Here's a comment from an experienced substitute teacher about whether one should teach in School A or School B:
"I'm an active member of LASUBS and I just read your blog about substitute teaching in ghetto schools. I'm writing to you privately, because if I post for all the group to see, I'd probably get some flak for what I have to tell you.I'd go with school B where the students seem more in tune with learning and stricter rules are enforced. You have no moral obligation whatsoever to work with students in the other school where they can't enforce rules. Don't be a glutton for punishment! You are 70 years old--make it easier on yourself! I'm no longer idealistic about students--they have to be receptive to learning for any to take place. I substitute teach for extra income and medical insurance, as my husband retired earlier this year, and insurance ceased. We are only 60, so not eligible for Medicare. I'd like to hear your thoughts about my response. I wish you the best in your substituting. I've been doing it for 13 years now, and like it for the variety of assignments and the fact that our school day ends at 3:00 pm., unlike a regular teacher. I don't do long terms. I work with elementary and special needs students from pre-K to 5th grade. I don't go into middle and high schools. In LA, you do one or the other, but not both. I assume that you just do secondary school,but I know in some districts they can send you to both elementary and secondary schools. My nephew was a sub for awhile in San Jose-Santa Clara area and he worked in all grades."
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Another Day at School B
Yesterday I subbed at School B for the second time. I am astounded by the differences. Same student population -- students from the same parts of my city. Yet the students have a vastly different attitude.
I think I have already commented on the difference in dress between these two schools.
Another difference is in the school rules. In School B, students are told they must remove their hats in class, and either put them away or leave them on their desk. In School A, thery can wear anything, schoolwide, and to make them remove their hats seems to ther students there to be a major imposition, and meets with all kinds of argument.
In School B, there is a schoolwide rule that no electronic devices will be allowed in the classes. Here and there one sees a student trying to sneak a look at some little handheld device, but generally this rule is followed. And all that is necessary if it is not is a gentle reminder that the school rules do not allow these handheld devices in class. In School A, students pull their little devices out automatically and divert their attention to them rather than to the teacher. It is one thing to deal wioth one or two students who need to be reminded (as at School B), but it is quite another to deal with 25 out of 35 students in a class who all want to ignore you as a teacher.
There seems to be a much greater assumption at School B that students will achieve. The students are more respectful of the teachers.
These differences force a substitute teacher consider a moral question: Should I teach where the students are generally more obedient and better behaved, or should I teach where perhaps the students need me more ? How much do I owe students compared to what I owe myself, especially now that I am 70 ?
If anyone reads this, I would certainly like to know your opinion.
I think I have already commented on the difference in dress between these two schools.
Another difference is in the school rules. In School B, students are told they must remove their hats in class, and either put them away or leave them on their desk. In School A, thery can wear anything, schoolwide, and to make them remove their hats seems to ther students there to be a major imposition, and meets with all kinds of argument.
In School B, there is a schoolwide rule that no electronic devices will be allowed in the classes. Here and there one sees a student trying to sneak a look at some little handheld device, but generally this rule is followed. And all that is necessary if it is not is a gentle reminder that the school rules do not allow these handheld devices in class. In School A, students pull their little devices out automatically and divert their attention to them rather than to the teacher. It is one thing to deal wioth one or two students who need to be reminded (as at School B), but it is quite another to deal with 25 out of 35 students in a class who all want to ignore you as a teacher.
There seems to be a much greater assumption at School B that students will achieve. The students are more respectful of the teachers.
These differences force a substitute teacher consider a moral question: Should I teach where the students are generally more obedient and better behaved, or should I teach where perhaps the students need me more ? How much do I owe students compared to what I owe myself, especially now that I am 70 ?
If anyone reads this, I would certainly like to know your opinion.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Comparing Two Schools
I subbed today for the first time in a different school than the one I have been writing about in all the other blog entries I have written so far. The two schools draw from the same areas of the city's student population. Twenty or more buses pull up to it every morning, disgorging a similar mix of students, so one cannot say that any differences are due to differing ethnicities of the student body.
But what one can say is that the campus culture is strikingly different and that this creates marked differences in what a teacher experiences.
