The List

I know all of you have been waiting patiently for the list. I completely forgot about it because things have been quite busy for me. No, I have not heard anything yet about the COST program...and yes I am going insane waiting!

As always, I have a few things to say before I get to the meat of the post. For those of you who are interested, this is what I have been up to that has kept me from typing out my musings and keeping all of my avid readers (haha) unsatisfied!

First of all, shortly after my last post I went on a mission trip with the Church of the Lakes youth group to West Virginia. It was a great experience for the youth to see what a totally different lifestyle is like and how some people live. While we were there we built a garden for a school that took in the 'undesirables'...yes, even in the poorest areas of the country children are separated. Anyway, the kids worked hard and really grew to appreciate all they have been given.

The very next week I went on a family vacation for a couple of days up to a place called Lakeside, which is on Lake Erie. My fiancee and I spent a lot of our childhood summers there and it was great to walk through the streets and reminisce. The following weekend I drove some of my friends to Chicago to go to a Cubs game and see some of our friends that live in Chicago. This was also a fantastic time, but very draining: I did not get a whole lot of sleep.

That brings us to this weekend. I am in Columbus, but I have some time so I thought I would post the list. This is a list, which may grow, of things for teachers to think about when they have a substitute.

1. Be Specific: The substitute does not know the layout of your room nor your curriculum.

2. Do not use Jargon, or if you must, explain what it is. It was frustrating seeing acronyms that were totally foreign to me.

3. BE ORGANIZED! A cluttered desk and scattered thoughts make a substitute's job much more difficult.

4. Tell where you think the students will have trouble and some hints to help them. I would often find out post-teaching that I was not a failure so much as that was an area that the class had been struggling with.

5. Allow a little wiggle room. I know it may seem hard, but it will make the substitute feel more comfortable and more in charge.

6. Write down expectations. By this, I mean if you only expect them to get through so much, say so. Sometimes I felt like I had to rush through some of the things to get all of it done.

7. Give different classroom management hints that the class will be familiar with. i.e. clapping, counting down, 'magic word', etc.

8. Have a fellow teacher who you partner up with to 'check in' on the substitute. It made me feel more comfortable when another teacher came in and talked to me about the plans and explained any confusion.

9. If there are strategies that your subject uses, explain them. This is similar to jargon. For example: The schools I worked in used 'Everyday Mathematics' which used different methods than I was used to.

10. Make sure you assure the substitute that their best is good enough. I feel that I was most effective as a substitute when the teacher wrote reassuring things. It made me more comfortable and confident.

There is my list, and as I said, it may grow. I think that in order to really take these ideas to heart, one must substitute themselves. This is why I think it is ideal if a teacher can substitute for a semester before they start their career!

Substitute Teaching

WARNING: THIS POST IS QUITE LONG AND MAY REQUIRE MORE TIME THAN OTHERS

Now that my classes are over, I am able to turn my attention back to what seems to resemble hemhoraging in my bank statements. Due to the ambiguous nature of the COST program, it is difficult to find a job when I cannot say the date of my departure. So, substitute teaching is a great source that I have been going to for the past two years since my graduation from Ohio State. I am fortunate in that the woman who calls for substitutes knows my father from when they were at Kent State together in an organization.

Here is a bit of background information for those of you who are interested in substitute teaching (skip ahead if this is of no interest):

I can only speak of what I know. I am licensed to substitute teach in Stark County. I believe all of Ohio licenses per county, but again, I cannot be certain. Anyway, in order to receive that license, there is a bit of paperwork, a transcript needed as well as fingerprints and background checks. In the application you indicate which license you are applying for (there is a long list), what school districts you are willing to substitute at (also, a list) and various other pieces of information. You give them your application along with the fee, and then you wait for them to send you the license or a notification that your application has been denied for any number of reasons.

Continuing my story:

One quick item to note for those of you who have a future that includes this line of work: even though I am licensed for middle grades, I can still sub short term at other levels. The specific licenses only limit you for long term substitute positions.

I chose to solely sub for one school district because my past experience had been that she called me mostly every day, and she called less when she found out that I subbed at other schools. It is always good to be the 'go to' person in this situation because the caller wants to make as few calls as possible, and if they know you will say yes, you will be at the top of the list. Also, I would imagine it helped when I told her that my schedule was open, I was willing to substitute at any level, and that if she filled it we would be BFFs. So, she has been keeping me busy which I appreciate.

