“You’ll make a great regular teacher”

5th grade boy: “When you’re done subbing, you’ll make a great regular teacher.”
🙂 We did have a good time this morning. This boy was happy because I gave them a five minute break after each subject so they could stretch and talk before being expected to be quiet and still once again. Of course this meant that I had to watch the silly boys who tried to play tag or crawl under desks. Giving 10 year olds free time can be dicey.

The afternoon was spent in a first grade class and I’m sorry to say that their poor behavior rather stressed me out. It was difficult to get any work started because as a group they seemed more interested in their own conversations than in what I needed to tell them. A few references to the principal’s office and to losing a few minutes of recess went a long way towards peace. Except with W and J.

W and J were both the type of boy who want – no- demand – attention every two minutes. I wonder if they are only children because they expect – no – demand – to be the child called on to answer a question, and therefore they blurt out the answer before anyone can beat them to it. I should have called the office for help before my nerves frayed. Finally near the end of the day I sent W to the office. But that wasn’t easy either because I had forgotten to ask the office for the number to call them and it wasn’t posted. I couldn’t find any blank paper to write a note on. Someone found me a wrinkled sheet of looseleaf and I scribbled a note which I entrusted one of the girls to take to the office in order to take W off of my hands. As for J – he missed some recess and I think it made an impression. Unfortunately W was also supposed to miss some recess, but I didn’t write his name down on my list and therefore forgot to keep him inside the classroom.

During recess I did not have duty, so I settled at the teacher’s desk to read a book (I always keep a novel with me for such possible time slots). Several kids decided to keep banging on the windows and ducking down – no doubt the funniest fun they’d had all day. Eventually I got tired of ignoring it (after several minutes at least) and I walked to the door – whereupon they all scattered. However, I was able to retrieve 2 of them and had an accurate description of a third. They were in another class – which also had a sub – and the girl especially denied and denied that she had done anything. But I saw her. I ended up leaving a note for her teacher in the office.

I left a pretty long note to the teacher I subbed for.

The other kids told me that W and J “always act like that.” Whoopee! I don’t know what’s going on at their homes. But it’s hard to be concerned when a kid consistently interrupts and makes rude and disrespectful remarks when I’m trying to teach a lesson. It’s hard to do anything.