheer amount of students acting up. I had an aide for this class, who took it upon herself to make a good list and a bad list. A couple crazy kids can really cause you to have a bad day. In this class, the lists were 50-50. Half of these 3rd grade monsters were out of control. This included two boys separated from the rest of the class who were on behavior plans, a girl who had one of the worst attitudes I have ever encountered, and a kid who kicked a soccer ball around inside the classroom. I was already on edge when the bell rang for them to go, but this boy asked me if I took him off the bad list. 5 minutes after he was kicking a soccer ball inside the classroom. I was (possibly disproportionately) furious that he had the audacity to ask if he was off the bad list. When he asked that, I gave him a lecture about how his behavior was inexcusable.
On top of this, you know the girl with the attitude? My first day in this class, another student's mom called me to talk about this girl bullying her child. Why she called the classroom about something that should have been taken to the office, I had no idea. But we had an agreement with Little Miss Attitude when she came in the next day. If she talked back, if she argued with another student, if she rolled her eyes or stared anyone down, if she gave any ounce of the attitude that she thought she was entitled to, she'd be gone. Lo and behold, the moment she decided to talk back, I had one of my many problem children out of the room.
I would often get to the end of the day and say to myself, "Well, that wasn't the worst class I've ever had." After my second day in this class, I thought to myself, "Wow... I think this was literally the worst class I've ever subbed for. I haven't been back since.
Poor Student Teacher
This day was going to go smoothly. I walked into the 3rd or 4th grade classroom for the job that I'd accepted, and the teacher was there and said her class was great, perfect little angels, never gave any problems. I thought, this is going to be awesome.
Then the office moved me to a 6th grade class.
One sub didn't show up, so they called in a sub last minute. My inkling is that they wanted to give the easy job to the sub they called in late, since they inconvenienced them or something. Or maybe they needed a strong man to deal with these hellions.
The first part of the day was run by a student teacher who had an observation that day. So I sat back and let her lead the classroom. I can't imagine she got a very good observation. These kids were playing around with claws they'd made out of folded paper. One student wouldn't take his hat off after being asked multiple times. One girl yelled at both me and the student teacher. These kids walked all over this poor woman.
When she left and I took over, I let them know that I wasn't playing. Any claws I saw were cut up and thrown away. Any rowdy behavior warranted a trip to the office. Let's hear about some of these kids who did make that fateful trip.
2 boys were supposed to be working out in the hall. Instead of working, they went into a different room where they found a TV and started watching Scooby Doo. When I asked them to go into the classroom, one of them decided that he wanted to argue about me leaving the other kids in the class with just a student teacher and rights and blah blah blah. The other one did as he was told. The first child had security come and get him. He celebrated his liberation from the classroom when they came. I can't imagine his attitude did him any favors.
Then, there was that girl who yelled at me and the student teacher. She was yelling because she'd misplaced a book, which was somehow our fault. When I said that I wasn't responsible for her stuff, she blew up. I personally walked her to the office. I don't know why, but she came back later that day. She was calm and somewhat helpful when she came back. Until she asked to go the restroom right after lunch. I told her no, since she was in 6th grade and should know that right after lunch is not the time for that. She started to walk out anyway. When I demanded that she return to her seat, she started yelling again. When I told her to go back to the office, she refused. So, I poked my head next door so I could get the extension to the office. Two of the little brats decided that it was a good idea to play around with their chairs on their heads while my back was turned. The other teacher personally walked these 3 students to the office while I kept watch over both classes. Then, for some unknown reason, Yelly McYellerson comes back to the classroom. I have no idea why this girl was allowed back twice after blowing up inappropriately. I have no idea what excuse there was for that.
This one isn't even over, because she's in my 5th period. She hasn't had an episode yet, but I'm just waiting until she thinks it's okay again to say whatever she wants to say however loud she wants to say it.
Is it May, yet?
Class dismissed!
Then the office moved me to a 6th grade class.
One sub didn't show up, so they called in a sub last minute. My inkling is that they wanted to give the easy job to the sub they called in late, since they inconvenienced them or something. Or maybe they needed a strong man to deal with these hellions.