Perhaps the greatest positive effect of being a substitute teacher for those whose ultimate goal is to proceed to full time teacher is that you get a very good sense of what age level you want to work with. This brings me to a story:

There was a priest who was looking for a new bell ringer for his church. The day of the interviews (which I am sure were extensive due to the complicated nature of the work), on young man came in and inquired about the position. Unfortunately, he did not have an application and futhermore, as the priest politely indicated, the young man did not have any arms; thus seemingly negating all possibility of him filling the position. Upon hearing this, the young man became very excited and told the priest that he was sorry about the application, and he would fill one out, but he did not need arms to ring the bell. It was close to five o'clock and the priest, tired as he was, had an understandable curiosity. So, he led the young man up to the belltower and gave him the chance to show the priest what he could do. The young man took two steps back and ran full force into the bell, face first. All things considered, the bell was rung and sounded just as good as any other time. The young man turned to the priest with his nose broken and bleeding, but smiling and ran into the bell again. Again, it was a fine ring, but the priest had to interject as the young man's face was becoming more grotesque by the minute. Despite the priest's pleading, the young man ran at the bell again. Unfortunately he tripped and fell all the way down the tower and died on impact. The priest raced down and townspeople had gathered at the site. One woman asked the priest, "Do you know this young man?" The priest responded, "No, but his face sure rings a bell!"

For a longer version of the joke, go here.

The point of this whole story is about teaching kindergarten. Basically, I would rather have no arms and ring a bell with my face than be a full time kindergarten teacher (which some might argue have their similarities). Now, this gross exaggeration isn't to say I do not like children that age, I do. I simply would go insane trying to educate them. The content is nowhere near my interest area and the age level is definitely out of my expertise. That being said, if I was called, I subbed kindergarten with a great big smile. (Money is money, and a day or two here and there was perfectly fine). The more I substituted, the more I narrowed my focus to somewhere in the sixth to eighth grade range. I thoroughly enjoy working with this age group and I am comforted by the decision I have made.

I would recommend that all preservice teachers substitute if possible for this reason alone!

Substitute teaching, however, is not entirely the bee's knees. Upon arriving on one of my days substitute teaching, I was given my folder and entered the room. On the desk was a detailed prophecy of what was going to occur in that classroom. To sum up the overall feel of the letter, the last thing written was "DO NOT DEVIATE FROM WHAT I HAVE PLANNED". There was no please, no have a good day or anything of that sort. So, valuing the income substitute teaching provides, I put away my out-loud reading book and other various things I brought. Luckily, this was an exception to the rule and, for the most part, I was able to impliment some of the ideas I had learned in my classes. As in my fieldwork, I had to ask one of the students how the teacher gets the class's attention from their work to an announcement, to which they usually replied, "Oh, they just yell..." It was difficult then, to use my own methods I have found to work as it takes more than one day for students to get used to counting down, clapping hands, or even a 'buzz word'. It was also disappointing that I was not able to use my ideas for the content, as there was always a book that was suggested. I suppose my shot at innovative techniques will have to wait. However, I do believe I made use of the 'wiggle room' given.

One interesting phenomenon in substitute teaching is that the older the grade you are substituting, the less it seems you are entrusted with actual teaching. In an elementary school, you go through the lessons as they were created with little deviation. In middle school, there is more paperwork than you would think (and hope) is normal and the students are often given tasks to be completed individually. However, many times I was entrusted with a book to guide me through a lesson with the students. In high school, there is virtually no trust and more often than not the teacher has left a video for you to show...five times...or busy work for the students.

Note for future substitutes: If you are like me, you will walk around the room while students are working and try your hand at teaching the content one on one. The best circumstance is if you feel comfortable with the school and you can use ideas you have learned with the whole class. One of the best days was when I was able to actually use some of the activities I used in my fieldwork! (It went very well, by the way) So, it is possible to use what you've learned. Simply use caution as to not upset any teachers and potentially burn bridges.

My suggestion here is to bring a book or something to do as there is a distinct possibility you will not be teaching every period and that during planning periods you are left to sit and stare into space.

At this point I would like to express that if I felt I were able to impliment my abilities I would have. However, the students' grades would suffer if they did not get through the work, and one only has to spend a day or two in the teacher's lounge to be scared into compliance, (it truly can be brutal) unless obtaining money and future substitute positions is not something you fear losing.

I do not want to seem like a Debbie Downer, and so I will say that of all the part time jobs I have done, this is probably among the ones I enjoy the most. In between classes and even during classes if time permitted, I was able to talk with the students, joke around with them and create connections with them. As most who know me are aware, I enjoy working with children and being around them. The interaction with students truly makes substitute teaching a great experience.

One final note. Substitute teaching has taught me about organization. The experience can become extremely frustrating in a short period of time if the instructions left by the teacher are not clear. In my next post, (or I will later edit this one), I will have a list of things that substituting will help me remember when I become a full time educator.

You may feel like this at some point, but persevere!