A Subbing Update

Hello all,
I realize I haven't posted a lot about my subbing adventures quite as often as I should have. Subbing has made me quite an emotional person. It can be a big adjustment going from district to district, school to school, and grade level to grade level every day. I am with a new group of students every day. I enjoy the weeks where I am in the same classroom for two or more days back to back. What makes me an emotional person is the constant adjustment and getting to do what I love...sort of. I get a taste of a wonderful classroom where I can feel all my ideas and creativity coming out and then I have to leave only to follow another teacher's lesson plans the next day and the next day. Some days are truly wonderful and others are not so much. The pros of having a bad day with a group of students who are just OFF with you is that after that day you go home and you don't have to deal with that type of day with that group again if you choose. The con of course is that you don't have a classroom all to yourself and doing what you love with that group, teaching and watching them grow. Substitute teaching is a means to an end for many of us searching for that full time position. It will most likely help all of us subs get a future position this is us just paying our dues and gaining experience. I have learned so much in the 6 months I've been subbing and I have such an appreciation for subs and what we have to go through with constant change and not always being in the loop (school procedures, student behavior, etc). I get to be in different districts and get a feel for how the schools run and see different curriculum and management styles even with the classroom teacher being absent.

I have had the best day subbing and the worst both in the same two week span. I wanted to share both with you all.

Let's start with the worst:

This picture is some of the aftermath of a child having a bad day. He did not get a reward at the end of the day because he was put on "yellow" on the class behavior chart. It is hard to know what to do in these situations. This second grader threw his desk on the floor and began destroying the classroom minutes before all the students had to be dismissed. Thankfully, he had an aide that advised me to remove all of the children out of the classroom while she tried to calm him down. She called the office for help and they proceeded with their protocol to help him. In the end it was a bad day for everyone because there were no winners. I learned that remaining calm is always the best policy and to ask for help! Of course, this wont be the last something like this happens but it definitely makes it harder when you aren't familiar with the students.

Moving on to one of my best days subbing:

I subbed in a third grade classroom (it was actually my first day in this district) and I would say I had a pretty average day. The class had some highs and some lows. We got most of our work accomplished. I cleaned up, got to briefly meet the teacher when he came in at the end of the day to supervise an after school club, and I went home for the day.

Two days later I woke up to the nicest email EVER. This teacher saw my business card that I left on his desk. (You can read more about that here) and sent me an email about how much he appreciated me being in for him that Tuesday. He said he loved that I left his desk neater than he left it and that telling him what material we got to and didn't get to really helped him jump right in the next day. He also said he would request me in the future.

I am putting this on here not to brag but to show that your hard work as a sub can really pay off. It is easy to not feel noticed or appreciated in many jobs but sometimes these little things are what gives you the motivation to keep doing what you are doing.

So keep on keeping on substitutes. You're doing a great job!

-Chelsea