Test post

This is a test. Please disregard

"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity."

Ready to throw in the towel?

I’ll post in more detail later, but for starters…

I just came from the subfinder online page where I thought I had a nice job lined up for Friday. Normally I don’t take jobs on or near Valentine’s or Halloween. Just too much junk going on in between what passes as teaching and learning.

The job was, “Being reviewed by someone else.” So right after I post this, I’ll head back to subfinder and hope the job is still there. This happens to be one of my favorite buildings, one of the few where I actually have a good day. With work hard to come by these days, I’m thankful for any and all jobs available.

But Please let that Friday job be there!

I’ll fill you in on what went down back in December, when I really was ready to give this sub business the boot. It’s not very pretty and doesn’t speak well for our young people. When and if they ever survive to take charge we’ll be in deep trouble.

4 Weeks of Middle School

Haven’t posted here in ages. One reason is the jobs hadn’t been fast in coming, just a few days a week, mostly working in the elementary schools which I don’t mind. The big drawback with the grade schools is it’s really not my area of expertise. I don’t mind the little kids that much; I’d prefer Grades 4 thru 6 if given a choice. It’s the schedule that’s a killer. So many minutes for language arts, math, then try to squeeze in science and social studies only to have the schedule broken up by special area subjects, i.e., art, music, PE. Then I have to line them up, take them to specials then go get them after 30 minutes of quiet time to myself. That and a possible lunch duty and a stint on the playground, in the cold.

However, I lucked into a 4-week assignment at a middle school I usually enjoy. It’s Grade 7 & 8 reading classes. These are for kids whose reading skills are lagging behind their peers, mostly in the area of vocabulary and comprehension. Okay, so it’s just short of 4 weeks; my last day is Dec. 19, just before winter break. Do I have my work cut out for me.

I walk into the classroom. No current plans, no grade book, no current class list or seating chart. Nice classroom, but instead of desks there are long table that seat two, and they’re in sort of a U-formation, and not much real room to move about efficiently. It suddenly hit me that the regular teacher was suspended for alleged misconduct, and a long-term reading sub was there, but he left. The new building sub had the kids last Monday thru Thursday, and she had to devise lesson plans and assignments to keep the kids on task. The problem here is the previous sub was not “tight” on student behavior. See, most of these kids are underachievers, at-risk, and a few have learning disabilities. The building sub is very new — this is her first job!

I had the entire day to size up these kids and what to do with them for the next three and a half weeks. I have three 8th grade and three 7th grade classes, each with an average of 15 students. A few students’ behavior is, to be truthful, is atrocious. Oh, there are many good kids, most are focused and try to do the right thing, but all it takes is those 3 or 4 to get things rolling. I swear I had a sore throat telling them to get their books, get their reading logs, get busy, turn off their voices, sit down, ad nauseum. And that was first period.

After first period, the day went better, but still there was that one groups of girls or couple of boys who could never focus or stay on task. They’d rather gossip or goof off.

I think it’s the lack of a regular routine that has thrown them off kilter. Everyday is thus: They come in, get their reading logs and books, then it’s 15 to 20 minutes of SSR (sustained silent reading). Uh, what part of “silent” don’t you understand?
They then have assignments in their workbooks then, if there is time, the teacher reads aloud from the current novel of the week. The kids must be quiet and listen. I read to them one chapter then stop and discuss plot, characters, events, etc. On Friday, I’m to give them a short quiz on the story. I don’t think that’ll work with these kids who usually aren’t in the habit to take notes (or even remember what’s been read to them).

So, after assessing what needs to be done to ensure sanity and peace in the classroom, I went through their reading textbooks only to discover the previous sub had forbidden the kids from using them! “We’re not to touch them,” is what they claim. What kind of teacher, sub or otherwise, expects the next sub to do? Ignore the “don’t use the books” that’s what!

After dismissal, I rearranged the tables to make 4 neat rows. I moved one table up front for myself. That old computer table the previous sub used didn’t cut it. I needed room. Then I got out their books and deduced which lessons are next. I also found out they’re to work on vocabulary and word usage. Gee, writing up lesson plans that will take us through this next 3-day week is a breeze. It’s the moving of furniture that killed me. I was so sore when I got home that I popped a couple of Aleve then turned in early.

Right now, I’m looking around on the Net for worksheets and interesting reading material. The school gets the daily paper for free, so I’ll take some up the classroom and design lessons around that. My guess is these kids don’t always read for fun, but they must be able to read for everyday life. Their discipline needs shaping up in the worst way, so maybe seeing a few F papers might send the message home: I don’t play and I don’t like to see kids throw away an education that is literally handed to them for free. Kids their age, half a world away, would give anything to go to school. Kids their age, if this was back in my mom’s time, would have to go to work. No time for school; they have to contribute to the family finances.

I took this job for two reasons: I normally enjoy the secondary schools, and I could use that extra long-term money. Many debts to pay off and Christmas is coming, so I’d want to buy my little niece some nice things for the holidays, maybe make some Christmas goodies for her. Just wish me luck for the next 19 days. I think I can stick it out without going insane.