In school A, where I worked last year, the students dresseds in a particular way. The boys wore their pants slung low, "gangsta-style," so their brightly-colored silk or nylon underwear showed. The girls dressed as sexily as possible -- as one of our contrbutors here commented, because they have such low self-esteem that they think the only way they are of value is as sexual objects. In school B, you see very little dressing like either of these. You see almost no l.ow-slung pants on the boys and very few jeans embroidered with fancy designs. The girls wear clothes that are less revealing, less sexy.
In school A last year (I have not subbed there yet this year) there was no rule against electronic devices (cell phones, ipods). In school B, they are prohibited in class and are confiscated if used openly. In school A, the boys are allowed to wear hats and caps in the classroom. In school B, the principal will not allow hats or caps.
In each school there is the same ethnic mix of students, but different behaviors are allowed. My impression is that in School B a lot more learning takes place.
But what one can say is that the campus culture is strikingly different and that this creates marked differences in what a teacher experiences.
In school A, where I worked last year, the students dresseds in a particular way. The boys wore their pants slung low, "gangsta-style," so their brightly-colored silk or nylon underwear showed. The girls dressed as sexily as possible -- as one of our contrbutors here commented, because they have such low self-esteem that they think the only way they are of value is as sexual objects. In school B, you see very little dressing like either of these. You see almost no l.ow-slung pants on the boys and very few jeans embroidered with fancy designs. The girls wear clothes that are less revealing, less sexy.
In school A last year (I have not subbed there yet this year) there was no rule against electronic devices (cell phones, ipods). In school B, they are prohibited in class and are confiscated if used openly. In school A, the boys are allowed to wear hats and caps in the classroom. In school B, the principal will not allow hats or caps.
In each school there is the same ethnic mix of students, but different behaviors are allowed. My impression is that in School B a lot more learning takes place.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
I'm Back Blogging. School Starts Tomorrow.
I skipped blogging for a while because I got ties up in working on two stores, which I shall briefly but shamelessly promote right here and now before I get back onto the proper subject of thgis blog.
I have been working on putting together blank greetings cards based on my African photos taken in The Gambia and Cote d'Ivoire. You may find these at http://www.Zazzle.com/Goodmanster. I also worked even more on a different store I have opened, alson o Zazzle.com, but devoted to cards, mugs, etc. based on some of my thousands of flower photos. You may find these floral photos and gifts at http://www.Zazzle.com/Florabunda. When you see the sheer number of products I have put together -- close to 600 on the Florabunda site -- you can see that I have been quite busy.
But back to our main subject, being a substitute teacher. Tomorrow is the first day of the school year. About ten days ago I took a wonderful full day course on classroom management. It provided details about how to deal with specific situations, and how to get a class directed to their classwork instead of just fooling around.
Interestingly, at this daylong session I met a teacher from a nearby school where I have never substituted, who called me up this afternoon and asked if I could substitute for her this Wednesday. I said I would be very happy to. We've both had the same instruction together, so she knows more or less how I am going to try to conduct her classes.
The most valuable lesson learned during thius instructional session: don't get engaged in discussions or arguments with students who don't want to do the work. Simply tell them what is expected of them, and then when they complain ("This is BORING !"), respond, "I understand. But it is still necessary for you to turn to page X of the book and get started on the classwork."
I need to praqctice the techniques we were shown. I'll let you know more about them and my experiences in trying to make them work.
I have been working on putting together blank greetings cards based on my African photos taken in The Gambia and Cote d'Ivoire. You may find these at http://www.Zazzle.com/Goodmanster. I also worked even more on a different store I have opened, alson o Zazzle.com, but devoted to cards, mugs, etc. based on some of my thousands of flower photos. You may find these floral photos and gifts at http://www.Zazzle.com/Florabunda. When you see the sheer number of products I have put together -- close to 600 on the Florabunda site -- you can see that I have been quite busy.
But back to our main subject, being a substitute teacher. Tomorrow is the first day of the school year. About ten days ago I took a wonderful full day course on classroom management. It provided details about how to deal with specific situations, and how to get a class directed to their classwork instead of just fooling around.
Interestingly, at this daylong session I met a teacher from a nearby school where I have never substituted, who called me up this afternoon and asked if I could substitute for her this Wednesday. I said I would be very happy to. We've both had the same instruction together, so she knows more or less how I am going to try to conduct her classes.
