Substitute:
This week I had my first substitute.
The day started out okay, but quickly after breakfast things got rough. She
demanded that all students complete the morning work together at her pace. In a
class with varying levels, completing assignments at he same pace is basically
impossible. Our smarter students get bored and move ahead and our special
education students feel frustrated and rushed. Throughout the day these situations
kept occurring. One girl Layla, who is one of our highest students, worked
ahead of the class and got yelled at for it. She is the sweetest girl and cried
because of it. Then our special education student, Miranda, felt behind and
didn’t finish. This caused the substitute to yell at her and make her cry.
During the whole class discussion Valerie also cried because she is
painstakingly shy and whispered the answer to her friend to say instead of
answering. Lastly, Mario my student with EBD was having one of his bad days. He
was irritable and frustrated and the lack of structure was contributing to the
problems. He was acting out and the student teacher kept yelling at him. This
is ineffective with Mario and not the way to deal with his behavior. He began
to act out and cry as well.
As a student teacher I was unsure
where my place was. Yes, I know my students better and I have been with them
for weeks, but in reality the substitute is in charge. She was a retired
teacher who has been teaching for years. In general how do you deal with substitute
or any one really coming into your classroom? How do you leave such a detailed
plan that explain how they should act, with out micro-managing? What do you put
in to a substitute plan? Also how
do you ensure that you get updated information about how the day went?
I can definitely empathize. Last semester I had a similar experience with a sub in my first grade classroom. The sub didn't understand what she was doing and essentially read the teacher's instructions out loud to the class and then was frustrated when they were confused or were doing what they normally do in class instead of doing what they were told. I ended up spontaneously taking over the class for the rest of the day with the sub assisting me and taking my lead. I understand that subs are a necessary thing, but with students, especially young students, having someone take over the classroom who knows the needs of the students and the flow of the classroom is important.
ReplyDeleteThis semester at JT Moore I had a totally different sub experience. It seems that they have a group of parents that are the go-to subs. These parents know the school and know the majority of the students. This seems to be very successful! I know not every school has the luck of having assistant teachers, student teachers or parents to take over, but whenever possible I think that having someone familiar take over the class for a day will help prevent losing essential learning time when a teacher is out.
I think it is definitely a hinderance! Especially if they are not familiar with the management system in place. Also, if you do not have time to consult with the teacher before hand the sub would have no idea the correct procedures that the students follow throughout the day. With such young kids this could really affect them because they are so used to doing things a certain way. Without the right structure, the day can fall apart and impact their learning.
ReplyDeleteI had the opposite experience. The top recommended sub at Lockeland is one of the student's father. He knew every student by name and had such a strong understanding of how the days were supposed to run and the expectations that their teacher had for them on a daily basis. I think it is so important for teachers to find subs who are familiar with the school, their management styles, and even the personal teaching styles of the teacher they are subbing for. I had a similar experience an Inglewood. The sub tried to step up and teach but actually taught them the incorrectly. Maybe the qualifications for being a sub should be a little more demanding?
ReplyDeleteBeing left behind in classrooms when a sub is present definitely makes me nervous to have my own sub one day! There are so many potential things to go wrong. I think one of the best solutions as a teacher is to give work that you know your students are capable of doing without assistance, essentially treating the day like a review or giving assignments such as you would for homework. As people have mentioned, you can never be sure what a sub will know or how familiar they will be with the content. I would much rather my students have a solid review of old material, helping each other and refreshing their skills, than learn new things incorrectly. I think another good way to help subs is to leave a clear list of helpful students they can ask when they have questions, even in the younger grades. The teacher I taught with last semester did this every time she was out and it was so helpful for the sub to have trustworthy students to ask the simple questions like 'where's the pencil sharpener?' or 'can we take AR tests during silent reading?'
ReplyDeleteIn terms of subs being a help or hinderance: Although they can be frustrating, it's always better to have one than not at all! There were so many days last semester where we simply didn't get a sub to pick up the job. In this case, the class has to be split up between the other teachers in the grade level. What a mess!! It's distracting for the students in the other classes, the students in your class can't really do any of the work you've planned for them, and any and all routines are completely disrupted. Yikes!