succumbing to the inevitable

Everyone in Portland seems to have this stomach virus thing--so it stands to reason that I would end up with it too...

dealing with unstructured classes

A situation that comes up a lot in subbing (especially at the secondary level) is subbing in relatively unstructured classes like Resource, or "Academic Support". These can be an absolute nightmare as a sub because the less structure the class has to begin with, the more headaches you will have as a sub. I was reminded of this phenomenon by a recent post of a first year teacher struggling to tame her Resource Room. Unfortunately it's fairly typical to have problems running this kind of classroom because a lot of of the accountability and structure that you can count on in other settings is not a given.

I sub a in resource a lot (I could never do it as a full-time job because of all the IEPs and testing I'd have to deal with, but three days here, and a week there as a sub is bearable). In fact, the problems that resource room teachers typically face are essentially the same problems all teachers face who do "resource", "academic support", "ESL academic support", "study hall", or any other relatively unstructured type of class.

To tame the savage beast that is resource (or any of the classes mentioned above), I would do any or all of the following, starting with the issue that bothers you the most, and working your way from there (note these ideas are geared towards classroom teachers, for subs, see the second list below this):

1. One of the biggest problems with totally open-ended classes like resource is the perception that students have that they don't "have to do anything" in this class. Institute a daily routine that involves some basic skills work for everyone (regardless of whether they have "things to do" or not). If your class is "for a grade", make these activities the focus of their grade, NOT the work they do in their other classes. If it's a pass/fail situation, let them know they will be "failing" if they fail to do the work. If you're in a situation where there's literally no accountability at all, start looking for work elsewhere because you're just being paid to babysit, and few of us go into teaching because we want to babysit. On a recent long-term assignment I was on at a middle school resource room, I had all the kids do math warm-ups, vocabulary warm-ups, and grammar or writing practice. I would also add a daily journal entry or SSR (Independent reading with a reading log) if you are on a block schedule and have more time to kill. Reserve some class time to work on assignments, but don't make that the sole focus of your class. Reinforce all of the above with some sort of participation points system for work completion/effort.

2. Classroom management: Depending on the age and the number of students, you could do a whole class behavior incentive system, or an individualized behavior tracker system for each student. Make them accountable for coming to class, being ready to work, completing work, staying on task/not causing disruptions, etc. Incentives could include break time, computer use, listening to music, playing board games, etc. I always ask the kids what they like to do and use that as an incentive. On a slightly related note, I always have my students clean up the room every period before they leave as part of the day's routine. I find that having a neat and orderly environment helps keep things calmer in the room, and the kids actually like doing it. I turn on some fast paced music and turn it into a game.

3. "I have no work to do" Yeah right! Maybe this is true for one student in a thousand. For students in resource, it's as rare as a blizzard in the Philippines. These students are almost NEVER caught up with classwork--students with learning disabilities are rarely/seldom/never done with all of their regular classwork. Awareness is key. You can solve this problem by obtaining lists of assignments from their classroom teachers, and by talking to the teachers of the students you work with before/after school. I would also implement a planner routine where filling out a planner and having everything checked off by you is part of their "class participation" grade. If for some reason you have the miracle child who has completed all of his or her work, then they should plan on using their time in your class to do some independent reading or math or whatever. On those rare days when several kids were done with everything, we played math games, hangman (with content area vocabulary words), and other learning games. Generally though, I just tell them, "Either you find something to work on, or I will find you something to do." They usually take advantage of the opportunity to get back on track.

4. Whining: Yes you will get whining. I always do, when kids find out I expect them to work in class. I just tell them, too bad, I don't care if you don't like it, the purpose of school is learning, that's what we do in here, get to work, or you can make up the all the time you're wasting right now during recess/after school detention--your choice.

5. Fun: In spite of everything I just said, I highly recommend fun. Fun that's educational, that is. Although this response sounds like I'm a total hardass, I actually have a lot of fun with my students (once we take care of business). I play a lot of math games, word games, and geography games with kids. Other games I play with the kids are cooperative drawing, chain story writing, and we do a lot of crossword puzzles and mazes. I recently discovered KenKen puzzles which is kind of like Sudoku but more math-oriented. Board games can be really good as well. Sometimes, when I work in self-contained behavior classes, if everyone's working hard, I'll take them to the gym at the end of the day and let them blow off some steam.

As a sub, the plan for an unstructured setting looks a bit more like this:

1. Institute your own instructional routine if there doesn't appear to be one in the classroom. Bring along an appropriate range of worksheets that kids can only get out of doing if they are working on other assignments. (I have a huge collection that I keep in an accordion file). No one gets to sit there and do nothing (and disrupt). If nothing else, make them read and write a summary of what they read. Treat continued work refusal as a disciplinary event if necessary.

2. Classroom management: Use the classroom teacher's existing system to the best of your ability. If there isn't one, create your own and explain it to the kids. Depending on the age and the number of students, you could do a whole class behavior incentive system, or an individualized behavior tracker system for each student. Make them accountable for coming to class on time, having materials, completing work, staying on task/not causing disruptions, etc. Incentives could include break time, computer use, listening to music, playing board games, etc. I always ask the kids what they like to do and use that as an incentive. And always have the kids clean up the room.

3. "I have no work to do": On one day jobs it's hard to verify the veracity of this. On long-term assignments, you can easily make the rounds and check in with teachers. I usually tell kids they have to "prove" to me they have no work to do, and if I'm convinced, they need to find a book to read for the rest of the period. If I'm not convinced, I tell them I will be happy to find them some work to do. Either way, nobody gets to sit there and do nothing.

4. Whining: I ignore the inevitable whining, and tell them that it's not a free day and we will be doing work in here. If they persist, I ask them if it's worth having detention or a referral. If they still persist, I follow through and make an example out of them.

5. Fun: The best way to deal with downtime in a class is to play games with the kids. This cuts way down on the discipline end of things, and keeps things positive. If you're lucky, the classroom will have some things visible and ready to go. I usually bring some of my own just in case I need them. I play a lot of math games, word games, and geography games with kids. If all else fails, we play hangman until we run out of time.

