Maybe your kids met kids their age from another country on a Disney Cruise (Okay, these are my kids!), you met a homeless man that melted your heart with his sweet spirit (Me this time!), or made conversation with a flight attendant and got to know about them and their family on a long leg to your destination (My husband EVERY time we fly!). Do you ever wonder about them and hope they are doing well, wishing your paths would cross again?
These are the "Thoughts of a Substitute School Teacher"...
If you work for a large school district, like myself, you are rarely in the same classroom, with the same students, more than once or twice in a school year (With the exception of the long term assignments that I've held). In a class of 25- 30 students, it can be challenging for even the best of teachers to meet the individual needs of the students. Some of these needs could include social, emotional, physical, and educational, at various degrees of demand.
In a typical substitute's day, they may:
*Get big bear hugs from students.
*Receive compliments from students.
*Have students cry. A LOT! And why? We don't often know.
*Have one or two students want to stay and hangout with you during recess or lunch.
*Have students who don't speak at all during class.
*Have students that speak too much during class.
*Have students who eat paper, pencils, erasers, etc..
*Have students that fall asleep during class! Yes, even during fun activities.
And the list goes on...
Well, the substitute leaves the classroom, (I typically leave them with bookmarks they can color) and goes about their way. Easy as that, right?! Nope.
Random thoughts cycle through the substitutes head:
- I hope the students hugging me receive lots of hugs at home.
- For the students that would rather hangout with me during recess and lunch: Do they feel included? Do they feel loved by their peers? Are they nervous? How could we build up their social skills so that they can feel confident interacting with others?
- Why are we crying? Did a pet recently pass away? Are they moving to a new house and scared about it? Are they sad? Are they upset? Do they miss a family member?
- What activities can we do to build confidence in those that don't want to speak out during class? How can we use our talkers to our advantage to share information with their peers?
- For the eaters: Is the classwork to challenging? Too easy? Is there a deficiency in their diet? Is it a bad habit?
- How much sleep did the students get last night? Do their parents let them stay up too late? Were they up because they have a lot on their minds?
Alright, now that we've seen some of the needs of the students, let's tailor some lesson plans to address these needs... JUST KIDDING! Your day is over.
As a substitute, I find myself lying in bed at night praying not only for my two children, but for all of the other children that I encounter in the classrooms. It is my prayer that their teacher sees what I saw during the day and is partnering with the parents to build up confident, well-educated, fun loving, social children who enjoy the school day.
Here are two of my favorite girls to teach!
No comments:
Post a Comment