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.

Flexibility in the Classroom

A substitute teacher never knows how the day will go when that 6:30 a.m. call comes in! Even if it is a class in which you have subbed before, you never know how it will go. Recently, I subbed in a 2nd grade classroom. The teacher was very well organized with her detailed note to me, and the books/papers all stacked up on the desk. Things were easy to find in the room. Students had their jobs to do that helped to keep the classroom running smoothly. Nevertheless, I had to make adjustments in the schedule.

The morning meeting went over the time by 5 minutes, and I still had not read their chapter book aloud. In an effort to still read to the students, I told them that if they were well behaved, I would read to them during the afternoon snack time. I put the book on the chalkboard as a reminder of this challenge. They were indeed fairly well behaved, and I read to them later in the day. The students were accustomed to just talking quietly at snack time, but they remained attentive instead during the reading.

During the first math period, the students were to work on their math journals. Many were not finished when the time came to leave for their special class. I told them they could finish the journals after library, during the second math period. Following the math lesson, the students were to complete a packet for their math test. Most of the class did not finish before the next period was to begin, so I told them to leave the test in their "offices", and there would be time to complete this later. This can snowball into pushing more and more things ahead, but that day, this worked. The students had indoor recess an hour later. Some chose to finish their test during this time, although they did not have to do this. The rest of the students completed it during the period following recess. In this period, the students were to do a handwriting page. Plenty of time was allotted for this, so I could see that this is where the students who needed to finish could take the 5-10 minutes needed and still complete their handwriting page.

The students worked very well with these changes. In many areas of our lives, we need to be flexible in our schedules. These students are off to a good start in learning to handle flexibility.

Classroom Diversity

This week I saw a magazine cover which indicated that an enclosed article was about diversity. The picture on the cover was of a black woman and a white woman smiling and shaking hands. This got me thinking about the definition of diversity. Many people seem to think that diversity is only ethnic diversity. Even in ethnic diversity, we need to remember that our country has many ethnicities, not just black and white. Diversity in the classroom is all kinds of diversity!

When I was in college (way back when), I had a class called Multicultural Education. The class was not as the name suggested. It was really about blacks and whites in the classroom, and black history in America. The class did not discuss any other ethnicities. I also had a class called Exceptionalities in the Classroom. This class was about learning disabilities (recognizing them, knowing what to do to help, and integrating the students into the classroom). The class did not include behavioral issues. That was discussed in Classroom Management. Today I imagine that the behavioral issues would be covered in the Exceptionalities class. Today's teachers need to be prepared for all types of diversity in their classroom, school, and district.

In the classrooms in my area, I have seen all kinds of diversity. Yes, there is a little ethnic diversity in our school district, but other diversities stand out more in my mind. One class had an Amish girl. That's very unusual since the Amish have their own schools. As a substitute teacher, I have no knowledge as to why she is attending public school (and it's none of my business).  There are other religiously diverse students in our area too.  In another school, there are several hearing impaired students. Some of these students need the teacher to wear a wireless microphone which is connected to their hearing aides. In a couple of classes, I had students with Asperger syndrome. In many classes, there are students with various behavioral diagnoses. Even being left-handed makes one diverse! All of these are challenging to the regular classroom teacher as well as the substitute teacher.

Even though I live in a small town, we have very diverse classrooms.  We may not have a very ethnically diverse community, but we are very diverse none the less.  People need to realize that diversity is more than the color of one's skin.  Diversity covers a great deal of areas - more than what I have encountered here or discussed in this post. We can do as these children do: have fun with each other and get along, no matter what makes us different! They see each other for who they are as people, not for what makes them different from each other!