Sunday Night

Current mood :: indifferent and cranky

Current clothes :: A shirt that says "The beatings will continue until morale improves" and an old pair of Fedex pants that used to belong to my friend Liz.

Current annoyances :: chapped lips, sniffling, and inability to work tomorrow (typically my most lucrative day of subbing)

Current smells :: pizza sauce (I just baked a pizza in the oven)

Current thing I ought to be doing :: laundry

Current book :: My attention span has gotten so bad that I'm listening to recorded books at the moment. I'm "reading" A Thousand Splendid Suns again (I read this over the summer).

Current cd in stereo :: I think the last thing I listened to was probably Mana.

Current hate :: not being able to work

Last thing you Bought :: probably gas a week ago

...Drank :: raspberry tea

...Read :: an article about the invention of writing

Self Reliance

It seems like self-reliance is back in style these days. For some of us, it always has been. Nothing beats the gloom and doom of the financial news I get bombarded with every day like knowing that I can take care of myself pretty much no matter how bad things get. Really, if push came to shove, and we lost our house, it would be a setback, to be sure, but not the end of the universe. We'd figure something out.

In the spirit of a similar post over at Hedgetoad, I decided to copy this list of things I can DO FER MYSELF, and post what I can do or have done (in bold). What about you?

100 Things You Can Make Yourself (If you had to)

1. Applesauce (yep, I do it every year, and boy is it tasty!)

2. Spaghetti sauce (I also make this from scratch on years when I have enough tomatoes to spare). A lot of the time, I just freeze the tomatoes with veggies and have a kind of chunky pasta-with-veggie combo).

3. Barbecue sauce (I don't use this all the time, but I would imagine its the same process as making ketchup only sweeter and spicier).

4. Maple syrup (Never felt the need, but I know what a sugar maple tree looks like)

5. Jelly (This is pretty easy-sugar+pectin+fruit and you're in business)

6. Peanut butter (I don't live in an area where you can grow peanuts, but I'm perfectly capable of grinding them myself. Here, nutbutters make more sense)

7. Mayonnaise (could live without it if it disappeared)

8. Bacon (don't eat)

9. Guacamole (again, I don't live in a climate where these grow naturally, but if you have them, guacamole is the easiest thing in the world).

10. Pesto (I make this every summer)

11. Salsa (I make this every summer)

12. Mango salsa (see guacamole)

13. Vanilla extract (since I don't live in the tropics, I'd have to do without this)

14. Hummus (This is VERY easy to make)

15. Coffee (would have to live without it)

16. Tofu (this is very easy to make, although a bit time consuming)

17. Gravy (very easy to make)

18. Chocolate kisses (would do without)

19. Wedding cake (Very involved but not impossible)

20. Stuffing (very easy to make)

21. Rootbeer (I haven't made this but I know it's not difficult)

22. Ginger Ale (Very easy to make)

23. Pancake mix (Duh, just follow a recipe for pancakes)

24. Pudding pops (Totally easy)

25. Ice cream (Also ludicrously easy)

26. Chicken Nuggets (don't eat)

27. Pizza (Exceedingly simple to make)

28. Pasta (I've never been motivated to do it, but I know it's easy)

29. Pickles (I make them every year)

30. Wine (I also make this every year)

31. Beer (I don't make it, but I know it's about the same as making wine)

32. Whiskey (I would do without)

33. Dog treats (My dog seems perfectly happy with the stuff we eat)

34. Playdough (I've never made it, but I've seen recipes for it on the internet)

35. Fingerpaint (would do without)

36. Bubbles (would have to do without)

37. Books (Essentially this blog is my book)

38. Laundry detergent (I would probably wash my clothes a bit differently)

39. All purpose household cleaner (duh, vinegar, baking soda, and water do it all)

40. Soap (I'd be screwed)

41. Shampoo (I'd be screwed)

42. Hair conditioner (any oil based substance)

43. Moisturizer (any oil based substance)

44. Mouthwash (salt + water works)

45. Baskets (mine look pretty ghetto)

46. Incense (I'd go back to burning sage, rosemary, and lavender stems)

47. Paper (I know how to make this out of existing paper)

48. Rubber stamps (you can make stamps with almost anything that has a carve-able surface)

49. Jewelry (used to make often)

50. Curtains (super easy)

51. Rugs (I'm not real big on rugs)

52. Candles (I know how to make recycled wax candles)

53. Camera (I know how to make a pinhole camera)

54. CD Cases (I make CD cases all the time)

55. Bookshelves (I use dresser drawers turned on their sides or milk crates)

56. Couches (I'd do without, I'm not real wild about big bulky american furniture anyway)

57. Tables (Super easy)

58. Stool (that's what milk crates are for)

59. Sweater (I can knit but I'm not that great at it)

60. Skirt (I can make simple skirts)

61. Poncho (I think my sweaters would all look like ponchos)

62. Coat (and so would my coats)

63. Blouse (it would look like crap if I had to do it myself)

64. Shorts (don't wear shorts)

65. Gloves (I haven't gotten that far in my knitting yet)

66. Socks (my socks would be pretty basic looking-like tubes)

67. Tree fort (we built these a lot as kids)

68. Back yard shed (as long as your idea of shed was pretty flexible)

69. Gazebo (depending on how complicated the design)

70. Windmill (a simple one, yes)

71. Birdhouse (easy)

72. Compost (I do this)

73. Biodiesel (I know the basics of how this works)

74. Solar power generator (I know a little about solar stuff)

75. House (I'd probably live in a shack or a tent)

76. Snowshoes (I always thought it would be fun to make snow shoes)

77. Sun clock (easy)

78. Bread (I don't do this often, but it's so good)

79. Potato chips (I know a 5 year old kid who can explain this)

80. Pretzels (again, fairly easy)

81. Donuts (I've never made these from scratch, but my grandmother used to)

82. Sausages (Don't eat)

83. Bagels (Bagels are challenging)

84. A pinata (paper machie? I'm all over it)

85. Crayons (I know you need wax and pigments)

86. Gnocchi (have never made)

87. A guitar (have never made)

88. 4th of July sparklers (would do without for safety reasons)

