Sunday, March 29, 2015
Substitues
Because of the snow days, students had to be present
in school instead of intercession. My teacher already had a trip planned so was
out for the three days. Although there was a substitute in the room, I was in
charge of all aspects of the day including teaching, transitioning and
management. Before my teacher left, we sat down and went over everything that I
were to do/ teach for the next three days. She told me that she found it to be
truly silly that a “substitute,” was more qualified than myself to be alone in
a classroom. Although I am not yet certified, I have more of a relationship
with the students than any substitute could have. I also am well aware of all
aspects of the day and have already taught most of the lessons. This is also
especially frustrating to me because the substitute assigned to my classroom
did absolutely nothing to help me during the three days. Although I had it all
under control, it would have been nice to have her help me with “crown control”
at certain parts when the students started to misbehave. Because of this, I am
really interested in the whole process of becoming a substitute and what is
required. I think that substitutes should be held to higher standards so that
the class is able to function properly without the head teacher.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Oooof, I feel your pain. I haven't had a sub at this placement, but I posted about the time at my last placement when they had to split my class because there wasn't a sub available that morning. The most frustrating thing EVER. Even when things do go as planned with a sub, I have very rarely seen students actually work productively on a "sub day." I absolutely agree that since we have spent more time with the students than the subs have, our relationships with the students make us much more qualified to teach them, in many ways, than even most experienced substitutes. A teacher at my first placement told me that when her daughter was student teaching, she actually got certified to be a substitute, as well. That way, if her field mentor was out, she was qualified to run the classroom on her own as a substitute.
ReplyDeleteI think it really just comes down to us having different roles, though. As student teachers, we are there to teach, but the substitutes--I think--are really there to supervise. Most teachers don't expect their substitutes to actually teach lessons; I usually see students review material they have already learned with subs. To me, it doesn't seem like substitutes need to do much more than keep the class under control, make sure students are on task, and handle an emergency situation, should one arise.
The thing is, if they made it more difficult to become a sub, I expect that there would be sub shortages alllll the time. For example, the days that were supposed to be intersession, I heard Metro didn't have enough subs to make up for all the teachers who wouldn't be there. Relatively lenient requirements may be the only way to ensure that the district actually has as many subs as they need as often as possible.
I have had a wide variety of experiences with substitutes throughout my two placements. On my third day in this placement, my teacher had to leave school early and a sub came in for a half day. The sub heard "student teacher" and essentially checked out. I barely knew the routines of the school, not to mention the students! She offered no support with behavior management or even advice on how to handle indoor recess (which I hadn't seen at my school yet.) Another sub I worked with was pleasant, helpful, and a great support. I guess it's just luck of the draw! I would be curious as well what the requirements are to become a substitute, however, a day with a sub–– even a good sub–– never quite feels productive. It's an interesting dynamic to see form our perspective, since we are more of an authority with a relationship to the students in our classes. It's a weird situation!
ReplyDeleteSubstitutes are a sticky subject. On my first day of solo teaching, my mentor teacher was out of town on a trip. I was left with a substitute! Although she was a fine woman (I actually see her around Hickman a lot, and I think she is referred to as "Dr." so she must have her PhD...?) and seemingly quite smart, it was still really difficult to have another adult besides Mr. McCord, especially the kind that tends to get taken advantage of, in the classroom on my first day of solo teaching. She often contradicted my management style, and would discipline students for things that I had asked them to do. While these issues were easily resolved with open and professional communication, it still undermine my own (and her's!) authority with the students. On the one hand, it was nice knowing that I wouldn't be completely alone on the first day. On the other hand, it was frustrating to me that she kept trying to take over authority in the classroom when I was very clear that I would be solo teaching.
ReplyDeleteSubstitutes are a sticky subject. On my first day of solo teaching, my mentor teacher was out of town on a trip. I was left with a substitute! Although she was a fine woman (I actually see her around Hickman a lot, and I think she is referred to as "Dr." so she must have her PhD...?) and seemingly quite smart, it was still really difficult to have another adult besides Mr. McCord, especially the kind that tends to get taken advantage of, in the classroom on my first day of solo teaching. She often contradicted my management style, and would discipline students for things that I had asked them to do. While these issues were easily resolved with open and professional communication, it still undermine my own (and her's!) authority with the students. On the one hand, it was nice knowing that I wouldn't be completely alone on the first day. On the other hand, it was frustrating to me that she kept trying to take over authority in the classroom when I was very clear that I would be solo teaching.
ReplyDelete