I'm Glad They Warned Me, But I Still Had No Idea What I Was In For...
February 15, 2015
I was asked to take a half day middle school job my second year of teaching. The job started at 11:30 am and only required me to teach 3 periods. I was told upon arrival that one of the classes was a difficult class. After all the time I had been subbing, I knew I had to take the warning seriously and go in to this room with my tough exterior and let the students know I meant business. As they filed into the room one by one, they were sizing me up, I could see it in their eyes... I was fresh meat, ripe for the picking, and oh man were they going to try to rattle me.
It was immediate. As I tried to take roll, they talked over me. They were loud and they were not listening, too cool for school, and wanting me to know it. With my booming voice as loud as I could I shouted above them, "HEY!" The effect was instantaneous. I had their attention and I was making some of them nervous, while others tried to play it off by laughing. The next words out of my loud mouth were, "Be quiet. The longer you talk, the longer this takes, the more time you owe me after school." This got their full attention. I had them.
But as you know, or you will find out, there's always one. One student who can't help themselves. They have to show off to their friends by not listening and making a scene. Sure enough it happened. Without batting an eye I asked that student to go sit outside the classroom and wait for me. I was prepared to send that student to the office after a good talking to. Unbeknownst to me, an administrator happened to be walking by and made the student come into the classroom, get their things, and go to the office, all without me having to explain anything.
This was the day I realized just how much of an asset the admin can be to a Substitute Teacher. These people know their students and they know who needs discipline or maybe just a time out. Regardless of the situation, these are the people you want to call when you have trouble in the classroom. I, myself, have called in admin a few times, when a class got out of hand, or a student was misbehaving to the point where I couldn't get them to leave on their own. What I've learned, doing this job, is do not ever hesitate to call in backup, because sometimes you cannot do it alone... and that's okay.
It was immediate. As I tried to take roll, they talked over me. They were loud and they were not listening, too cool for school, and wanting me to know it. With my booming voice as loud as I could I shouted above them, "HEY!" The effect was instantaneous. I had their attention and I was making some of them nervous, while others tried to play it off by laughing. The next words out of my loud mouth were, "Be quiet. The longer you talk, the longer this takes, the more time you owe me after school." This got their full attention. I had them.
But as you know, or you will find out, there's always one. One student who can't help themselves. They have to show off to their friends by not listening and making a scene. Sure enough it happened. Without batting an eye I asked that student to go sit outside the classroom and wait for me. I was prepared to send that student to the office after a good talking to. Unbeknownst to me, an administrator happened to be walking by and made the student come into the classroom, get their things, and go to the office, all without me having to explain anything.
This was the day I realized just how much of an asset the admin can be to a Substitute Teacher. These people know their students and they know who needs discipline or maybe just a time out. Regardless of the situation, these are the people you want to call when you have trouble in the classroom. I, myself, have called in admin a few times, when a class got out of hand, or a student was misbehaving to the point where I couldn't get them to leave on their own. What I've learned, doing this job, is do not ever hesitate to call in backup, because sometimes you cannot do it alone... and that's okay.
Posted by Ms. C. Posted In : Administrators