89. A lava lamp (have never made)

90. Tortillas (as long as I had access to corn meal, I could manage)

91. Kimchi (make often)

92. A hula hoop (helloo irrigation pipe)

93. A loofah (this is a variety of squash)

94. Cheese (I'd probably be making farm cheese or labneh)

95. 3D glasses (have never made)

96. A Kite (used to make all the time)

97. An igloo (used to make as a kid)

98. Modeling clay (have never made)

99. Crossword puzzles (make all the time)

100. Cuff links (don't need)

Success Part II

How do you know if you're a good sub, an average sub, or a terrible sub? That's basically the question I was reflecting on in my last "success" post. As a sub, you don't get much feedback from anyone (other than the kids), and they're pretty subjective. Granted I've seen a variety of subs in action; once, when I was in high school, I watched a truly amazing sub whip my unruly business elective class back into shape. On the other hand, I've seen some really bad subs during graduate school when I was doing my field observations, the worst being the guy who came in to the class, sat down in the far corner of the room, pulled out a novel, and completely ignored the kids for the rest of the period. I've probably written about him elsewhere, as he is my poster child for what NEVER to do as a substitute teacher.

This description of a BAD sub from Hedgetoad (http://hedgetoad.blogspot.com) was rather reassuring to me, for those times when I wonder how my efforts are perceived by others:

"Soulja Girl is our bottom of the list sub. The absolute bottom...My first year, she was my sub for one day. During that day she probably read over 200 pages of the latest bodice-ripper. The students violated my stuffed cougar, did not work, ran about the building screaming and lit books on fire. She didn't notice. The vice-principal also stood on the doorway for over 20 minutes and she NEVER even looked up. You think she would have noticed the sudden silence... but apparently not...Earlier this year she subbed and instead of doing class work (or God forbid, teach), the students taught her how to do the Soulja Boy dance. They filmed it with their phones. I'm really surprised it's not on YouTube - I was shown it at least four times...Even more scary? She's the only "fully-qualified" sub we have."

Wow. Makes you feel pretty good, doesn't it?

Being a sub is different from being a classroom teacher in many ways. You occupy the same physical space, but never at the same time. This analogy also carries over into the divergent nature of your duties. Because you don't have established relationships and an audience that already knows your expectations, it affects the flavor of your priorities on the job. You don't have the benefit of knowing any of the things a normal classroom teacher takes for granted. Your main concern isn't the curriculum, meeting benchmarks, or anything even remotely academic. You are there to carry out a plan and make sure nobody does anything crazy, stupid, or illegal. My priorities when I'm subbing are as follows:

1. Chaos prevention (unflinching and relentless enforcement of major school rules and whole class behavior management as needed). While necessary for the classroom teacher as well, this takes on a heightened importance when you're a sub.

2. Individual student behavior management: Once the rest of the class is settled and on track, I go after the small infractions like the kid I see slipping an earphone in his ear, or a girl who has stealthily slipped her phone out and is starting to text someone. If no one is allowed to "get away" with anything, the group stays much happier and focused. Unlike a lot of subs, I don't use these occasions as a time to "make an example" out of kids. I just quietly talk to the offender. I really think this is better because you don't end up with hostile feelings in the room, and you deprive offenders of an audience. Honestly, the only time I ever make an example out of someone is when they are blatantly rude.

3. Controlling the pacing of the class period to ensure that lesson plans and all assigned work are distributed to the students, and they have the opportunity and resources to complete everything that's assigned during class. The goal is coverage.
It's very important for the teacher (in most cases) for the students to stay on track academically, so I try to make sure that they have the chance to do so. Whether the students do their part is up to them.

4. Making the students actually do the work (whether they want to or not). For me this isn't necessarily priority number one--unless they are actively creating a distraction. As a sub, behavior trumps academics. I'm less concerned about the kid who has decided not to work, as long as it's a quiet rebellion. If a kid would rather sleep in class, decides to read a book quietly, or draw pictures in their notebook, that's not something I'm going to waste energy fighting. I remind them that the work is "for real" and is due either at the end of the class, or upon the next class meeting, but I let it go at that. It's their choice, and if their choice doesn't affect anyone but them, that's fine with me.

5. Assuming all of the other objectives have been met, sometimes, with the right group, I do things that are "FUN". We play educational games. We have group conversations. We have contests. We listen to music. We do arts and crafts. We write group stories. We tell jokes. These are the most fun times for me because it's a time when I get to know the kids a lot better. Not every group can handle this but I've had more than a few that could, and ironically it's often with the "behavior kids". Go figure...

Some days as a sub, I only achieve 1-3, and that's okay. For some situations that's the best you can hope for. In my most nightmarish days as a sub, achieving 1 & 2 would be totally sufficient. My most successful days, to me are when I make it up to level 5, but you don't get those kind of days real often. For one, you have to have a group that has learned how to function well together, and all of the information you need to be successful as a stranger to the room (seating charts, lesson plans, solid directions).

I've actually had some pretty good feedback from other classroom teachers, not just the kids. Mainly it's something to the effect of "The kids respond very well to you", or "The kids really seem to like having you here", or "You did a really good job of getting (kid) to (do something)". It certainly is nice to hear that, but I guess I also want specific feedback since this is a learning time for me. I guess I just need to dig a bit deeper when I have these conversations...I feel like it's a situation where I need to make the most of the "learning" opportunities presented to me, since I do enjoy doing this (more than I would have thought). Like I told a math teacher once, This IS my job and I DO take it seriously.

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM LIVING IN PORTLAND

Yesterday, I got an email about the joys of living in Arkansas, which for the most part is broadly applicable to the whole delta region:

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM LIVING IN ARKANSAS

*Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.

*There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 live in Arkansas .

*There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Arkansas

*If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.

*Onced and Twiced are words.

*It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.

*People actually grow and eat okra.

*'Fixinto' is one word.

*There is no such thing as 'lunch.' There is only dinner and then supper.

*Backwards and forwards means 'I know everything about you.'

*DJeet is actually a phrase meaning 'Did you eat?'

*There are only four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and ketchup.

*The first day of deer season is a national holiday.

*100 degrees Fahrenheit is 'a little warm.'

*Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time known as 'goin' Wal-martin' or off to 'Wally World.'

*A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop. . . it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example: 'What kinda coke you want?'

*Fried catfish is the other white meat.

---

So I decided this would be a good writing prompt to use as a short writing exercise for the "Where We're From" Unit that we start off a new school year with. In the spirit of the exercise, I wrote my own version about life in Portland:

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM LIVING IN PORTLAND
By Mrs. Q

*People wear flipflops year round.

*Not all conifers are pine trees

*There may be no bugs to speak of, but the spiders are to be respected.

*Instead of crack, we have meth

*People are not intimidated by a little rain—or a lot.

*You can buy almost any type of international cuisine imaginable from a guy in a trailer.

*Beer and espresso often co-exist in the same beverage.

*No one carries an umbrella in spite of the fact that it rains nearly 2/3rds of the year.

*No one cares if you have dreads

*Your major landmark is usually a mountain

*People turn on their A/C if it’s over 60 degrees outside.

*In a town of virtual vampires, no one can go outside on a sunny day without their sunglasses.

*All the festivals across the state involve either a rodeo or dirty hippies.

*Your idea of home security is 2 Labrador retrievers.

*You have to cross a bridge to get anywhere in this town.

*The four food groups are beer, salmon, coffee, and marijuana

*You are physically closer to a library than a police station

*The first day of fishing season is an excuse for a sick day.

*If it’s over 45 degrees, and not raining, it’s shorts weather.

*We have two seasons: Raining and Not Raining.

*People hold their cars together with bumper stickers proclaiming the merits of riding one's bike more often.

feeling lazy

Like a lot of people who spend their days teaching, I tend to feel pretty lazy when the weekend rolls around. Today was no exception.

Although it was sunny outside, it was too cold to really take advantage of the lack of active precipitation. Actually it isn't the cold that bothers me on days like this-- the cold I can accept as a fact of winter life. It's the unbearable, lip-chapping, teeth-chattering cold winds that come barreling out of the Gorge that gets me down.

A few blocks' walk is all I could manage with the dog, who is far more enthusiastic about this sort of thing than I am. The trouble with walks is eventually part of the walk is against the wind.

The rain is supposed to come back...and really I don't think I'd mind. While the sun is cheerful out there, shining through my windows, I can't fully appreciate it on these days I've been chased indoors. I end up doing the same things anyway--cracking out on the internet, or reading, or creating CLOZE reading passages for an imagined future when I will have students of my very own. Yes, I still long for that, even though I've pretty much resigned myself to subbing. It's difficult to imagine that I will get the job of my dreams in these dreary financial times.

I'm going to take a class this spring for the first time in awhile. I really need to get about finishing up my endorsement, and now that I've been working for awhile, I can afford to dump more money into my continuing ed project. It'll be nice to be a student again, and not always a teacher. I'm pretty good at being a student now that I've had over 20 years of practice...

Success

It never ceases to amaze me how many people have trouble spelling the word "success", so I decided to make that today's verbal meditation topic. I had a girl ask me that for the umpteenth time today, so it's on my mind...

What do I do that makes me successful (or not successful) as a substitute teacher?

I think that for the most part, I am pretty successful. I am pretty good with most kids (even some of the most difficult ones). Aside from the initial whining I get when they realize it's not a "free day", I hardly ever get many complaints from the kids I teach, and I've had many say that they think I'm the best sub they've ever had (which is always nice to hear). Kids usually listen to me, follow my directions, and even the toughest ones usually respond to my interventions. About the only ones I've ever had any trouble with are kids with very serious emotional and behavioral issues, or kids in SPED that don't respond well to strangers (which I don't take personally).

I almost always finish whatever lesson plan is left for me, if there is one (you would not believe how many teachers leave minimal or no lesson plans). If anything, I usually make the kids do more work than they're accustomed to, rather than less (I usually make them do their homework in class if at all possible, so that way, no one finishes "early"). I probably don't do things the same way the regular teacher would, but I figure if they cared so much, they'd leave better instructions instead of "have students read Chapter 5" or "go over the math". Yeah.

Teachers rarely if ever leave any useful information about their expectations for behavior, existing class rules, kids who need watching, or important school policies. (It's such a blessing when they do.) Since the rules are different for every classroom and every single school, I can't ever assume I will know what they are. Generally when I walk in to a "blank slate" environment (a room or a building where there is no visible sign of what the expectations are), I have to impose "my" version of the way things are. This is the hardest aspect of subbing I think. Invariably no one is happy. These are the times when I get the most complaints. I have a feeling that "my way" is a bit stricter in some ways, and a bit more lenient in others than how other people do things. One of the toughest calls you have to make as a sub is interpreting these highly ambiguous situations. My way of interpreting them is to assume that it won't hurt the kids to lose a few privileges in return for my own sanity.

Probably the worst times I've ever had as a sub were situations where I was given minimal information. Things that you really need to know (in order to be successful) is who the kids are, what they should be working on, and what their daily routine is like. These three things prevent so much heartache and lost instructional time, and yet only 1% of teachers leave this kind of information in their sub plans. You almost never see seating charts or even a class list. Half the time, there is no information about the daily routines or the teacher's behavior expectations. About a third of the time there is no lesson plan, or a lesson plan that's so minimal that it might as well have been omitted entirely.

In spite of some of these kinds of things, you can still be very successful, or at least as successful as it humanly possible in whatever situation you land in as a sub. I feel like most of the success I've had as a sub thus far come from the fact that I relate well to most kids, and don't let them push me anywhere I don't want to go. Even if some days have been less than optimal in my opinion, I'm sure that I did the best I could, given what I had to work with (almost nothing but my instincts). I think I've gotten better at it, just from having more experiences with more kinds of situations (good and bad). Although I still feel slightly nervous every time I enter a new building, it wears off fast once I realize that the same set of moves works with nearly anybody. As a sub you can be successful in a wide range of settings as long as you are able to be calm, patient, respectful, and fair no matter what happens.

floating

No, not the good kind of floating. The bad kind. For the first time in awhile, I was in a "floating" school (a school that doesn't have dedicated classrooms), a situation I haven't been in since student teaching.

