I have been subbing a long time - and just when I thought I could handle most classes - I had two (almost three) that were just totally, totally wild today. I say almost three - I was lucky and got one of them under control and ended up having a great day with them. I had 6 classes in total. 3 were wonderful - one was wild but calmed down, but the other two - were totally impossible. The classes were 7th grade English (and English is my speciality - and I love to teach English) but these kids really do not like reading, have a very hard time focusing, and just wanted no part of this lesson. I even had a CD which they could follow but to no avail. What makes it worse, they were reading a biography which really was not exciting (actually, quite dry) - and even if I tried to ask questions to help the reading along - they just were totally unresponsive.
When I asked some of the students how these classes were when their teacher is there - they said they were usually loud but not as bad as when they have a sub. Trust me, when I say, if I had just starting subbing - I don't think I would have continued. I tried all the tricks in the book but nothing worked. I had to send some kids to other classes and security had to come for another who didn't make it to the class he was sent.
Needless to say, it really wasn't one of my better sub days
Have any of you experienced this - some classes that you just cannot reach no matter how much experience you have had?
I was so mad...they were a class of kids I knew, and had worked with the year before. They were absouletly horrible, lucky for me, the teacher knew me well and knew it was the students being bad for a sub. The behavior began to take on a life of its own, and afterwards some of the kids apologized to me. They realized how bad they had been.
On the flip side, I was in a brand new school the other day, and the kids told me that usually they had to have the vp come in when there was a sub. Go figure
That was me in Art last week. I left that day feeling incompetent and swearing off subbing altogether. Yeah, it was that bad. I've only been subbing since last year, and part of the reason why I'm so frustrated is that I expected my own classroom this year; however, we all know the state of the economy with budget cuts and school closures, so this isn't something I need to elaborate on. WE KNOW. I can't see myself subbing for a third year; I can't feel like I'm walking on thin ice much longer. Ever since I was banned from my regular MS last March, I'm terrified of even going into a teacher's desk for something petty like a pencil. I have such good rapport with a lot of classes and teachers at this new MS I'm in this year that I'm afraid something similar will happen in a few months. Am I just being neurotic? I know I'm going off tangent, and I apologize, but what I'm trying to get at is subbing has more ups and downs than any other job I've ever had, and many of you will agree with me.
these kids really do not like reading"
I would say an easy 75% of the middle schoolers do not like to read. I think this just forecasts a bad future for the USA. I blame the parents. They don't let their children know that they are expected to do well in school. The parents themselves are not educated. The parents blame the schools. I could go on and on. You all know.
No, I think I will go on and on a bit. The other day I had seventh graders who had a hard time multiplying 4 times 6. I am not kidding. And it occurred to me that it wasn't quite as simple as just being stupid. (I can use that word here, can't I?) Yes, some were plain stupid. But it seemed as though many were just too lazy to do any work. I kept hearing how it was "too hard", "I'm bored"; and they were just interested in who was going with whom, and a whole bunch of nonsense.
I really think the taxpayer should say if your kids don't get the grades we aren't going to foot the bill to baby sit your kids.
it's a sad commentary when a sub complains that it's the parent's fault that the kids are turned off and don't do well in school. I for one can agree with that and I'm a parent and a sub!!!!!
It's hard enough to find good quality books for the kids to read but I try...I've gotten on to the Caldecott website for ideas for books and so far they've been pretty good at what is suggested.
it's also sad when parents don't push their kids enough (giving extra homework; being more responsible in the home--chores; etc...) I do this and my kids HATE me for this (actually my DH and I do this)....but we always tell them...if I had to wait for the schools to teach you everything you need to know you'll never be good for anything but flipping burgers when you're older
It's probably not far from the truth. Even when it's a few paragraphs in a hand-out, I hear the moans and "I HATE reading, I NEVER do this!" With more video games and other distractions to entertain kids, who has time to read? (sarcasm) When I was in school, I read on the bus, but now I see kids on their Sidekicks and iPhones as if their life depended on it. "Reading? What's that? Does reading a text count?"
Every ELA classroom has reading charts that determine how many books each student has read; for each book there is a sticker. I'm always astounded at how many students have no stickers!
Yoohoo, you're doing the right thing by pushing your children to read and take on responsibilities. They may hate it now, but at least they won't grow up illiterate or with a sense of unearned entitlement.
When kids hate something I turn on my "broken record" mode. I tell them, "I understand you don't want to do XYZ, however that is the assignment. Please complete it by the end of class". I keep repeating it to them everything they whine. "I understand you think this is boring, however this is what we are doing today". "I understand I can't make you do it, but should you choose not to do it you will be going to visit the principal".
...(subtitled "Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child") is a new book that deals
with many of the problems PPs have mentioned in a way that makes sense to me.
The author, Donalyn Miller, teaches 6th grade in Texas, and gets her kids to read
an average of 40 books a year mostly by helping each kid find books that might
INTEREST him or her!!! Wow, what a concept!!!
Of course this is not done in a day, so we as subs can't get this rolling in a big way
in any one class. Still, every bit helps, and if others agree with some of this book's
ideas we could find many chances to implement them occasionally without straying
from the lesson plan.
Has anyone else read this book? What do you guys think?
11-03-2009, 02:32 PM
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