The first part of the day was run by a student teacher who had an observation that day. So I sat back and let her lead the classroom. I can't imagine she got a very good observation. These kids were playing around with claws they'd made out of folded paper. One student wouldn't take his hat off after being asked multiple times. One girl yelled at both me and the student teacher. These kids walked all over this poor woman.
When she left and I took over, I let them know that I wasn't playing. Any claws I saw were cut up and thrown away. Any rowdy behavior warranted a trip to the office. Let's hear about some of these kids who did make that fateful trip.
2 boys were supposed to be working out in the hall. Instead of working, they went into a different room where they found a TV and started watching Scooby Doo. When I asked them to go into the classroom, one of them decided that he wanted to argue about me leaving the other kids in the class with just a student teacher and rights and blah blah blah. The other one did as he was told. The first child had security come and get him. He celebrated his liberation from the classroom when they came. I can't imagine his attitude did him any favors.
Then, there was that girl who yelled at me and the student teacher. She was yelling because she'd misplaced a book, which was somehow our fault. When I said that I wasn't responsible for her stuff, she blew up. I personally walked her to the office. I don't know why, but she came back later that day. She was calm and somewhat helpful when she came back. Until she asked to go the restroom right after lunch. I told her no, since she was in 6th grade and should know that right after lunch is not the time for that. She started to walk out anyway. When I demanded that she return to her seat, she started yelling again. When I told her to go back to the office, she refused. So, I poked my head next door so I could get the extension to the office. Two of the little brats decided that it was a good idea to play around with their chairs on their heads while my back was turned. The other teacher personally walked these 3 students to the office while I kept watch over both classes. Then, for some unknown reason, Yelly McYellerson comes back to the classroom. I have no idea why this girl was allowed back twice after blowing up inappropriately. I have no idea what excuse there was for that.
This one isn't even over, because she's in my 5th period. She hasn't had an episode yet, but I'm just waiting until she thinks it's okay again to say whatever she wants to say however loud she wants to say it.
Is it May, yet?
Class dismissed!
Saturday, February 15, 2014
The Worst of the Worst: Junior High
Now that I'm quasi-full-time at this one school, I wanted to look back at all the classes that I've had the misfortune of teaching over the past 2.5 years. These are the stories of the worst classes I've had to deal with and how I dealt with them. There's a series with 2 in each grade level (high school, junior high, elementary). Enjoy the junior high edition!
Normally, for junior high and high school, you get a new set of students every hour. This class, however, had the same students for all but one hour. It was for English language learners, which I'm sure was why they had them all there for the whole day. In the several hours I had this group of kids, I saw very few students put any effort into their work and some other students helping themselves to those students' work. I also saw students try to steal hall passes from off the teachers desk. I used one such hall pass to send one such student to the office. This student said something to me in Spanish, which another student translated, "She said that if she goes to the office one more time, she can't come to this school anymore." I still sent her, because she had had her warning and if she wanted to waste her last chance that they gave her, she would face the consequences.
She came back to the class later that day, which I don't think is typical of students who have been suspended or expelled. Fortunately, I had had my suspicions that she hid out in the bathroom instead of going to the office. So, I gave the office staff her name on my lunch break.
My suspicions were confirmed when the vice principal called this girl outside to talk and she came back crying. In the eyes of this girl and her classmates, I was the bad guy (and other choice words that won't be repeated). Well, when the bell rang, we all went our separate ways and I was happy to be away from these kids.
But why was this class so horrible? Two words: 3rd hour. There were entirely too many students in this class that didn't give a crap about their grades. It wore on me day after day standing in front of the class, telling them how to do the problems, showing them the proper stops to solve for the variable, all the while theseyahoos darlings wouldn't stop talking or throwing paper or drawing or <insert method of not paying attention here>. I would even call on them to do a problem. "I don't know how to do it." "Why not?" "Because I'm not paying attention." You can imagine my sympathy when it came time for a quiz or test and they didn't know how to do it.
