Thursday, April 19, 2012

Subbing

In the interim between practice and, well, practice, I've begun a new short term adventure, Substitute Teaching.  It is bizarre to say the least.  So far I have been a 6th grade teacher, a high school resource teacher, high school math and now 8th grade science teacher.  I honestly like it.  Plus, it turns out that I am smarter than kids and therefore my sarcasm puts them in their place with ease.  In addition, I feel like I can pretty much be as rude as I wanna be in order to get them to sit down, shut it, and learn their work.  Case in point, I asked a Junior the other day if she actually knew how to do her work, or just how to copy it from her friend's paper.  She looked at me like I had slapped her....which I may have done verbally.  In all fairness, her cheating came directly after my announcement that I knew how to do their math and that I was happy to help them if they had any problems.  

Just a few minutes ago I handed out the 8th grade science reading assignment.  I told them to come to me with any problems but I expected they were all capable of reading and filling out a worksheet.  He said "some of them aren't."  I said that I would "venture that is not accurate."  He said "venture...accurate....that's new vocabulary in here."  I told him I would get him a dictionary.  He told me he didn't appreciate that.  I told him "that makes 2 of us." 

I am a good sub.  I really am.  I want these kids to leave with their homework done, with a full grasp of whatever we covered for the day.  Most of the time I really like the kids too.  They crack me up with the things they say and do.  I laughed til I cried the other day when a high schooler named Jude told me he hurt his ankle over the weekend.  When I asked him how, he said "playin hackey sack."  Then I couldn't get myself together.  Playing hackey sack is a legit injury NEVER....especially not since the 90's.  
Ha-larious.

Anyway, I've been lovin life and substitute teaching.  I hope I run across your kiddo, maybe you don't :)

5 comments:

  1. I think I would be terrified to sub these days. Kids are mean!! I have a couple of friends who are teachers and the amount of disrespect they deal with on a daily basis is just unbelievable. When I was young, our teachers had paddles hanging on a nail by the chalkboard. Man, times have changed! I'm glad you know how to handle these hooligans :-)

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  2. I wish you were a teacher at my school with me. We would have a blast...and you would make a great full time educator. :)

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  3. Bart just told me "Dr. Ballard" was his sub today! Hope he behaved and was respectful! And he is very used to scarcasm...so use it on him all you want!
    I enjoyed subbing, too! Except for the smartmouths that think they are funny!

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  4. Good for you! You're MY kind of sub - and I agree with Atkins Family - you'd make a great full-time educator!

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  5. Oh, the fun we could have making them "stronger"...

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