I want to start by saying I am very thankful for substitute teachers. I promise I am. But, if you think subbing is an easy job you are out of your mind. I'm pretty sure subbing is the worst job. Like I'm not sure why Mike Rowe hasn't done a Dirty Jobs - substitute teacher version. These people are walked all over by students who think it is a "day off" and think the substitute hasn't ever been to school his or her self and try to trick them into thinking that of course we get to play on our cell phones and sit wherever they want even though there is a seating chart. We never do work on our own - always together in groups - and duh, eating in class isn't even a question it just happens. Always.
But if you are a sub, and you let yourself be walked all over, have no recollection of what school was like, and think it is an easy job than please stop subbing for my class.
I came back from a field trip today with my lesson blown apart. It is one thing to make changes... it is something entirely different to take a thirty minute lesson, in a forty one minute class, and still, somehow, only get ten minutes of it done. And have trash all over. And have papers left all over the room that are supposed to be graded. And turn an activity that the kids were going to do into a demonstration that they watch you do.
Unexpected days out leave you with low expectations for what is going to get done. You email off a lesson plan while dealing with whatever is causing you to be out (for me, this time, a fever, dizzy spells, and no voice) usually late at night or early in the morning because you really thought you would be ok, and hope that someone intercepts that lesson plan, makes sense of it, or you get a sub that really knows what they are doing and that lesson gets accomplished. If nothing happens, oh well, you didn't have time to adequately prepare, you can blame it on yourself, and rearrange the rest of your week and move on.
Expected days out (this time, for me, a field trip I was chaperoning) leave all sorts of questions in the process. For starters, I knew I would be there to be able to explain the lesson to the sub myself. For this reason, it was a bit more intricate. This means the kids were rotating activities and had to clean up after themselves. We have been doing rotations/stations/centers/why-are-there-so-many-words-for-that? since the 4th day of school. My kids have it down.
So I get back from my field trip about 35 minutes early. Still sick from yesterday I was given the clear to grab my things and head out (yay!!). I walk into my room to grab my bag and start picking up stray papers, trash (including a KING SIZE Twix... seriously? It took someone at least 4 minutes to eat that) and listen to what the sub was saying since it didn't sound or look familiar. Two of the three stations were still fairly intact. However the third station, which had students mixing baking soda and vinegar on a scale, then pouring it into a bucket, was gone. I understand this isn't a normal sub plan. Had I not been there to explain, demonstrate, and answer questions for the sub who assured me this would be fun for her to get to do a "real lesson" this would not have been my choice. But... it was. And I assumed it would be ok. Well you know what they say about people who ASS-u -ME? Yup. And I learned it.
Oh well... I'll have to rearrange the rest of my week and move on.
And get excited to see this same lady Friday during an in-school training for two hours. Where we will, obviously, be reading a book or article and never getting out of our seat. And it will be stated, no candy/food/gum/anything that isn't attached in your mouth.
