Time to Take Stock

Time to Take Stock

The school year is nearly over -- it is time to take stock of how you think things went. The way I like to do that is to review my teaching journal. In my daily journal, I put information that will be helpful for me later when picking up assignments. I usually rate the schools by five factors: safety of neighborhood, ease of access (whether by car or public transportation), administration (how I am treated by the front office), professionalism of teachers and staff, and finally the students. I do not necessarily run away from challenges, but, when the pros outweigh the cons, I do seriously reconsider returning to a school.

I substituted at a school that always wanted to assign me to the worse class in the school, even when that was not my assignment. I remember one particular day I was assigned to an either grade class. They were quietly working and watching me set up (the administrations are almost always showing up just as school starts and I cannot go the class until they arrive). So by the time I got there, school had already started. Then they come to the room minutes later to say (with a smile) oh no, you are in room ______. They decide since I am there, to put with the class were there are fights and suspensions on a regular basis. No, it does not happen when they are with me. I guess that is there point. I suppose I should consider it a compliment.

So now I only go there if there is no other assignment I am interested in. It is low on my list. Another school very low on my list is one in a dangerous neighborhood. I took public transportation and a gentlemen looked at me like "what are you doing here?" And, I wondered the same thing. I had about 30 children who had not seen their homeroom teacher in weeks and as a result, the classroom was in a state of anarchy. In addition, the support teacher like to play games, she was quite insecure and it amazed me that she would even have any interest in me at all since I was just passing through. Hmm... I have not returned to the school since.  I also avoid schools where students roam the halls and there are reports of violence. I check the ratings of prospective assignments using Google.

Another thing I consider when deciding to return to a school is if I should change my approach. Maybe it is not them, it is me. I need to be more prepared or adjust my attitude. At the end of the day, I am there to help the students. I have returned to schools where I felt I had a difficult time. While my impression of the administration did not improve, it was a learning experience. I think about how I can be more effective next year. Read up on classroom management techniques and materials on substitute teaching. Below is an example of a web site that has great ideas and resources for substitute teachers.

http://stedi.org/subs/