I Survived!

This is the first chance I have had all week to actually sit down and write a post about how my first week as a substitute went! I have been so busy...boy has the past week flown by!

On Monday, I began my first substitute teaching experience in a 5th grade classroom. My licensure is PreK-Grade 3, so I knew from the start I would be a little out of my element. Monday was a little rough because I did not yet know the students' names. However, I started things off pretty well by remaining firm with my management and discipline tactics...and I learned quickly that 5th graders all seem to hate one another. Or at least they pretend to. They are just getting into that clique-y stage, and I was pretty annoyed by it. I am used to saying "We use kind words with our friends"...but if I had said that to one of these kids they would have said, "Well he's not my friend anyways!" So a little re-arranging of my strategies had to be done, but I think I was able to do pretty well.

By Tuesday, I had gained compliments from one of the other 5th grade teachers that the particular class I was working with never seemed to be as on task as they were with me there. Hrmm...maybe what I was doing was working (taking away mintues of recess time...oh no! and talking to students on an individual basis when a problem occured)...and I have to admit, it was. Throughout the rest of the week, I felt pretty confident and in control of the classroom. I was actually doing it...being a real teacher!

During the remainder of the week, I of course had little issues here and there...but always with the same students. I had two students who complained about literally every single thing that was asked of them. They did not get free computer time. I had two students who were verbally fighting. They had a good talking-to and were reminded that the principal's office would be next.

Because the teacher I was subbing for did not have any classroom rules posted or any form of disciplinary actions posted, these were the best things I could come up with on the spot for dealing with these issues. They seemed to resolve any problems but I am wondering if things could have ever been handled differently. I guess I just always like to reflect on what has happened and think how it could have gone other ways.

It was also incredibly difficult for me to remember names. The school I was at has a departmentalized fifth grade, so I had to teach 3 different classes. I had all of the students' names in my homeroom learned by day 2, but the classes I saw for smaller time periods...well, I had not even learned their names by the end of the week. Only a select few who needed their names to be said were able to stay in my mind. Any suggestions on this? Or does it just come with time?

The lessons the teacher left for me were pretty dry and straight out of the Ohio Achievement Test practice books, but I tried to spice them up a bit by using the globe, maps, making topics relevant to the students, and class discussion. Hopefully they learned something. I sure did!

By the end of the week, I had scooped up another 6-day long 5th grade substitute position for the end of this month, another full day with my kindergartners, a half day in 3rd grade and a 4-week long term in 3rd grade...all at this same school...so hooray for FINALLY getting paid!! It's been awhile.

I got a call this evening to sub for first grade tomorrow...so I will be back at it bright and early.

Here we go again!