The kicker came one day when we were in the computer lab, doing an online quiz. Some students kept playing around still, doing the wrong quiz (which they were not getting credit for), sitting in the wrong seat, and some even turned off other students' computers. That day I sent 5 students to the office, a personal record for me. I was through with them. And get this: a couple of them refused to go! As if they were not going to get in trouble if they stayed, as if it wouldn't be more harmful to them to have to have security come and get them. I never did find out what happened to them, but the office definitely heard that they screwed around in the computer lab and didn't go when I asked/ordered them to.
Oh, yeah, that was just one day. There were plenty of days where multiple students were sent out of the classroom for various reasons. One for ripping his test apart. And then, when he got to the other room, he did the same thing. I don't understand these students' form of protest. It does not hurt the teacher in any way when you screw around and fail because of it. If you hate the class so much, why are you choosing to take it again?
Well, no one ever accused these kids of being the sharpest crayons in the shed.
Class dismissed!
3 Strikes. You're Out!
There used to be a junior high in my district that had such a rough student body that if a substitute sent a student to the office, it was an automatic suspension. I'd been at this junior high several times before this, so I knew this rule and rarely sent students out because of it. But sometimes, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.Normally, for junior high and high school, you get a new set of students every hour. This class, however, had the same students for all but one hour. It was for English language learners, which I'm sure was why they had them all there for the whole day. In the several hours I had this group of kids, I saw very few students put any effort into their work and some other students helping themselves to those students' work. I also saw students try to steal hall passes from off the teachers desk. I used one such hall pass to send one such student to the office. This student said something to me in Spanish, which another student translated, "She said that if she goes to the office one more time, she can't come to this school anymore." I still sent her, because she had had her warning and if she wanted to waste her last chance that they gave her, she would face the consequences.
She came back to the class later that day, which I don't think is typical of students who have been suspended or expelled. Fortunately, I had had my suspicions that she hid out in the bathroom instead of going to the office. So, I gave the office staff her name on my lunch break.
My suspicions were confirmed when the vice principal called this girl outside to talk and she came back crying. In the eyes of this girl and her classmates, I was the bad guy (and other choice words that won't be repeated). Well, when the bell rang, we all went our separate ways and I was happy to be away from these kids.
2 + 3 = Leave
This class is more fresh in my mind, I must admit. This was initially the first 3 days of this semester. Then, it expanded to the whole week. Then I had them again twice the next week. And again the next. And then twice more the following week. That's a total of 10 school days with these kids over a period of 4 weeks. In that 4th week, I thought to myself, "You know what? I don't need to keep taking this class." I was kind of in the mindset that I know the subject (math) very well, and I was the only sub who would be able to do it. Then I thought, "You think too highly of yourself, child. Plus, you want to teach elementary. Do that, dummy!"But why was this class so horrible? Two words: 3rd hour. There were entirely too many students in this class that didn't give a crap about their grades. It wore on me day after day standing in front of the class, telling them how to do the problems, showing them the proper stops to solve for the variable, all the while these
The kicker came one day when we were in the computer lab, doing an online quiz. Some students kept playing around still, doing the wrong quiz (which they were not getting credit for), sitting in the wrong seat, and some even turned off other students' computers. That day I sent 5 students to the office, a personal record for me. I was through with them. And get this: a couple of them refused to go! As if they were not going to get in trouble if they stayed, as if it wouldn't be more harmful to them to have to have security come and get them. I never did find out what happened to them, but the office definitely heard that they screwed around in the computer lab and didn't go when I asked/ordered them to.
Oh, yeah, that was just one day. There were plenty of days where multiple students were sent out of the classroom for various reasons. One for ripping his test apart. And then, when he got to the other room, he did the same thing. I don't understand these students' form of protest. It does not hurt the teacher in any way when you screw around and fail because of it. If you hate the class so much, why are you choosing to take it again?
Well, no one ever accused these kids of being the sharpest crayons in the shed.