Well, that's technically not completely true. When I do classified jobs, I often follow kids to all kinds of crazy places, but that feels substantially different because I don't need to carry quite so many things with me. (All I usually need is my clipboard, a binder or notebook, and something to write with and maybe a couple of pencils.)

Floating in a certified teaching situation is NO FUN AT ALL, especially not as a sub because you have no idea where you're going. Not to mention that you have no idea what all you need when you get there. And to top it off, you already have to carry way more stuff around than a regular teacher because you usually have nowhere to store your personal belongings and whatever props you tend to use on jobs.

On this job, I had to teach in 3 different rooms, and I had to carry a huge box of books to one of them. Thankfully they weren't textbook sized books (or they would have required team lifting), but they were still pretty awkward, and not something I wanted to lug up a flight of stairs while simultaneously searching for an unknown classroom. (If this were a student teaching situation, I could have totally bribed one of the students into carrying it, but I was in a school where I knew absolutely no one).

By the way, in case anyone out there in Teacherland is wondering, this is the sort of information that one puts under "Special Instructions" (when you're doing the telephone recording for your sub posting)...that way I will know to bring my handtruck or perhaps a pallet jack with me next time. ;)

sheesh.

Sub Time -vs- Regular Time

I've been meaning to write about this for a long time. "Sub-time" is something unique to the experience of substitute teaching, and an exception to all the known laws of physics. "Regular time" is something I think we're all pretty familiar with--60 seconds to a minute, 60 minutes to an hour, 24 hours to a day, 7 days to a week, 52 weeks to a year, and so on. Sub-time works a bit differently.

Sub-time is the experience of having the last 5 minutes of class feel more like 30. Sub-time is that vague sense of dread that has you wondering how long you can coast before people start getting restless and off-task. Sub-time is what happens when most of the class finishes everything their teacher left for them to do in 25 minutes flat, and you spend the rest of the period wondering how you're going to keep them entertained. Sub-time is what makes 45-minute periods feel like 80-minute periods, and what makes 80-minute periods feel like an entire month with the right (or rather wrong) group.

Sub-time is that bizarre phenomenon where each day feels like a whole week. When you're a sub, your sense of time gets really skewed. It's the biggest difference between teaching and subbing, I think. When you're teaching, you NEVER ever have enough time-ever. When you're subbing, you always have far too much time.

three day weekend

Is there anything better than a three-day weekend?

Not really.

I'm proud to say that I spent it doing as little as possible. Aside from going to see Coraline on Saturday I did next to nothing. Besides, how motivated can a person get in the month of February? Not very... Happy President's Day indeed!

you're the best sub ever

"You're the best sub ever," the girl with the fading pink hair said as I came around the corner to the door of a very-familiar classroom at a very familiar school.

"Wow, thanks! That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all week," I told her.

And will I ever get tired of hearing that? Probably not. It's the highest compliment you can get as a sub--kids who are happy to see you. I love working at this school, so I do it on a pretty regular basis. It's kind of a standing gig I have, and part of a project I've kind of created for myself this year (project EBD-getting more practice working with "tough cases".

One of the reasons why I signed on to do classified jobs this year (even though I'm certified) is that the range of potential assignments vastly exceeds what's available to certified folks. (Plus, there aren't enough certified jobs to go around right now anyhow, so why sit at home like a rejected suitor when I can spend more quality time in SPED). Classified positions vary way more than most certified jobs, and often involve multiple grade levels, multiple subjects, and multiple settings, all in the same day. And that's before you even factor any Special Ed considerations into the mix. So aside from increasing my pool of possible job prospects exponentially, it also add some variety to what can occasionally feel like glorified crowd control or highly paid babysitting. And in terms of getting a broad exposure to everything that happens in the world of education, you could hardly to better.

How does all of this relate to what I'd like to be doing (teaching ESL)? Well, there's quite a few paraeducators who work intensively with ELLs so I get to do this sometimes. Other times, I get to work in mainstream classrooms where there just happens to be a lot of ELLs. In fact, it's pretty rare to work in a classroom (mainstream or SPED) where there aren't at least a few ELLs. But more important than all the days I spend working exclusively with ELLs on a sporadic basis, I get to see the entire picture of what these guys are expected to be able to do to function in school. I can see where the language barriers create problems in math, science, and even electives. I know what happens (and in what order) in most of the secondary grades. I have a pretty good idea what kind of language support needs to be happening in ESL support classes to make the time spent in mainstream classes more productive. I can't imagine another way of gaining this much information about the workings of a school.

And incidentally, project EBD is starting to show some payoffs. As I had always suspected, part of the secret to working with kids with EBDs is knowing which battles are worth fighting, part of it is being consistent and stable, part of it is being clear and direct, and part of it is cultivating a relationship that's strong enough to survive all the little "tests" these kids need to give you. The last part is the most encouraging--I'm pretty good at connecting with kids.

As much as we wish all kids came to school ready to learn, the fact is that they don't. Kids with EBDs really have a tough time in school because they're not as good at regulating themselves as the rest of us. One thing I've noticed is that people who aren't successful at working with "tough cases" usually don't understand that part of the problem is the assumption that the kids know what to do and can do it consistently on their own.

Another thing you don't ever want to do is allow yourself to caught up in a power struggle with an adolescent (with or without an EBD). When you encounter resistance from a student, you don't have to get sucked into a conflict. As the old saying goes, it takes two to argue. If you refuse to play the game, that goes a long way toward solving the problem. I used to freeze up in these kind of situations. I wouldn't escalate the conflict, but I just kinda got stuck. Now I can usually get both of us past the impasse and moving forward. If you can do that with an EBD kid, you can do it with anyone.

random encounters

"Who would I know here?" I asked myself, as I walked past the windows towards the office of an unfamiliar school.

But my name was called out again...

I looked up, as someone behind dark glass windows frantically pushed one open into the falling snow.

Ah, it's C---- one of my old classmates from PSU. And now it's coming back to me--this is the school she told me she was at on a long-term assignment. Finally my not-fully-functioning brain makes the connection.

I go into the office and find the sub folder, then go look for her. Usually the only person I run into while subbing is another classmate, B----. This is an unexpected treat.