Taking a Mental Health Day

Wow, only 2 days since I revamped this blog and already 2 comments. I must be doing something right.
I’m up a little later than usual tonight because it’s “mental health” day tomorrow. Usually it’s lights out no later than 11. I mostly work in the middle and high schools which start at 7:15, which means I have to be up and at them before 5:30. But today I worked in a nice elementary special ed class. I normally avoid most special ed classes as it’s not my area of expertise, but I made an exception as I’ve worked in this teacher’s class before. It’s an MoMH (moderately mentally handicapped) primary class, and everything is so organized, plus I have an aide in the room who knows the routine. Only 8 kids in the class but a couple were a big handful. These kids are fetal alcohol syndrome babies and their behavior can be somewhat challenging. One is on medication – and doesn’t it seem odd that the majority of special ed students are on some kind of behavior medication. I’ve been in classrooms where the entire student body is on meds. I remember a high school special needs class where one kid took meds twice a day. He was so zonked in the morning that not much classroom work was done.
Anyway, I’m taking a day off. We can do that this year, work all the days of a month but take no more than 2 days off. Then we get a little extra in the paycheck. My school district used to do an incentive program to keep good subs, and it worked similar to what we have now. I’m all for anything which will help keep good people in the system. At last count IPS has 250+ subs, several on long term assignments. However, especially around the holidays or nearer to summer break, teacher absences might be greater than the available subs. It’s not as bad as it was in the past, but going without a sub is hard on the class. Sometimes, especially if a sub has an “easy job” (i.e., subbing for a department head or in media center), said sub could be pressed into double duty. Covering a couple classes during those off periods. I’ve done that before, and I really don’t mind, but there was a time when an assistant principal insisted I be used as a “fill-in” wherever there was no sub, and these fill-ins ended up being an almost all-day job. I held a long term assignment at the time and was in the middle of prepping for a class when I got the “Can you cover Mr. X’s biology class”? I’ve lost prep and lunch periods doing that, so I wrote a tastefully but firmly worded letter to the principal complaining of sub abuse. I’ve given much to this particular building and put up with all kinds of crap without complaint. But this was too much. Wouldn’t you know I had no more “Can you cover…” unless it was within the department to which I’m assigned.
That was, despite putting up with administration garbage, my favorite long term assignment. I’ll tell you all more in a separate post. Right now I’m beat and need some much needed sleep.
Oh, for those who expressed interest in sub teaching. It can be very challenging, frustrating, and some days I’ve come home either exhausted on in tears. But there are those bright moments that scream, “Hey, I actually got through to them.” It takes much patience to be a guest teacher, and believe me patience is the first requirement!

Rename, redirect, revitalize this blog!

I believe it’s time to revamp this blog. Although I already have a general purpose, anything goes blog, I really need a separate blog for work. I am a substitute teacher and that in itself screams, “Blog about being the guest teacher in the classroom.”
So I’m retitling this one “Tales of a Guest Teacher”, delving into a day in the life of The Sub. The joys, challenges, headaches, and heartaches of the job. It’s not easy but being a sub gives one a unique insight into want works and does not work in the classroom. It shows what is great and not so wonderful in public schools. As of now I’m redoing the layout, links, etc. In time I’ll have my first post within the week. I have a few jobs lined up this week, mostly in middle schools and my experiences there are worth blogging about.

Another post about nothing

I had this blog since last spring but had problems logging in. (I use webtv mostly but have a PC). I still haven’t figured out how to get the “look and feel” of this place down, so I might as well keep my existing blog where it is. However, I’ll hang on to this one for other uses, such as discussion of more specific topics rather than the hodgepodge that’s on my other blog. I’m thinking of transforming this one into a “Day in the Life of a Guest Teacher” (That’s substitute teacher for the unaware.) or perhaps a commentary on the current ABC soaps I watch regularly. But I’m leaning towards the former; at least what happens in the classroom is far more entertaining and eyeopening that the make-believe world of soap opera.

Trying out this blog

I signed up with wordpress weeks ago and just now getting around to posting. I have a blog elsewhere, but if this works out, I’ll move it here.
I ususally discuss anything and everything: politics, education, schools, life in general. In my spare time (I’m currently unemployed so I have plenty of spare time!) I enjoy writing, crocheting, baking, reading, listening to music. I’m not into contemporary pop or rock anymore. I can’t tell you who’s on American Idol or who’s in the current Top 40. I really don’t care for commericial music anymore; it all sounds alike and not very creative. I’m more of a classical and jazz fan.
Did I mention I write? I used to think I couldn’t write anything outside a good research paper, but back in ‘97 when I got online I stumbled upon a bunch of Disney fan sites. I got the fan fiction writing bug and haven’t stopped since. I now have 3 websites: one fanfiction, an original fiction site, and a webtv fun and informational site. It’s fun but a lot of work. Once I get used to wordpress and figure out how to link my sites…Well, I’ll have ‘em linked. I also manage several yahoogroups and a handful or webrings. I’ll link those too. I just hope this blog work out. If it does I’ll export what I have on the other host. There are some interesting entries there.