Class dismissed!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
The Worst of the Worst: High School
Now that I'm quasi-full-time at this one school, I wanted to look back at all the classes that I've had the misfortune of teaching over the past 2.5 years. These are the stories of the worst classes I've had to deal with and how I dealt with them. There's a series with 2 in each grade level (high school, junior high, elementary). Enjoy the high school edition!
One of those Fridays, they had me. He had left busy work for the kids, a tactic that I hate which I have seen many teachers use.
When I passed out the busy work, nobody did it. They didn't even pretend. They just sat and chatted as if they had a free period. They even had their phones out. One student told me, "He let's us use our phones as calculators. He knows we're texting, but he doesn't care." So that told me what I was dealing with.
The real kicker for this day was my last hour. There was a student in this class period who was in an earlier class as an aide. It's funny, because aide is a synonym for help. This girl was the least helpful aide I have ever encountered in my life. Usually, when I have an aide and don't really have anything for them to do, they play on their phones or do homework or something that doesn't distract other students. This girl sat and talked with other students the whole hour. As an aide. And now, the last hour of the day, she came back.
And ya know what? She wanted to do the same thing. I told her that she needed to stop talking and go to her seat (which was on the complete opposite side of the room than where she was). After I told her several times, she sighed heavily and said, very loudly, "F--- my life!" I was very happy to send her out of the room.
Later, as I tried in vain to get people to work, one student pulls out his phone and starts playing music. Twice. There was zero accountability for anybody in this class, and when the final bell rang, I was so ready to be done with this class. I'm glad that that teacher retired and no more kids have to "suffer" through that.
This particular school is what I call a Second Chance School, for the kids who dropped out/were kicked out of their old schools. And it was evident. One of my best students of the day came in late because he was taking care of his child. Noble.
Other students... not so much. Everything in this school was done on the computer. And it was self-paced. So very few student actually did any of their work. The pace that they chose for themselves was to circumvent the filter and watch youtube videos of people fighting in the streets. And there was nothing I could do about anything. I couldn't even send kids to another room or to the office. I was essentially in the class because a certified adult legally had to be there.
Legality only mattered to the school, however, considering that one of my student was mad at me because I was waking her up. It was insensitive of me to expect her to stay awake when she had a hangover to recover from. I'm such a jerk.
This school actually has the distinction of scaring me away not only from the class, but the school altogether. Good job class!
Class soooooooo dismissed!
Welcome to Hell High
Once upon a time, there was a high school math teacher that was getting ready to retire. He had decided that in his last semester teaching, he would use up all of his vacation days. So every other Friday, his classes would have a substitute.One of those Fridays, they had me. He had left busy work for the kids, a tactic that I hate which I have seen many teachers use.
When I passed out the busy work, nobody did it. They didn't even pretend. They just sat and chatted as if they had a free period. They even had their phones out. One student told me, "He let's us use our phones as calculators. He knows we're texting, but he doesn't care." So that told me what I was dealing with.
The real kicker for this day was my last hour. There was a student in this class period who was in an earlier class as an aide. It's funny, because aide is a synonym for help. This girl was the least helpful aide I have ever encountered in my life. Usually, when I have an aide and don't really have anything for them to do, they play on their phones or do homework or something that doesn't distract other students. This girl sat and talked with other students the whole hour. As an aide. And now, the last hour of the day, she came back.
And ya know what? She wanted to do the same thing. I told her that she needed to stop talking and go to her seat (which was on the complete opposite side of the room than where she was). After I told her several times, she sighed heavily and said, very loudly, "F--- my life!" I was very happy to send her out of the room.
Later, as I tried in vain to get people to work, one student pulls out his phone and starts playing music. Twice. There was zero accountability for anybody in this class, and when the final bell rang, I was so ready to be done with this class. I'm glad that that teacher retired and no more kids have to "suffer" through that.
Second Chance
I remember my pastor once saying that Christians get it wrong when we say that God gives us a second chance. That's because it's human nature for us to take our second chance and screw it up as we did our first. This class reminded me of that.This particular school is what I call a Second Chance School, for the kids who dropped out/were kicked out of their old schools. And it was evident. One of my best students of the day came in late because he was taking care of his child. Noble.