This, if anything, is a lesson on having an open mind while subbing. I'm gradually learning that as time goes by. While I would strongly prefer not to be driving all over town; while I would like to not venture over to the mysterious and foreboading "west side" (where I tend to get lost frequently); this is something I need to get over. This is a lesson that sometimes you should take a chance and try new things. I, of all people, needd to get out more. It really won't hurt me to break free from the comfortable and familiar. Usually the results are positive.

I took this Friday job that came in on Thursday evening because I was feeling lazy. I've been feeling lazy all week, and all I wanted on Thursday night was not to have to get up at 5am on a Friday morning. So I took this easy-sounding (except for the commute) paraeducator gig at a middle school. Sure, I probably could have landed something more lucrative if I was willing to wait until Friday morning, but I just couldn't bring myself to go for it. So I took the first thing that came across my desk.

I'm glad I did too. The day had a lot of my favorite ingredients for subbing. I actually got to do some instruction. I got to help people work on their English assignments. I got to work one-on-one with some ELLs. I got to work with some really nice adults too. The kids were awesome. I picked up some good ideas (using your eSIS printouts as sign-in sheets and having the kids do their own weekly attendance), and some organizational moves. I ran into two familiar faces: a classmate, and a kid I know from Beaverton (I thought it was cute that he said hi). And did I mention the kids were really nice and helpful (I only had one kid all day who was rude to me)? (One thing I've noticed is that even as a sub, kids are often surprisingly helpful, but the kids at this school were more helpful and considerate than average). So anyway, you could say it all worked out pretty nicely. The only bad thing that happened all day is I kept getting lost because it was a really big (and confusing) school.

Believe it or not, subbing is often pretty fun. And today was one of those days where it was mostly fun.

you're the best sub ever

"You're the best sub ever," the girl with the fading pink hair said as I came around the corner to the door of a very-familiar classroom at a very familiar school.

"Wow, thanks! That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all week," I told her.

And will I ever get tired of hearing that? Probably not. It's the highest compliment you can get as a sub--kids who are happy to see you. I love working at this school, so I do it on a pretty regular basis. It's kind of a standing gig I have, and part of a project I've kind of created for myself this year (project EBD-getting more practice working with "tough cases".

One of the reasons why I signed on to do classified jobs this year (even though I'm certified) is that the range of potential assignments vastly exceeds what's available to certified folks. (Plus, there aren't enough certified jobs to go around right now anyhow). Classified positions vary way more than most certified jobs, and often involve multiple grade levels, multiple subjects, and multiple settings, all in the same day. And that's before you even factor any Special Ed considerations into the mix. So aside from increasing my pool of possible job prospects exponentially, it also add some variety to what can occassionally feel like glorified crowd control. And in terms of getting a broad exposure to everything that happens in the world of education, you could hardly to better.

How does all of this relate to what I'd like to be doing (teaching ESL)? Well, there's quite a few paraeducators who work intensively with ELLs so I get to do this sometimes. Other times, I get to work in mainstream classrooms where there just happens to be a lot of ELLs. In fact, it's pretty rare to work in a classroom (mainstream or SPED) where there aren't at least a few ELLs. But more important than all the days I spend working exclusively with ELLs on a sporadic basis, I get to see the entire picture of what these guys are expected to be able to do to function in school. I can see where the language barriers create problems in math, science, and even electives. I know what happens (and in what order) in most of the secondary grades. I have a pretty good idea what kind of language support needs to be happening in ESL support classes to make the time spent in mainstream classes more productive. I can't imagine another way of gaining this much information about the workings of a school.

And incidentally, project EBD is starting to show some payoffs as well. As I had always suspected, part of the secret to working with kids with EBDs is knowing which battles are worth fighting, part of it is being consistent and stable, part of it is being clear and direct, and part of it is cultivating a relationship that's strong enough to survive all the little "tests" these kids need to give you. The last part is the most encouraging--I'm pretty good at connecting with kids and now I'm starting to see proof of that--the compliments are rolling in.

As much as we wish all kids came to school ready to learn, the fact is that they don't. Kids with EBDs really have a tough time in school because they're not as good at regulating themselves as the rest of us. One thing I've noticed is that people who aren't successful at working with "tough cases" usually don't understand that part of the problem is the assumption that the kids know what to do and can do it consistently on their own.

Another thing you don't ever want to do is allow yourself to caught up in a power struggle with an adolescent (with or without an EBD). Does this mean that you should ignore stuff and allow students to get away with things? No way. But when you encounter resistance from a student, you don't have to get sucked into an escalating conflict. As the old saying goes, it takes two to argue. If you refuse to play the game, that goes a long way toward solving the problem.

I used to freeze up in these kind of situations. I knew it wasn't wise to escalate the situation into a full-blown conflict (and put a kid in a situation where he or she needed to save face), but I would get stuck. Now I can usually stay on top of the situation by doing a couple of really simple things.

One is to be really clear and direct with your instructions, and expectations. You should be doing this with kids anyway, since like all other people, they need explicit instructions. This is even more critical when working with kids who have EBDs. You need to give clear directions, clear instructions, and communicate clear behavioral expectations (because many won't be successful without this piece of the puzzle being made explicit). Most of us know that "Now we're taking a quiz" means everyone (including me) is going to be working quietly for a few minutes. We will be working by ourselves without talking to others and getting up is probably not a good idea, but kids with EBDs will need to hear the behavioral expectations too. When I'm teaching, I often write these down on a list and go over them when I'm giving directions for the activity itself. Often I will remind a kid who's starting to get off-task what needs to be happening (right now we're working on X and that's what you should be doing also). Sometimes that's all it takes.

Another one, that's good for outbursts and other disruptive off-task behavior during academic work is to ask them if they're having a problem ("How's it going, do you need help getting started with it?"). I've noticed that a lot of times, kids that are disruptive saboteurs during independent work times are really just not good at asking for help when they need it. If I see a pattern with it, I usually pull them aside to have a chat about more effective ways to ask for help. If you combine the two strategies, it can be really powerful, and the same kids that usually disrupt independent work times end up doing a better job at staying on task, and asking for help appropriately (so that they no longer disrupt the whole class, and have fewer frustration episodes around independent work).