The most valuable lesson learned during thius instructional session: don't get engaged in discussions or arguments with students who don't want to do the work. Simply tell them what is expected of them, and then when they complain ("This is BORING !"), respond, "I understand. But it is still necessary for you to turn to page X of the book and get started on the classwork."
I need to praqctice the techniques we were shown. I'll let you know more about them and my experiences in trying to make them work.
Friday, August 15, 2008
There is No Substitute For Knowing People
Here's what I did last year to get work, and what I will be doing at the same school this year. I didn't feel like driving all over town to a different school every morning or so, so I picked the school near home where I wanted to work. I managed through the School District administration to get assigned for 20 days to a particular special education class at this school. In the course of going in every morning, I got to know a nice lady whose job it is to deal with substitutes and their paperwork.
When my 20-day assignment ended, I came to work. I walked in and announced, "Do you need me today ?" More often it was a "yes" rather than a "no."
After a few weeks, we arranged that I would call her at a certain time early each morning right after she arrived at work. She would tell me whether there was work for me that day, and if there was, I would throw myself together and come to school to fill the vacancy. If there wasn't, I would stay home and write.
By staying at the same school -- I never subbed at any other during the entire school year -- and by writing detailed reports for each teacher, and by trying to visit each teacher for a few minutes the next day to turn in my report to him or her, I developed a good enough relationship with many so that they now ask specifically for me ahead of time. I will be back at that school again this year, doing the same thing.
I encountered only two teachers for whom I will not substitute ever again because of the way they train their students and normally allow them to misbehave.
An advantage of this sytem is that you get to know who is a good student and who is a little trouble-causing bastard. When you know them on sight by name and let them know you know by verbally greeting them by name, you have a lot more power over them. Also, one or two of the little trouble-causing bastards actually became reasonable and friendly.
When my 20-day assignment ended, I came to work. I walked in and announced, "Do you need me today ?" More often it was a "yes" rather than a "no."
After a few weeks, we arranged that I would call her at a certain time early each morning right after she arrived at work. She would tell me whether there was work for me that day, and if there was, I would throw myself together and come to school to fill the vacancy. If there wasn't, I would stay home and write.
By staying at the same school -- I never subbed at any other during the entire school year -- and by writing detailed reports for each teacher, and by trying to visit each teacher for a few minutes the next day to turn in my report to him or her, I developed a good enough relationship with many so that they now ask specifically for me ahead of time. I will be back at that school again this year, doing the same thing.
I encountered only two teachers for whom I will not substitute ever again because of the way they train their students and normally allow them to misbehave.
An advantage of this sytem is that you get to know who is a good student and who is a little trouble-causing bastard. When you know them on sight by name and let them know you know by verbally greeting them by name, you have a lot more power over them. Also, one or two of the little trouble-causing bastards actually became reasonable and friendly.
Monday, August 11, 2008
My Student's Progress re: Court
The student I have referred to elsewhetre in this blog was sent home with an electronic moitoring device affixed to his ankle and ordered to return to court on the 27th of this month.
His mother, his mentor and I discussed at that court hearing that he should start on a regular educational program since he was just sitting at home with nothing to do. When he returns to court on the 27th the judge will decide on the final disposition of the case.
I e-mailed the mother once advising her that an educational program (reading a certain amount ewvery day) would make the judge feel better about the kid. No response.
I emailed the mentor and also telephoned him, He agreed that we should get started. However, after that there has been no meeting scheduled by the mother or the mentor.
It would not surprise me if this kid ended up in California Youth Authority on the 27th because these two adults have done nothing to make his chances of staying out of prison better.
Obviously I cannot push it further. It is up to them to want what might save him from CYA.
His mother, his mentor and I discussed at that court hearing that he should start on a regular educational program since he was just sitting at home with nothing to do. When he returns to court on the 27th the judge will decide on the final disposition of the case.
I e-mailed the mother once advising her that an educational program (reading a certain amount ewvery day) would make the judge feel better about the kid. No response.
I emailed the mentor and also telephoned him, He agreed that we should get started. However, after that there has been no meeting scheduled by the mother or the mentor.
It would not surprise me if this kid ended up in California Youth Authority on the 27th because these two adults have done nothing to make his chances of staying out of prison better.
Obviously I cannot push it further. It is up to them to want what might save him from CYA.
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