Other students... not so much. Everything in this school was done on the computer. And it was self-paced. So very few student actually did any of their work. The pace that they chose for themselves was to circumvent the filter and watch youtube videos of people fighting in the streets. And there was nothing I could do about anything. I couldn't even send kids to another room or to the office. I was essentially in the class because a certified adult legally had to be there.
Legality only mattered to the school, however, considering that one of my student was mad at me because I was waking her up. It was insensitive of me to expect her to stay awake when she had a hangover to recover from. I'm such a jerk.
This school actually has the distinction of scaring me away not only from the class, but the school altogether. Good job class!
Class soooooooo dismissed!
Monday, February 10, 2014
A Tough Decision
Every once in a while, you have to make a tough decision. You have to decide between two things that pull you in two directions. Both things are good. Both make sense. Sometimes, one makes much more sense than the other, but it's still not too easy of a choice to make. But, as the famous philosopher T.H.E. Fray once said, "Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same." What was the decision I had to make, you ask? Well, keep reading and I will tell you.
There is one school in my district named after Ralph Waldo Emerson that requests me. A lot. At first it was convenient because it's only about a 15 minute drive from my house. Then I really started to like the staff and students there. It was great walking through campus and hearing so many kids say, "Hi Mr. Jefferson," or "Hi Mr. J," or "Hey, you been in our class before!" The staff saw me so much that they knew me by name and the office staff even stopped giving me a map of the school. I just got the keys and knew where to go. I've even had teachers request me that I had never subbed for before. I was kind of a big deal. People knew me.
My attendance at this school slowed down a bit over the last couple weeks. To start off the semester, I was at the junior high just north of Emerson for a full week teaching an 8th grade math class. And then back in that class twice a week for the next 3 weeks. In that last week, I thought to myself, "You know, I changed my focus from secondary math to elementary. Plus I'm really tired of this class. I should just focus more on getting elementary jobs." And so, for the 5th week of school, I was back at Emerson everyday but Wednesday (which I took off because I wasn't feeling too hot). It was great. Monday, I had band. Tuesday, I had a 5th grade that I've had before. Thursday, I was back in that 5th grade class. I was loving it. I was ready to be done with junior high and back to the younger ones who haven't developed an attitude yet.
Then Thursday, I also got a call. From a junior high. A junior high where I spent 3 weeks as a reading sub at leading up to winter break of last school year. They remembered me from those 3 weeks, plus their vice principal worked at Emerson last year. They said that they needed a long-term sub for a reading class. And they thought of me. And if I took it, I would be there until the end of the school year. And there'd be a sizable raise.
This sounds easy enough to most people. Of course you should take the job that pays more, gives you better training for when you have your own classroom, and gives you a consistent schedule to work with!
When I got the call, I wasn't thinking that way. I was thinking, "But, but... Emerson." Every time I was at the junior just north of Emerson, I would see the kids on the playground and think, "Man, I'd so rather be there than here." I even bought one of their shirts and showed up to a staff breakfast on a day that I wasn't even scheduled to sub there. I would be hanging up my shirt and saying no to the staff breakfasts for the rest of the semester. To teach a group of kids that I had grown tired of. For me, the choice wasn't that simple.
But I had to make a choice. So, on Friday, I called the junior high back and told them that I'd take it. They were really excited. My mom was really excited. The 5th grade teacher that I subbed for twice last week was really excited. Everyone seemed excited except me (and Emerson's secretary; she was trying to talk me out of it).
But I'm trying to get excited for it. It is good practice and is obviously the better choice for me financially. Plus, I figure that if I love it, I had 3/4 of a semester that I loved. If I hate it, well it's only 3/4 of a semester. I can go back to elementary next school year. It's win-win, I guess.
So, as of today, I am Mr. Jason Jefferson, reading teacher at Summit Academy. Wish me luck.
