How to Deal

I have been struggling for over a week trying to decide the best way to word, phrase, and approach this blog post.

You never know who is going to see what you're posting and of course I do not want to upset or offend anyone. Not that I would ever name names, etc., but it's still a slippery slope. So, let's hope that I can write this with grace and tact and not in a manner that will hurt anyone.

Recently I received an email from a substitute teaching trainer asking me what I do to battle apathy in the classroom. I gave it a lot of thought before emailing her back and telling her I had not been in a classroom with students who were apathetic to me and what I was doing. But it got me thinking about all of the classrooms I have worked in and made me realize that while I have not been somewhere where I was confronted with apathy, I have been in a room there was little to know class room management present.

Those days have, by far, been my biggest challenges.

What I can tell you for sure is that it is easier if you are expecting a struggle when you walk in the door. I have had days where I had no idea what I was walking into and I have had days of being forewarned, where I have been told about the lack of management and procedures in the room.

When you know there is no real management system in place you have to make the choice: fight a battle to whip them in shape for just one day-- or just keep your head above water in the chaos that is the norm for that room. After all, everything will just go back to the way it was when you leave anyway..

My choice is always to fight the battle. I'm not going to lie, sometimes you lose. Usually you lose. The students are not going to suddenly snap into a perfectly pleasant, on task, quiet bunch. They will however see that you mean business and generally they just want to make it through the day as well. It's difficult, they tell you you're mean, and sometimes they make you want to cry. But it hones your skills and keeps you from getting taken advantage of.

So fight the battle, lick your wounds and come back for more the next day.

Even the tough days have bright spots and they ALWAYS have an end!

Tough Love

I have found being a substitute teaching to be a very rewarding experience. I get to use my degree, work with kids, and have a lot of fun! But... it's not always fun, and it's not always rewarding. Sometimes you want to punt a kid into the next room before curling up into a corner, crying.

That being said, I thought that I would take the time to chronicle my experiences here. Because sometimes, even as a substitute, you just need to share the wit, wisdom, wretchedness you experienced throughout the day.

Today I got a lesson in tough love.

When I began my day in second grade I was excited. At 7 and 8 kids are still cute, eager to please and fairly well behaved.

Plus, how could anything go wrong when this is your Question of the Day?

But I found my morning to be a little trying.

I was fortunate enough to "team teach" reading today, which translated into me grading papers while my wonderful team member taught. Things, however, began to get a little sticky when it came time for centers. "Silent" means something different to me than it does to your average, everyday second grader. I did my best to put the offenders in my zone of proximity, but that did little to encourage quiet, efficient working. (Which is what my team member informed me was the expectation for this class.) Then you have to start moving the clips, and giving the stare and raising your voice.

Here's the thing to know about me as a substitute: Really and truly, I don't actually mind a little bit of chatter. BUT (there's always a but in life, isn't there, friends?), you have to be getting your work done. Here's the other thing to know about me as a substitute: If you've made the mistake of being off task, I tend to come down harder on you than I would if I were in my own classroom.

As a substitute the first and foremost, very, very most important thing you have to do is gain and maintain control of the class. I find that, much like a classroom teacher in the first two weeks of school, you have to go in, guns blazing, game face on, no room for error. If you mean business, they mean business and then everyone usually gets along fine. Usually.

Today was an exception to the rule. I spent the majority of my day reminding, prodding, nagging, and begging my new friends to stay quiet and follow directions.

Finally, after a particularly exhausting 15 minute walk back from the cafeteria I decided that a heart-to-heart was in order.

After we spent a few minutes talking about how we had been spending the day when a particularly astute little muffin raised her hand and simply said "Sometimes you just have to show us tough love." As a smile filled my face and heart I saw heads nodding in agreement from around the classroom.

Was the day perfect after that? Of course not. Was it better? Absolutely.

Sometimes, we all need a little tough love. And sometimes, we just need to know that's what we are being given in order to stop needing it so much.