Another one is what I call "the way things are", and I use it with kids who aren't doing the right thing at the right time. "You can use the computer when you are finished with your science homework". I use a lot of redirection in minor conflict situations, and that usually gets the job done. In major conflict situations where things have escalated to the point where the kid is visibly frustrated, I usually tell them to take a 5-minute break to calm down, then we'll talk about the situation, what needs to happen, and move on.

Last, but hardly least is the power of choice. Usually if a kid gets hung up on one thing (math), you can suggest a menu of choices ("Why don't you go work on current events or your daily journal for awhile and come back to this?"). In a disciplinary context, you can say something like, "You can choose to stop talking to so-and-so and go back to your seat, or you can choose to spend recess with me today."

An important part of working with kids with EBD (and all kids really) is being REALLY consistent. If you have a rule, you have to be willing to enforce it. If you have a consequence for something, you have to follow through EVERY SINGLE TIME. You have to mean what you say. If you are inconsistent on any point, you just invite testing, debates, and "negotiation" attempts from the kids. Sadly most of these kids are better at debating than you are--especially kids that are ODD. They know that adults often don't mean what they say and can be manipulated and they WILL do it with you.

Routines are also pretty important. These kids need the safety and stability of school routines more than anyone because for most, school is the safest and most predictable place in their lives. They rarely get consistency and predictability at home, and for many "home" is either illusive, unsafe, or may be downright scary. With an EBD population, you often have kids who have been abused or traumatized, many are currently in the foster care system, a fair number are institutionalized (living in group homes), and more than a few who are homeless or semi-homeless. At least half seem to come from a dysfunctional home environment. At the secondary level, many are drug-involved or gang-involved. These kids above all else need something stable and predictable in their lives and for many, school is pretty much IT. The more structure and routine you can provide, the better these kids will be able to thrive in a school environment. You tend to notice that kids with EBDs view school as something of a refuge. Whatever stability and consistency you are able to provide will yield profound dividends in the classroom.

To work with the really tough cases, you have to be "good at kids"--REALLY good at connecting with kids. A crucial part of working with an EBD population is cultivating a relationship that's strong enough to survive a lot of challenging behavior and "attitude". Because your students aren't coming to you with a solid foundation of success in the social skills arena means the relationship will be a little one-sided in the beginning. You'll be the one putting out all the olive branches for awhile, and you need to be okay with that.

You can be sure the kids WILL test you. In fact, they NEED to. Many are so used to being rejected (by peers, by their teachers, and by the very people they are entitled to unconditional love from) that they will go out of their way to push you away. If you're lucky, they'll just passively reject you. Normally the "tests" are more active in nature though...they will say all kinds of rude things to you to see how you react. They'll reject your well-meaning attempts to connect. They may be fairly disrespectful at times. All of this is usually an effort to see if you will behave like everyone else in their life. If this sort of thing really bothers you, you might want to find another line of work.

There's a lot of things in life that I'm not good at, but fortunately, I'm pretty good at connecting with kids-even the tough ones. I also know from experience that you can't take ANYTHING teens say and do personally. This is just as true for teens with EBDs as it is for the garden variety adolescent. Some days will be better than others. Some days you get tigers, other days, teddy bears. There's no telling which one it will be. You have to be flexible, and accept that these guys don't do consistency (but need you do). You really have to be able to see the kid underneath the erratic behavior, defiant posturing, and occasional emotional meltdown. Being able to "stay with" someone who is basically not in control of themselves is a useful skill. Knowing when to push and when to stand back is a fine line is another. Being the kind of person who can see the good in anyone will get you far. Having faith that they will "come around" will keep you in the game far longer.

And now that we've hit the half-year point, I'm seeing them "coming around". A lot of the kids I've been working with this year were pretty rough around the edges when we first met. Just like pretty much every other group of resistant types I've ever been involved with, we started the year on a note of suspicion and distrust ("Just who does this crazy woman with a headscarf think she is? She think she gonna just roll on up in here and expect me to do stuff? I'll show her"). Now, for the most part, we've all established some kind of truce and for the most part have cobbled together a positive and productive working relationship. I'm starting to see where it all comes together and the kids either are genuinely happy to see me, or are at least willing to tolerate my presence, willing to work with me, and will accept help.
Pretty cool to think about how far I've come with some of these guys...

tie yurd

Man oh man, was I ever tired this morning, so I guess it's just as well that I didn't get a single phone call...I could not keep my eyes open to save my life.

After kickin' around the house for awhile, I went over to Jefferson for a spell. It was nice to catch everybody in a good mood for a change. I ended up staying longer than I planned, but it's hard to resist the charms of squirrely but lovable teenagers sometimes.

A girl told me something that I though was both funny and sad: "I think [our teacher] is scared of us."

I told her that sometimes that happens. Not all adults like teens to begin with, and more than a few are terrified of teenagers. Even some teachers. And not everyone can fully appreciate the kids at Jeff. And it's hard to imagine a more intimidating bunch--until you get to know them. These guys present themselves as tigers, but underneath the veneer, there's often teddy bears hiding in there. Not everyone can see that.

For me this is part of the allure and fascination of working with at-risk youth. With teens, you've gotta get below the surface, which takes longer with this group. Trust has to be earned. These guys won't do what you ask until you've earned their respect. And to me, nothing is more satisfying than achieving that.

It's a tough crowd, and not a crowd that's for just anybody. One thing that I often see lacking in inner city schools (or other schools with a lot of diversity) is educators that have the cultural competence to be really effective. You can know your content area, you can have all kinds of ideas about pedagogy, but if you don't understand where your students are coming from, you will never be totally effective with them. You have to be willing to get through the facades, the posturing, and the face-saving moves before you really know who you've got in your room. And I don't think you can it starting from a position of fear.

Just a thought.

not the best time...

"It's not just you...there just isn't much happening right now," is what he told me.

This is one of the slowest years for subbing I can remember. Not that I've been doing this all my life or anything but this is my third year now. The other two, my phone rang off the hook. This year is eerily quiet.