Elementary classes dismissed
There is one school in my district named after Ralph Waldo Emerson that requests me. A lot. At first it was convenient because it's only about a 15 minute drive from my house. Then I really started to like the staff and students there. It was great walking through campus and hearing so many kids say, "Hi Mr. Jefferson," or "Hi Mr. J," or "Hey, you been in our class before!" The staff saw me so much that they knew me by name and the office staff even stopped giving me a map of the school. I just got the keys and knew where to go. I've even had teachers request me that I had never subbed for before. I was kind of a big deal. People knew me.
My attendance at this school slowed down a bit over the last couple weeks. To start off the semester, I was at the junior high just north of Emerson for a full week teaching an 8th grade math class. And then back in that class twice a week for the next 3 weeks. In that last week, I thought to myself, "You know, I changed my focus from secondary math to elementary. Plus I'm really tired of this class. I should just focus more on getting elementary jobs." And so, for the 5th week of school, I was back at Emerson everyday but Wednesday (which I took off because I wasn't feeling too hot). It was great. Monday, I had band. Tuesday, I had a 5th grade that I've had before. Thursday, I was back in that 5th grade class. I was loving it. I was ready to be done with junior high and back to the younger ones who haven't developed an attitude yet.
Then Thursday, I also got a call. From a junior high. A junior high where I spent 3 weeks as a reading sub at leading up to winter break of last school year. They remembered me from those 3 weeks, plus their vice principal worked at Emerson last year. They said that they needed a long-term sub for a reading class. And they thought of me. And if I took it, I would be there until the end of the school year. And there'd be a sizable raise.
This sounds easy enough to most people. Of course you should take the job that pays more, gives you better training for when you have your own classroom, and gives you a consistent schedule to work with!
When I got the call, I wasn't thinking that way. I was thinking, "But, but... Emerson." Every time I was at the junior just north of Emerson, I would see the kids on the playground and think, "Man, I'd so rather be there than here." I even bought one of their shirts and showed up to a staff breakfast on a day that I wasn't even scheduled to sub there. I would be hanging up my shirt and saying no to the staff breakfasts for the rest of the semester. To teach a group of kids that I had grown tired of. For me, the choice wasn't that simple.
But I had to make a choice. So, on Friday, I called the junior high back and told them that I'd take it. They were really excited. My mom was really excited. The 5th grade teacher that I subbed for twice last week was really excited. Everyone seemed excited except me (and Emerson's secretary; she was trying to talk me out of it).
But I'm trying to get excited for it. It is good practice and is obviously the better choice for me financially. Plus, I figure that if I love it, I had 3/4 of a semester that I loved. If I hate it, well it's only 3/4 of a semester. I can go back to elementary next school year. It's win-win, I guess.
So, as of today, I am Mr. Jason Jefferson, reading teacher at Summit Academy. Wish me luck.
Elementary classes dismissed
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
I had a 1st grade class a couple weeks ago. Those are always fun. You get a wide variety of kids in that age bracket who say and do some adorable and unintentionally hilarious things. And sometimes they're not so adorable or hilarious. Sometimes, its a good mixture, such as this case:
The Good
I had had this class before for 2 days, so I was a little familiar with how the class ran and who the kids were, which is always a plus. Most kids are still learning to sit on their bottoms and raise their hands and walk in line, but this class as a whole wasn't too bad (besides the one girl who I had to tell 3 times in 2 minutes to face forward in line because the line kept leaving without her).
Speaking of walking in line, usually whenever I see 2 students walking next to each other, I inform one that he or she is "next to the line, not in the line." In one instance, however, I saw two 1st grade boys standing next to each other holding hands. I almost said something but then I saw how ridiculously, amazingly, unbelievably cute it was, and I let it slide. I had a brief thought that I could kidnap the two and raise them as my own twin sons because of how adorable the pair was. I quickly talked myself out of it because I would probably be fired, and it might be slightly suspicious if I, a single black man, all of a sudden had white twin boys that looked nothing alike.
The Bad
For every pair that I want to adopt, there's that one who I want to give back to his parents ASAP. In this class, it was Cliff*. The very last thing on my lesson plans told me, "Cliff can be a handfull. Keep an eye on him." And, oh my man, was Cliff a handfull. After the bajillionth time of telling him to stay in his seat, get to work, stay focused, etc., he tells me that he forgot to take his brown pill. Oh, boy. I call the nurse to see if they have extra "brown pills" on hand (I don't really know what the law is concerning that kind of thing) and they tell me that they'll call Grandma to see if she can bring some and they'll call when she gets here, kthanksbye.
