"My Sub-Life"
A Serial of Mis-Adventures in Substitute Teaching
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| Kids aren't the only ones who play during recess. ;) |
Let me give you a little bit of background information about me as a teacher and as a substitute teacher. I graduated from California State University Long Beach {CSULB} in 2007 with a BA in Liberal Studies and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential for the state of California. A Multiple Subject Teaching Credential authorizes me to teach grades k-8 in a self-contained setting {the same group of kids all day long, no switching periods, and I am their only teacher responsible for reporting their grades}. This credential and degree also authorize me to substitute in grades k-12 regardless of setting or subject. In January of 2008 I began my misadventures in substitute teaching because I was eager to get in a classroom, make a difference, and make some money {kind of important as a fresh graduate}. I was so eager to work that I applied to and was hired in 5 districts as a substitute teacher. Needless to say, I was pretty busy. After six months of subbing, the summer arrived and work slowed down so I took the summer off. The second week of subbing in the new school year heralded 3 very interesting events all in one day:
#1: The classroom I was subbing in happened to contain many of the students from the very first class I had volunteered with. These were sixth graders and I had worked with them for 6 months as a volunteer when they were third graders. It was surreal to see how much these children had grown up and how they kept looking at me with this suspicious curiosity. I didn't ask if they remembered me until the end of the day for fear of the day being awkward. It was an ultimately rewarding experience, though.
#2: This was the day that there was a horrible train wreck caused by an engineer who was accused of being distracted because he was texting. Hundreds of people were dead and injured and there was general panic and shock amongst most adults about this terrible catastrophe. The media was abuzz with speculation of what would be done to prevent another such disaster. It was unsettling, but I thanked my lucky stars that I was not {and will now never be} a train commuter.
#3: I received a phone call from a school in a district where I had only subbed twice {for middle school PE} and asked if I would be interested in an interview for a long-term sub position that would last the remainder of the year. Of course, I said yes. I mean, it would be a HUGE foot in the door to getting a full time teaching position! It was for a middle school, and I was a little wary, but if I hated it I could always walk away...right? My enthusiasm was slightly hampered by guilt though. The wheels in my head were turning about how I had gotten so lucky. Was someone pregnant? Did they move away? And then a sickening thought had occurred to me: were they killed in the train wreck? That made me feel guilty as sin for being so happy about the potential job. Luckily, it turned out that there had never been a teacher in the first place. The school was simply in need of another teacher to accommodate their overflow of sixth grade students. This was an AWESOME job! I loved the kids, I loved the staff, I loved the work, and I made some phenomenal friends. One of those friends was my vice principal, who was then appointed principal of a neighboring middle school, who then hired me as a full time seventh grade teacher the following year. That was ANOTHER job that I loved and I still hold out hope that I will get it back one day. I need to get it back because I was laid off that second year due to budget cuts. And here I am! Back to subbing!
But life after full time teaching isn't all bad. In fact, I think that working as both a substitute and a full time teacher makes me much more effective at both positions. As a sub, I have a better understanding of the challenges and concerns that the regular teacher is facing. Therefore, I know what activities take priority and which ones can be glossed over. As a full time teacher, I can write awesome sub plans {I don't care that I'm touting my own horn!}. I know what it's like to be in a strange room and not know any of the regular procedures and to worry about whether or not I'll be able to teach the material and manage a class of strangers all at the same time. This is why my sub-plans were always a minimum of 3 pages long with the first page detailing school and classroom procedures. It's terrible to be a sub and have other staff members become annoyed with you because you filled out the attendance wrong, walked the kids on the wrong path to lunch, picked up the kids late from recess, or had the gall to not already know that the school doesn't have a functioning bell system {this has actually happened to me not once, but twice. And I was supposed to know that that there are no bells because...? Oh yes! The giant non-existent sign at the front of the school that says so!}. So I always tried to make my sub plans uber-informative.
Additionally, my two lives as both full time and substitute teacher have taught me many things. I hope to share some of those pearls of wisdom with you in this weekly serial. So let's kick it off with what I consider the MOST IMPORTANT material item you can have as a substitute {I say material because the most important things that you really do need as a sub are not things you can hold or buy, they come from your heart and mind. ::sappy sighs of endearance::}:
1) A largish bag in which to carry essentials. {This used to be a massive rolling cart, but I have since pared in down, way down, in order to become a more efficient person in general}.
2) Computer gear: laptop, charger, vga adapter.
3) THE Notebook: A detailed organizer of jobs, district info, dates, and other important documentation.
4) ID badges and lanyards. {Some districts will give you an ID badge to wear on campus so you are identified as an employee and not a predator. If they do, hole punch the sucker and put it on a necklace so you don't have to fiddle with annoying clips and clasps. If you didn't get a badge, then my all means MAKE ONE! This makes life so much easier as it will instantly put an end to the suspicious looks you make get from students and staff members.}
5) Stickers. {ALL kids love stickers. Period.}
6) Geometer/stencil. {because trying to free-hand geometric shapes is just too stressful to begin with.}
7) Koosh Ball {or other soft tossable object to use for fun and games} this used to be a duck, Quackers, but he got boxed away when I packed my classroom last year.
8) Books: One for Primary grades {k-3} and one for Upper grades {4-8}. High school kids aren't too fond of story time.
9) Hall Passes {either get a pad from the school you're at or whip up a pad of your own. These are a MUST for middle and high school sub jobs.}
10) Sticky Notes
11) Highlighters
12) Clip Board {mine has a calculator and it has made a world of difference!}
13) Pencil pouch filled with pencils, multicolored pens, scissors, glue stick, erasers, and extra lead for mechanical pencils.
14) Calculator {I prefer a TI-83 because it can work for all grade levels and shows you what you entered to get your answer. Little ones think it's magic and the big ones respect it.}
15) Tissues.
16) Flash drive
* 17) Hand sanitizer {this is usually in my purse}.
So there are my essentials. I hope to more fully explain the function and purpose of each item in future episodes and explain how they make both subbing and full time teaching easier on multiple fronts. Tune in next week for another episode of
"My Sub-Life"
A Serial of Mis-Adventures in Substitute Teaching
Know what you're missing? Chocolate. How do you manage the little hellions without chocolate?
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