An American Substitute Teacher Story

[jordonj]

As I've said before, I currently substitute teach (6-12)...

I was teaching a Creative Writing class with some students who, shall we say, have a less-than-optimal work ethic (or lazy)...

I gave them the writing assignment.   One student gave the excuse "We're too tired."  (My responses in Italics)

Do you support the troops?

"Well...yeah?"

Do you think that they have the option of not fighting when they feel tired?  They are fighting for your right to attend school.  Not using the school they are fighting for is disrespecting them!  And who are you to disrespect our troops?!

Well, it did get them to do the assignment!

[Ben_M_K]

Nice one! Good trick...

[ozzy72]

I just ask them if they want to live?
Failing that I just clobber them with the complete works of Shakespeare And yes I am a not terribly nice person

[Smoke2much]

I get to have so much more fun than you!

Some of my comebacks from around New Year:

"Is it a good idea to be rude to the person in control of your pain relief?"

"Would you prefer to talk to the police?"

"No, I don't care that you think you're having a heart attack.  Should I?"

"Yeah, I'm a complete W****r.  I blame my wife but these security guards will show you the way out.  Goodnight."

Will

PS - The complete works of Shakespeare is Evil .  I'll have to try that in triage.

[Hagar]

Not sure I quite understand the relevance but I suppose if it worked that's fine. My only experience of teaching is when I was in the ATC (Air Cadets). Being senior NCO I sometimes had to take a class when the usual instructor was away or off sick. I wasn't much older & sometimes the same age as the pupils. The big difference was that they were all keen & eager to learn. They attended cadet meetings voluntarily & in their own time. When the pupils want to learn it's a pleasure to teach them which makes it so much easier & everyone benefits. Teachers at adult education classes have told me the same thing. Unless the standard of teaching doesn't come up to scratch people are hardly likely to cause trouble if they have to pay for their lessons.

General discipline was also much better in those days & schoolchildren wouldn't dare speak back or refuse to do their work. That thought would never have occurred to me. This alone must make it extremely difficult for a teacher now & I know I couldn't do it. Some people have a knack for it & they obviously make the best teachers whatever the circumstances. In my day these were usually the most respected & had few problems controlling the class. It's very different today but you could easily tell how good a teacher was the minute they entered the classroom. I don't know if this is still the case.

[jordonj]

Well, here are a couple of differences:

We are talking American schools.  Maybe schoolchildren are disrespectful on that side of the pond as well...?

I am a Substitute teacher, which means that to the students, they now have a green light to misbehave.



Students where you were teaching Hagar were there because they wanted to be there.

[Hagar]

[quote]Well, here are a couple of differences:

We are talking American schools.

[jordonj]

Well, actually these were not officially special needs children (differently abled, EI, Special Ed...take your pick of terms).

Of course, the way that such are handled here in Michigan (and the rest of the US from what I know), is that the school ask the following:

1. Is the student violent?

2. Is the student reading two or more grades below their level?

If the answer to either of these questions is "No", then they "integrate" the student into regular ed.  The result being that for every student in special ed, there are 3 or more students that have been slipped through the cracks.

This is partly because of funding.  Special Ed is not federally funded and one Special Ed student costs as much as three regular ed student.  I know a woman who was taking care of her grandaughter (the girl's mother was a drug addict and not being a good parent).  The girl was a "crack baby" meaning that she had behavior problems brought on by the after-effects of her mother smoking crack while pregnant  with her.  Of course, the girl was having problems at school, and was being pushed through the cracks (not the drug the metaphor) in the system.  The woman marched right into the office, and said to the principal and counsellor: "I'm going to make your lives hell untill you get her the help she needs!"

Of course, it's also a problem with philosophy too.  The schools take ADD and ADHD children and once they're on Ritalin, the schools treat them as if they're cured and don't bother with them.

[Omag 2.0]

I can't speak for other nations, but in Belgium it seems the general "attitude" of the students changed dramatically lately. Children and students grow up so fast these days, are so confident about themselves, they do and say about anything they will. Teachers get sued for punishing misbehaving students now. Grades from exams are beeing quetioned and results fought over in courths. Teachers are heaving a hard time nowadays, I think.

Say Ozzy, do you have any idea how the average Roumanian reacts to that Shakespear-treatment  of yours? I am supposed to instruct 3 of those guys about wastewatertreatment in March...

[jordonj]

One part of the Irony is that the school is in an area where if you criticize President Bush, you are Un-American ...

[ATI_7500]

One part of the Irony is that the school is in an area where if you criticize President Bush, you are Un-American ...

Wrong place, wrong time. I feel sorry for you,pal.

[jordonj]

Hey...I was able to use their politics against them to get them to work (how cool is that)?!