Cliff asked me several times throughout the day if the nurse had called back yet. I assured him that he wasn't the only one who wanted him to take his pill and that id let him know immediately.
On a side note, I was able to pull him away from the rest of the class and explain to him that he wasn't in trouble. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't distracting the other students. He seemed to understand and cooperate.
The Ugly
Every once in a while, there's a real special case that I just can't handle. In this case, it was Gilbert. At this school, they provide breakfast in the classroom. I had to choose some students to take the empty crate back to the cafeteria. Gilbert asked if he could do it, but he had another classroom job, so I chose other people. Gilbert was not okay with this. He started crying. And wouldn't stop. I feel like I'm pretty alright when it comes to calming crying children, but he was inconsolible. No matter what I said, he just kept crying. And loudly. The other students kept asking, "Why is Gilbert crying," to which I responded, "Don't worry about him. Let's get back to work."
How long could he sit and cry over something so trivial? I can't answer how long he could, but I can tell you how long he did: almost an hour. When it came time for us to take a spelling test, I told him he either needed to stop or he'd have to leave the classroom because he was too distracting.
I eventually called the office because he was not moving from his seat. One of the office ladies actually had to pick him up and carry him to the office (making this the second, but not last, time a child had to be carried out on my watch). I got a call from the office not too long after saying that the poor darling was going home. I obviously couldn't have known that he would react like that, otherwise I would have let him take the breakfast crate back, but I felt sorry that he felt so upset over it (I'm assuming there are probably deeper issues however).
Class dismissed
The Good
I had had this class before for 2 days, so I was a little familiar with how the class ran and who the kids were, which is always a plus. Most kids are still learning to sit on their bottoms and raise their hands and walk in line, but this class as a whole wasn't too bad (besides the one girl who I had to tell 3 times in 2 minutes to face forward in line because the line kept leaving without her).
Speaking of walking in line, usually whenever I see 2 students walking next to each other, I inform one that he or she is "next to the line, not in the line." In one instance, however, I saw two 1st grade boys standing next to each other holding hands. I almost said something but then I saw how ridiculously, amazingly, unbelievably cute it was, and I let it slide. I had a brief thought that I could kidnap the two and raise them as my own twin sons because of how adorable the pair was. I quickly talked myself out of it because I would probably be fired, and it might be slightly suspicious if I, a single black man, all of a sudden had white twin boys that looked nothing alike.
The Bad
For every pair that I want to adopt, there's that one who I want to give back to his parents ASAP. In this class, it was Cliff*. The very last thing on my lesson plans told me, "Cliff can be a handfull. Keep an eye on him." And, oh my man, was Cliff a handfull. After the bajillionth time of telling him to stay in his seat, get to work, stay focused, etc., he tells me that he forgot to take his brown pill. Oh, boy. I call the nurse to see if they have extra "brown pills" on hand (I don't really know what the law is concerning that kind of thing) and they tell me that they'll call Grandma to see if she can bring some and they'll call when she gets here, kthanksbye.
Cliff asked me several times throughout the day if the nurse had called back yet. I assured him that he wasn't the only one who wanted him to take his pill and that id let him know immediately.
On a side note, I was able to pull him away from the rest of the class and explain to him that he wasn't in trouble. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't distracting the other students. He seemed to understand and cooperate.
The Ugly
Every once in a while, there's a real special case that I just can't handle. In this case, it was Gilbert. At this school, they provide breakfast in the classroom. I had to choose some students to take the empty crate back to the cafeteria. Gilbert asked if he could do it, but he had another classroom job, so I chose other people. Gilbert was not okay with this. He started crying. And wouldn't stop. I feel like I'm pretty alright when it comes to calming crying children, but he was inconsolible. No matter what I said, he just kept crying. And loudly. The other students kept asking, "Why is Gilbert crying," to which I responded, "Don't worry about him. Let's get back to work."