Most of the calls I'm getting right now are for Elementary SPED jobs, which I will admit I'm trying to avoid until the worst of the flu season is over. I've had a couple for some high school positions, but either they're at schools that are way too far away to get there in a timely fashion, or it's for subjects like PE where I wouldn't have a clue what to do once I got there...

Everyone's cut way back on hiring. The few job postings I've seen are all half-time gigs. Everyone's talking like there's going to be layoffs or their near equivalent-all the probationary folks will not be asked back again next year...

I already had my taste of the good life for a couple of weeks on a long-term assignment, and will admit that I still wish I could have had something full-time going on this year, but at the same time, it's kind of nice to not have the insecurity of layoffs hanging over my head, along with all of the other stresses.

I'm just a sub, I don't have much to lose. I either get called, or I don't. I either work or I don't. There's no expectation one way or another.

Either way, I don't have to go to meetings and grade papers. I don't have to worry much about being evaluated by administrators--other than the informal variety one gets as a sub. I get a lot of the fun of actually working with kids without some of the chores that come with having to grade and evaluate them. The tradeoff of course is I usually get kids who are trying to show me all their best sub-moves, but frankly this is more amusing than truly annoying.

For my purposes as a sub who comes and goes from their lives, all they have to do to make me happy is stay on task and act appropriately for a school setting, and I'm perfectly happy. All I ask for is a referral-free day, and usually I get that.

The insecurity of all of this has actually been a blessing in disguise--I've had time to think more seriously about what kinds of things I'd like to do in a classroom once I get my shot at a full-time job. I've had time to really build up some curricular materials, potential unit plans, a grammar study program, and ways to make literacy more engaging and potentially appealing to goofy teenage boys.

What subbing has taught me is that I know I CAN do my thing with just about anyone, anywhere, and often at the last minute. Whether or not I get the chance to do it at the same place for two days in a row with a salary and benefits remains to be seen, but things are the way they are.

There's lots of talk about budget cuts and desperate measures, and I think this is not going to be my year, but then again, it doesn't have to be. I'm not special, and I can be like everyone else, as Ken Peterson would no doubt say. I'm sure all of us substitute teachers are feeling about the same way right now. And yes, it does suck that things are this bad, but it's not the end of the world. If money was my main concern, I'd probably get out of this business, and get in on the debt collection racket.

If I have to sub again next year too, then so be it. If I have to sub again the year after that, then so be it. The way I see this is: babies are born every day, and I'm in this game for the long haul, so I don't mind pacing myself. And it can't rain all the time...

so we're not on...

No car = no work.

On my unprecedented Monday off, I decided to do a few things I've been procrasting heavily on:

1. Pay another "business call" to the sub office. Once again, I think they're in need of a personal visit. And I'm more than happy to give them something they don't expect--the fabulous PRC rollin' in up off the street in civvy clothes. I can never prove that this makes a difference, but it always seems to.

2. Go to PSU. Why? Because I can. I ran into de la Cruz which was a kind of fun bonus. And just in case I ever grow my tired braincells back after last years assault, I've got several years worth of the TESOL Quarterly to read. Nice.

3. There's a lot to be said for just walking around by the river...I need to get out more anyway.

for matt brown

Sick on my journey,
only my dreams will wander
these desolate moors

--Basho

William Matthew Brown

William Matthew Brown
Fayette County - WILLIAM MATTHEW “MATT” BROWN, 30, Memphis Musician and former theatre Performer at University of Memphis and Theatre Memphis died February 9, 2009. A Service of Remembrance will be at 4 p.m. Saturday at Peebles West Funeral Chapel at Oakland and interment will be private. A visitation will be from 3-4 p.m. Saturday at Peebles West Chapel. Matt received his education at Bolton High School, E.C.S. in Memphis and University of Memphis. A Baptist and former recipient of the “Best Supporting Actor” award from the Memphis Art Council for his Theatre Memphis performance, survivors include his parents, Jim and Loretta Brown of Arlington; sister Mary Brown of Memphis; brother Ronny Lawson of Fort Benning, GA; grandparents, great-grandparents and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Memorials are requested to Harbor House, 1979 Alcy Rd., Memphis, TN 38114. Peebles Fayette County Funeral Homes—West Chapel Oakland, TN 901-465-3535 www.peeblesfuneralhome.com

jackpot!

Today I won the substitute teaching jackpot!

I won't get too specific but let's just say it's a creampuff kinda dream job that's a regular cakewalk compared to most of my usual gigs. I have no idea how I ever got so lucky after several mishaps with subfinder and a regular drought of certified gigs, but maybe it's karma's blessing for my week of back-to-back EBD classes.

Whatever the cause of such good fortune, I was extremely happy to have a light afternoon of mild-mannered teens who wouldn't know the first thing about behavior goals. As much as I like my tough crowds, it's nice to have something easy on my plate once in awhile too. And today got to be that day. Sometimes when you're a sub, it's nice to have a day where your presence in the room is more of a legal formality than a necessary precaution against full-scale mayhem.

And boy is it a good thing I had a light afternoon because after this week, I am tired and feeling like I've run out of gas. Normally I enjoy myself so much it's a little frightening, but for some reason I've been kinda cranky all week, and not feeling at all productive, so it's kind of nice to have a benign sort of Friday to wind things down on. Maybe this is proof that once in awhile things CAN go my way, and I don't always have to be hustlin' all the time...

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some BSG to go watch. It is Friday night after all, and this is one of life's few blatantly non-academic pleasures.

random day off

I usually work on Wednesdays so it was kinda weird having this one off.

For the record I'm currently avoiding elementary school jobs until the plague season goes by, and I didn't feel like doing any half-day jobs, so I decided not to work anywhere today.

I picked a good day for a random day off...it's nice and sunny and above 60 degrees, so it was a great day to take the dog over to the dog park and run some errands, and just generally appreciate the weather.

It's been kind of a strange week for me anyway. I'm in kind of a cranky mood right now, and am kinda just going through the motions this week. I'll admit that I'm just not feelin' it for some reason. Hopefully no one has noticed but me. I think a lot of it just has to do with the time of year...it's February, and I can't say that it's one of my favorite months.