Technology in the Classroom

The use of technology is everywhere today. The classroom is no exception. Students and many teachers like to use technology to help reinforce topics. In the school district where I substitute, the district has been participating in the 21st Century initiative for quite a few years now.  There are smart boards in every classroom, 8-12th graders have a laptop computer that they can take home.  middle school students have use of a laptop in the school, 2-3rd graders also have use of laptops in their schools, and K-1st graders have use of iPads in schools!  Teachers take advantage of this in different ways. As a substitute, I have had to attempt to use these technologies in class!  It's not always done successfully!  Most commonly, students use their computers or iPads during morning work or some other specified time in the day.  They have certain games to play for math and reading.  Sometimes they can use their computers or iPads during indoor recess.  Then they can play other things on them. These devices have apps or bookmarked websites that the students use. Sometimes a computer isn't working properly, and I have to try to help.  Luckily, there are always more computers than students, so I often have them get a different computer to try.

On occasion, I have to make use of this technology.  All the classrooms have some type of Elmo projector to use.  The newer ones are the most user friendly.  One teacher left me instructions on how to use this to project worksheets or textbooks onto the smart board. I was so grateful for that! These instructions helped me in her classroom as well as others that had the newer Elmo projectors.  I'm still trying to figure out how to use the older Elmo projectors.  These must be connected to a school laptop before use.

Other teachers have been helpful in this area.  The carts containing the laptops and iPads are locked every day.  I have always been fortunate enough to have another teacher unlock the one I would need.  Teachers also have helped me to get an Elmo working.  Even with all this help, the technology still does not always work.  Recently, I was to show a video from the internet onto the smart board.  Another teacher set it up for me at lunch, but by the time I needed to show it, the computer had turned off and would not turn back on again!  So no video!  We just moved on with the next part of the lesson!  During another day, the internet wasn't reliable in the school that day!  The teacher I was subbing for had submitted lessons by email to another teacher, but we couldn't get them without the internet!  I came up with a list of things to do for the day based on newsletters, but after we started with this, the email came through.  The students were to work on their laptops for their computer special, but they were having trouble because of the internet issue.

This technology can be a helpful, useful, engaging tool, but sometimes, nothing beats a chalkboard and chalk!

The Custodians are Your Friends

A piece of advice from a teacher friend was to be friendly to the custodians.  They are there for you when you need help the most.  I have taken that advice to heart.

The custodian is always at the school early.  I arrive at the school 45 minutes before I have to be there.  The office staff is not always there that early.  Several times, when I've been in a school that is new to me, the custodian has shown me where my classroom is, where the substitute form is, where the office is, etc.  I am always very friendly to them - smiling, saying hello.

In a first grade classroom, the soap dispenser and the hand sanitizer dispenser were empty.  Luckily, I had a little container of spray hand sanitizer with me.  When the students were lined up for lunch, they held out their hands and I went down the line, spraying every one's hands.  During lunch break, I mentioned the dispensers to the custodian and he happily refilled them.  In a kindergarten classroom, I talked with the custodian about the little ants that were coming in near the carpet (a sign of spring!).  He couldn't do much about that though because of rules related to pesticides.  In a different kindergarten, when a girl got sick, she was, fortunately, right in front of the trash can!  We didn't need the custodian then, but I am sure that if she were needed, she would help!  In yet another kindergarten, twins had a birthday celebration and brought cupcakes!  Cupcakes plus kindergartners equals lots of crumbs!  When snack time was finished and the students went to their special, I found a broom in the closet and swept the floor after wiping off the tables.  Custodians don't have to do it all!

So thanks to the custodians for all your hard work and dedication to the care of the building and its students and staff!  You are appreciated!

That Early Morning Phone Call

In our school district, substitute teachers usually get called to work around 6:15 a.m.  Since I work other part time jobs as well as this one, I have told the district that I am available on Mondays and Thursdays.  So on the night before these days, I try to get to bed earlier than usual in case I get that early call.  Some days I get a call between 7 and 9 a.m.  This call is usually asking me to sub that afternoon only.  In the first part of the school year, I didn't get called very often.  In the months after the New Year, I've been called very often!  Once in a while, I have an early notification for days to sub.  These calls are nice since my family and I can do our planning better for meals, etc.