How long could he sit and cry over something so trivial? I can't answer how long he could, but I can tell you how long he did: almost an hour. When it came time for us to take a spelling test, I told him he either needed to stop or he'd have to leave the classroom because he was too distracting.
I eventually called the office because he was not moving from his seat. One of the office ladies actually had to pick him up and carry him to the office (making this the second, but not last, time a child had to be carried out on my watch). I got a call from the office not too long after saying that the poor darling was going home. I obviously couldn't have known that he would react like that, otherwise I would have let him take the breakfast crate back, but I felt sorry that he felt so upset over it (I'm assuming there are probably deeper issues however).
Class dismissed
Monday, October 21, 2013
I hope you get suspended
Now, I don't normally think that way towards students. Detention, yeah, but suspension's kinda harsh. It means the student isn't in their seats for at least a whole day. It means they're not learning. As a teacher, I want kids to learn. But sometimes, the offense is just too severe for a slap on the wrist and the kid needs to learn that their behavior is horribly out of line.
Like Sonya*. She was part of my drama class today. I was uber excited to sub for a drama class, since that class held my heart (and my after school time) when I was in high school. Well, these kids were something else. I don't know what happened between me saying, "Practice your monologues," and the words reaching their ears, but I guess it ended up sounding like, "Play around, text, don't do anything that you're supposed to be doing."
In this playing around, Sonya got the bright idea that she should tell another student that she doesn't belong in this country because she (the other student) is black. As a black man myself, and, ya know, a decent human being, I let her know that this was not an appropriate way to talk to anyone. At any time. Ever. To which she responded, "She was rude to me, I'm going to be rude back."
I let her know, "No matter how rude she was to you, you do not talk to people like that. You can leave right now and go talk to the principal."
"I don't have to go anywhere."
"Fine, I'll call the office, then."
"You do that."
So, security had to come to my classroom today. It always amazes me how little thought goes into people's attitudes when they get like this. Sonya couldn't possibly have thought, "Y know, I'm gonna say something nasty, talk back to the teacher like I have the right to do whatever the crap I want, then have security come and whisk me away to the office instead of going on my own accord. This will certainly end well for me." It's amazing to me how much can be prevented if people actually thought through their actions rather than letting the spark that their tongues ignite grow into a mighty, terrible forest fire.
I'm nit sure if Sonya got suspended, but I sure hope that she did so she can learn that her terrible actions come with a terrible consequence.
Class (thankfully) dismissed!
*Names have been changed to protect the identities of the students
Like Sonya*. She was part of my drama class today. I was uber excited to sub for a drama class, since that class held my heart (and my after school time) when I was in high school. Well, these kids were something else. I don't know what happened between me saying, "Practice your monologues," and the words reaching their ears, but I guess it ended up sounding like, "Play around, text, don't do anything that you're supposed to be doing."
In this playing around, Sonya got the bright idea that she should tell another student that she doesn't belong in this country because she (the other student) is black. As a black man myself, and, ya know, a decent human being, I let her know that this was not an appropriate way to talk to anyone. At any time. Ever. To which she responded, "She was rude to me, I'm going to be rude back."
I let her know, "No matter how rude she was to you, you do not talk to people like that. You can leave right now and go talk to the principal."
"I don't have to go anywhere."
"Fine, I'll call the office, then."
"You do that."
So, security had to come to my classroom today. It always amazes me how little thought goes into people's attitudes when they get like this. Sonya couldn't possibly have thought, "Y know, I'm gonna say something nasty, talk back to the teacher like I have the right to do whatever the crap I want, then have security come and whisk me away to the office instead of going on my own accord. This will certainly end well for me." It's amazing to me how much can be prevented if people actually thought through their actions rather than letting the spark that their tongues ignite grow into a mighty, terrible forest fire.
I'm nit sure if Sonya got suspended, but I sure hope that she did so she can learn that her terrible actions come with a terrible consequence.
Class (thankfully) dismissed!
*Names have been changed to protect the identities of the students
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