Life As A Substitute Teacher

Okay, you came to school professionally dressed. You brought your grab bag of activities and events. You prepared the classroom before the students arrived. You ate your breath mints and smiled when the students entered. The day started off okay, but now it's 11:00 a.m., and the students aren't listening to you. In fact, they are throwing spit balls and having their own conversations. You know in your heart that the room is out of control. You are sweating, worrying about what will happen if someone opens the door and sees what is happening.

Take a deep breath. This has happened to all of us more than once. This scenario outlines what I call the rights of passage in substitute teaching. Despite all the careful preparation, there are times when we make behavior management mistakes because we do not know what we should do. 

Children, even the very best behaved children, will look at a substitute teacher as an easy target to intimidate. It is my opinion that most of the time, substitute time is party time. It starts with the misdeeds of one or two children and escalates into a full-fledged wing-ding if you are not careful from the beginning. I have learned that is is important to establish yourself from the very first minute of class.

I carry around my own list of classroom rules (in my head). After the students enter the class, the first thing I do is introduce myself and share a bit about myself, and go over my personal expectations for the day. I set the stage and I follow my own rules. I provide students with a snapshot of the days events. I find that students misbehave more when they do not know what is going to happen. I always write a schedule down on one corner of the board that encompasses all the time in the day if the permanent teacher doesn't have a place to do so already. I also always leave 15 minutes free at the end of the day as a possibility of game or time for them to share something about their personal life or interests. 

It is clear that the regular teacher has a huge advantage over us. He or she has established a rapport with the students over time. While the relationships with students is what I love about teaching and have been lacking since being a substitute, I try to stay positive about my current situation. I would love my own classroom to get to know the students and create original and exciting thematic units, so all I can do is hope for next year. For now, I am thankful for getting the chance to explore the different schools within the various districts I work in. I get a chance to see many different classroom setups and school environments. I not only get to get a feel for the type of school I would most like to work for, but I am continually learning, adjusting, and testing various education and teaching techniques. 

I wish all you other substitutes out there the best of luck. If you want your own classroom, just keep doing what your doing. We will make it happen! For now all we can do is keep our chins up and our minds open and learn as much as we can along the way. 

What Do I Do Now, Teacher?

Since my student teaching in the public school system came to an end this past June I have been teaching pre-k at a non-profit facility in Portland. We just finished up with summer session and kicked off the 2009-2010 school year on Tuesday. The classroom has been a little hectic with 18 (yes, 18) three and four year olds, but as long as I remember to take deep breaths on a regular basis I'm alright. Establishing routine and boundaries with the little ones is definitely a challenge.

Pre-k students are developmentally very different from my 2nd and 5th graders (obviously). From my education schooling, training, and experiences I have learned a great deal about the importance of setting firm guidelines starting on the first day of school. I have come to believe that when you establish your classroom rules at the beginning of the year, solicit student imput. You'll end up with the same rules, and the students will be more likely to pay attention if they've had a hand in establishing the guidelines. Then be sure to post the rules where the students will see them- preferrably at their eye level. It's hard to say "I forgot the rules" when they're displayed for all to see. Good luck to all you teachers out there, let's start this new year on a positive note!

Biomes and Ecosystems

We are currently studying biomes and ecosystems in 5th grade and discussed the human role in habitat destruction. It has been successful in getting the children to think about what they can personally change to help preserve our ecosystems. A follow-up question to keep the students thinking: If you could bring any creature back from extinction, what would you choose and why? What effect would it have on the world? This serves to reinforce food webs/chains and the relationships between the living and non-living things in the environment.

Publish Post

Classroom Chat

The days begin to seem long with state testing this term. I am noticing the children begin to zone out and brain power is low. To keep things up and running, engage in a classroom discussion. Ask them: What is the most dangerous thing you have ever done? Why did you do it? Did you tell your parents you did it or get caught doing it, and did you get in trouble? Would you do it again? You might find out a lot about your students and be able to connect with them on a deeper level. Always remember that the heart of teaching is building relationships with your students. Subject matter is only the beginning. 

I haven't posted on here in a while...it has been over two months! I was motivated by someone today to get back on here and share my wisdom. 

So I went to the Oregon Zoo today and had a blast. I can't remember the last time I took a trip to the zoo, I felt like a kid again! I was noticing a lot of conservation awareness signs as I was walking around. Children had made posters about endangered animals and the human role in habitat destruction, a very educational opportunity for them. Kudos to the zoo. 

My zoo-goer companion was disappointed that his favorite exhibit, the Malayan Sun Bears, were not out to play today. I found some information to share with your students if you are studying habitats, biomes or ecosystems (like we are!). What I found was that little research has been done on Malayan sun bears. Their total population size has not even been determined. But what we do know is that their populations in the wild are declining. Malayan sun bears are being poached for their gall bladders and bile, which are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. These bears have recently been classified as “vulnerable” on the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Currently, a significant international effort is underway to encourage the traditional medicine community to promote and exclusively use ingredients in their medicinal remedies which are not derived from from threatened or endangered animals, including any of the 8 remaining bear species. Herbal remedies are encouraged instead. 

Valentine's Day

A fun Valentine's Day activity for your students is to tell them that they have been promoted to president of a new greeting card company and that Valentine's Day is their first holiday on the job. Have them come up with greetings for a new line of cards. Be sure to give them specific intended recipients for each card (principal, parents, younger siblings, grocery store cashier, etc.) How do the slogans differ depending on the recipient?
As many of you have experienced, Valentine's Day can be difficult for teachers. Not only is it nearly impossible to ensure that valentines are distributed fairly, but many of us still carry the scars from when our elementary school friends seemed more loved than we did. To deal with both issues, I thought it would be a good idea to try sharing a Valentine's Day anecdote with our students. It might make them feel better to hear that the pressures they feel on a day like this are universal.

Weekend Wisdom

As I have been student teaching, one important piece of wisdom I feel that I can offer based off some of my experiences is this: be confident in your lesson. If you seem unsure that it's going to work, then you're practically guaranteeing that it won't. The students will respond to your attitude, whatever that attitude it. 

I notice that on days I am calm, relaxed, and confident, the lessons and activities progress way better than the days I am moving walking them back from recess super fast and am tense. I see such a major difference, even if my attitude stays positive, my body language and ora that I am giving off speaks loudly to the students.