I love...

Subbing!

I can't believe that I was so terrified to sub in the first place. I was scared that I wouldn't know what to do, that I would freeze up in front of the students, or I wouldn't know how to do a problem. Guess what? I've been in all of those positions and I managed to make it through it all and I did it with style and grace! (Of course!)

I'm sure that the kids realized my mistakes when I made them. I told my brother about an instance in which I got up to teach a math lesson about dividing a decimal into a whole number and I realized (as I stood in front of my 20+ students) that I really didn't remember how to do it! It was just one problem that required me to do it because it was word problems (my own personal enemy). I quickly realized it and then told the students to try it out first and then we will go over it together (as a prayed in my head that SOMEBODY would know how to do it and could come up to the overhead and do it for the class). Yes, the teacher's edition DOES give you the answers, however, it does not tell you how to get there. Luckily, a little genius girl knew how to do it (score) and I had her to it on the overhead. After hearing my story, my brother told me that they probably realized I didn't remember how to do it and were probably laughing at me behind my back.

What? Are you kidding me? 5th graders! Oye.

Honestly, the thought hadn't crossed my mind that they would be making fun of me behind my back or at recess. But I'm used to second graders who, if you are nice to them, love to hang out in the class with you, help you, and love talking with you.

The whole conversation took me back to 6th grade science. One day we had a substitute, an older gentlemen, and kind of wacky. He had sat in chalkboard dust and it was all over is backside. I wanted to tell him, but I was threatened by a classmate (Kyle Jarnagan) not to! He told me that I needed to keep my mouth shut and not tell him because the whole class found it funny and that I would ruin it. I was completely mortified! Sure it was kind of funny, but it was the right thing to do to tell him. I didn't though because I was terrified that they would make fun of me and I would never hear the end of it. Kids are cruel like that.

I always felt so sorry for the kids that would be made fun of. I never joined in, but it wasn't until I got older that I started saying something to defend them. It was that fear of being made fun of too because you stood up. I can see it still too working within the school districts. Kids are made fun of and basically exhiled from the other students. You, as a teacher, can only say so much. In Kindergarten everybody are buddies. But then they get older and form "cliques" and kids are left out.

Oye! And it only gets worse.


So I got a little of topic, but I do love subbing, especially for the younger kids. Just yesterday I subbed and left with 6 drawings from the second graders.
I love it!