My First Fire Drill

I experienced my first fire drill as a substitute teacher last week!  The students had just come in from recess when the alarms started going!  They did VERY well with their response to the alarm. The class was heading down the hall for a drink break, then quickly turned to go back out the door.  I grabbed the fire drill folder.  One student remembered that she was in charge of the door.  My class was out there before I was!  The whole school was out very quickly, I thought.

When a substitute teacher goes into the classroom, she needs to look for the emergency cards/folder which is usually near the door.  Also in that area is the map to show where to go in the emergency.  It is important to check for these things because one never knows when those flashing lights and loud buzzer will go off!

When the Substitute Needs a Sub

I have a family, and I never know when one of them will need me while I am working.  One may get sick at school, or the car broke down during the commute to work.  I just never know!  With my other part-time jobs, I know that I can adjust my schedule around family emergencies.  When I started subbing, I did not even think about what to do in these cases. 

I was recently reminded that I need to know the plan of action.  I always let my family know that I am substituting when I get the call.  This way, if they really need to find me, they know where I am.  Last week, my son fell at school and whacked his head.  He was sent to the nurse with a large goose egg on his forehead and symptoms of a concussion.  He told the nurse that I was subbing, but she didn't call the right work place.  I did not receive any call while at school.  (We did take care of the concussion, by the way.  He is doing fine.)  This incident did bring to mind the question: What do I do if there is a family emergency?  Am I allowed to ask for someone to cover the remaining part of the day?  Do I talk to the school secretary?  Do I call the person who calls the substitutes?  Do I tell the head teacher?  What if I am subbing for the head teacher?  Do I have to track down the principal (They are not always in the building since they are responsible for multiple buildings.)?  All these questions were going through my mind over the weekend.

I called the district office to find out what the protocol for teacher emergencies is.  So now I know that I can leave if necessary.  I am to talk to the head teacher.  If I am substituting for the head teacher, then another teacher or the school secretary can contact the principal.  They will find a way to cover the rest of the day for me.  It is a relief to know that I would not be required to stay until the end of the day.  Very rarely would anything like this be necessary, but it is good to know what I can do if an emergency does arise.

To Take the Job, or to Not Take the Job. That is the Question

When I was first substitute teaching, fresh out of college, there were A LOT of substitutes! I was on the list in three school districts, said yes when they called, and still only subbed a handful of times each year! Now there aren't nearly as many people willing to substitute. I still say yes most of the time; I want the caller to keep dialing my number! If I say No too often, she may feel that she's wasting her time with me. I had three other part-time jobs before I was on the sub list, so I told the caller what days she could always count on me (the same days each week). She knows that on the other days of the week, I would need advanced notice before saying Yes, so I can rearrange my schedule.

I recently had company coming for just a couple of days. One of those days was when the caller can count on me. When I spoke to her the week before, I let her know that I would not be available that upcoming day. She appreciated the advanced warning so that she didn't call early in the morning when I knew I would say No. Common courtesy is needed in all areas of our society (and it is lacking so much!). Letting the caller know about my plans makes her job easier, I will still get called for future jobs, and I don't get awakened early.

A substitute teacher can also be called for any teaching position. I asked to be only in the elementary buildings for this first year. I just wanted to see how often I would get called, and how this addition to my schedule would work for me and my family. Even in this limited number of grades/classes, there are many kinds of teachers. I was called once for the emotional support teacher. After that day, I went to the district office to talk to the person who calls the subs and asked her to not call me for that position again. She was fine with this and very understanding. As long as she knows who to call and who not to call, then she can do her job more efficiently.

I have been in all the elementary buildings. In one building I have been in all the classrooms also! This has been a busy year of substituting for me. I think I will still stick with just the elementary buildings for the next school year. Substituting has been an interesting experience for me so far, and yes, I will continue subbing next school year too.

All Those Names!

I grew up in the same area that I am now living and working. Growing up, going to school and church, names were not that difficult. Probably the most unique names I can remember are the "old ladies" who had old fashioned names. Today, many parents are being more creative when they name their children. The area is also becoming more diverse. This presents a challenge to all the people that these children encounter. One of the first things that a substitute teacher has to do with the students is take attendance and the lunch count. In many classrooms, this is done by the teacher calling out the students' names. Of course, I want to pronounce everyone's names correctly just as I want my name pronounced correctly. Most of the time, I can do this without a problem. Just this week, though, there were two names that I struggled with in a class. One of the names I just couldn't get to stick in my head correctly all day! The student was patient with me though!

Many classes are between 15 and 25 students. They usually have name tags on their desks, which helps quite a lot! I use those to call on students to answer questions, or to get their attention if they are being disruptive or daydreaming. I try to learn their names as well. This way, if we are not in the classroom, I can still get their attention.  Also, if I see them in the hall when I am teaching another class, I can say hello. Many students have committed my name to memory, especially the ones that see me in their building with some frequency, so I should be able to reciprocate. Names can be a tricky thing, but it pays to get it right.

Smile!

A couple of weeks ago, I was noticing how serious people seem to be with students in school. Yes, we need to be firm in our expectations; the students need to know that we mean what we say. At the same time, I think that students should see a smiling teacher. As a substitute, walking into a classroom is like walking into your first day at work - every day! It can be hard to have control of a classroom without being too mean or yelling all the time. I have been trying this out lately. I smile as the students are arriving in the morning. I show that I am serious when everyone has arrived and we need to get down to business. I expect them to quiet down and be respectful of whoever's turn it is to talk. It doesn't always happen as easily as that. In some classrooms I do have to remind students often to be quiet. When working through a lesson, I try to smile (when appropriate). This is especially easy to do during lessons that involve reading passages. I can smile as I call on a student to read aloud. I can smile as a student answers a comprehension question. I can smile at a story a student is telling as they relate their life with the reading passage. I have found that students smile more too, and I am happier when I get to the end of my day. It is not always easy to do this. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood to smile (especially first thing in the morning!), but I do anyway. Hopefully I can continue this idea of mine.