I understand that in some other school districts, this "early phone call" is done differently.  Some places have their substitutes report every day.  When they are needed in a classroom, they go there.  If they are not needed, then the substitute is assigned office work to do (sorting mail, making copies, etc.)  This way, the district knows that it will have subs for the classrooms, and the subs can count on a regular paycheck.  In some school districts, they post the substitute needs on their website.  Subs have to check this page every day and choose where they want to sub.

It's hard to say what ways work better.  I just know that I need to be ready for that call when it comes!

Deciphering a Classroom

To pop into a classroom for a day or half day, a substitute teacher needs to be able to figure out how the classroom is organized as well as the routine in the classroom.  Written out agendas from the classroom teacher is extremely helpful!  In my experience so far, I have had these agendas on most of the days.  On a few of the subbing days, I have only had a post-it note.  Sometimes I only use the formal lesson plans.  Having a written agenda is most helpful to me because it has the most information included.

After finding and reviewing the plans for the day, I usually walk around the room looking for a class list (if one was not in a sub folder or agenda), lunch count and attendance routines, behavior chart(s), class helpers, and bus schedule for dismissal.  I also look for teacher manuals, worksheets and other materials.  I often find these things.  Sometimes I have a hard time finding the materials for the day: teacher manuals, worksheets and other materials.

Often another teacher nearby stops in to see if I am finding things alright.  That is very kind and helpful! The custodians are very nice and helpful too! They are usually in the building early, and I try to get to the classroom at least 40 minutes before the students are due in the room.  So I am there early too!

Of course, crazy things can happen!  One time, there were no plans at all in the room! The teacher obviously was not expecting to be out. The internet wasn't working in the school either.  Another teacher found plans from the previous week, so I at least had times and subjects.  We found a class newsletter for the week, and a specials list too.  Based on these things, I was able to come up with a plan for the day.  Luckily, after I had started the day, the teacher who was helping me was able to connect to the internet and printed off the agenda the teacher had emailed!  On another day, I couldn't find the science book with the desert pictures in it for the students to see during the science lesson.  During lunch and recess, I searched the many books in the room for one on deserts! I did find one and found a way to use it with the lesson!

A substitute teacher has to be ready for anything and be flexible to adjust to the ways of the school and the classroom!

First Day on the Job - Kindergarten!

After graduating from college way back in 1992, I was a substitute teacher in three school districts in eastern Pennsylvania. My husband and I began our family and moved to Punxsutawney.  With no one to babysit on an as needed basis, I found other work while my children grew up.  Now I am back on the substitute teacher list!  The 2015/2016 school year is my first school year subbing since those first years after college!  A lot has changed in 20 years!

My first day as a substitute teacher in Punxsutawney was in the beginning of September, only 8 school days into the year.  I was assigned to a kindergarten for the morning!  That was quite an experience! The class size is large, and there are several students who have a TSS worker with them.  Being so early in the school year, these kindergartners didn't know their way around the school, the routine of the classroom, how to behave in class (raising hands, not talking when others are talking, etc.).  This was quite a challenge!  Luckily the lunch room was just across the hall, so the student delivering the lunch count found her way.  The students didn't know where the nurse was to deliver the attendance list.  I just kept the list, and someone from the office came down for it!  One boy had a severe case of separation anxiety.  He had a note in his folder from his mom reminding him that she loves him. It was very sweet, but when he saw it, he started to cry.  He told everyone at his table that his mother died that morning!  I didn't know about the separation anxiety, so his story and crying made me anxious!  Luckily, one of the classroom helpers came in and told me about his issue!  The students at his table were quite supportive of him (when they thought his mom died).  They offered condolences in their own ways.  He would have moments of not crying, but anything could set him off.  His little post-it note from his mom tore.  He came up to me crying about it until I taped it.  We were in the hallway, lined up at the bathroom, when he saw a picture of his brother on the wall.  He started crying about that too!  I was glad that this day was only a half day!  

I was in this classroom two months later, and it was such a difference!  They knew the routine, where places were in the building, how to act in class!  Crying boy wasn't crying anymore - he was smiling and happy!  

Kindergarten teachers have a very difficult job!  They lay the foundation for all the students for their entire school career!  Thank you kindergarten teachers!