Sub Vision: Graduation 2020

 

It had been a rough year of pandemic and political turmoil... a year that I would have liked to be in a classroom, serving as the educator I wanted to be…

Through the first semester of the 2019-20 school year, before the pandemic had started, I knew that soon I will have to choose my approach to work. It was good to have preferred schools, and be their preferred substitute, yet I wished to be able to select only assignments that I desire and not compromise with schools’ terms.

I realized that while deciding on a new path, retirement seem a reasonable option; quitting and waiting out the cooling period of six months, and then returning to jobs that I prefer to do. But the routine kept me going…

It all came to a halt when we were hit by the pandemic, and with almost no warning schools have closed their doors. As we thought it was temporary and will be over soon, we waited for few weeks, then few months, but as graduation came closer we realized that this is the way 2019-20 school year will be manifested.

It was exciting, yet heart breaking, to see graduation turn into a parade of cars, and diplomas handed through a window. I can imagine seniors’ disappointment staying home instead of becoming kings and queens of the campus, enjoying special activities, festivities, recognition. Exceptional and memorable graduation as it was, never has been like that, never (hopefully) will be, it was an agonizing letdown.  

As summer was drawing to an end and virtual learning seemed to be the only way, I decided the time is right to quit and wait for a better time to be a teacher, or a sub.

I still love teaching math, and still wish one day to be able to show the light to those confused math learners, who say they’ll never understand the subject.

During the long months of staying home I developed a plan for teaching algebra in a logical, commonsense method, with the expectation of using it one day through the right channel, private of established.

I do hope to get back to a school, even only as a volunteer, to do just that …

  

Sub Vision: Computers in Education II

I was called again to cover a computer class few weeks later, at another school. This time I was less tensed, hoping to serve only one of the two-days assignment. It happened to be a class with tablets and not desktops, which made students’ mobility easier, to their advantage, and to my disadvantage…

As before, assignment seemed to be clear and well defined, but students immediately informed me that they are done with their task and have nothing else to do, and thus will be watching movies and do computer games…

I contacted the teacher to get her advice on the new, students’ defined’ situation. To my surprise she said it is OK; students know what they are doing, and she is NOT really expecting me, the substitute, to monitor their activities. I timidly said ‘fine’, and patiently listened to her real worry – a math class at 5th period. I promised her it will be ok and did not contact her anymore…

Students were having a ball… They defied all the rules, ate and drank next to the computers, and did nothing for two days but watching movies, playing games and texting their friends in other classes. All I could do was to try to somewhat contain the chaos. The teacher didn’t expect me to interfere…

The only class that was productive was that ‘worry some’ math class. The assistant was excellent (I have known her for years), and we worked together keeping students on task, and making sure they have plenty to do. And although this was potentially the more problematic class, it was good and productive.

I, sometimes, imagine writing a letter to class teachers: ‘Dear Mr/Ms Teacher, as a substitute I can’t evaluate your students, so don’t expect me to grade them! Also, don’t ask me to enter comments to your grading book! It is not my responsibility! But, please, do not leave things to students’ judgment as to what they supposed to do. They won’t! They will do nothing, and mostly in a noisy and chaotic manner.

Students need a specific assignment to do on a piece of paper, something I will be able to see they are doing, and collect at the end of the period. Something they will be immediately accountable for, not only on your future returned date.’

I should compose the letter! Maybe even leave it on a teacher’s desk one day…

Sub Vision: The Price of the Freedom to Choose

It is the dream of every full time employee to be able to choose, spontaneously, days to be absent from work. Working full time at a software company, and later as a full time teacher, I didn’t have that luxury. For a teacher, taking a day off, for any good reason, is often more of a headache than going to works…

As a substitute teacher, I do have this privilege. I can plan ahead my vacation days, and even decide not to accept a job the evening before, or the morning of. I don’t usually take advantage of that when I am committed to an assignment, but when I am on daily calls it is just too tempting to say ‘No’ to a job…

However, there is a price for that. A day not worked is a day not paid. It is hard to plan a schedule, as there is no guarantee to getting a job on the next day. So, I am left to gamble on my financial situation.

Many of our trips are coordinated by friends overseas, and according to their holidays and days off. It helps the expense of the trips since these are not necessarily at top US travel season, but then it costs workdays. A trip in September caused me to miss work at the start of the school year, and a second trip, carefully crafted not to miss quality time with my family here, and keep flight prices low, left me with only few working days both in November and in December.

I chose to travel at the end of November, thus working half of the month, enjoying Thanksgivings with my family, and then taking off, planning to return early enough in December to work for at least ten days.

It almost worked. I had a job planned for right after I arrived, and were hoping to work more on the following week, before the holidays’ vacation starts. However, I arrived at the midst of a bad fire season and school was cancelled, and the following week was finals week and my services were not needed...

It would have not been as alarming had it not been for the fact that I needed at least one working day a month to keep my health insurance, and I was worried I won’t get even that one day. Luckily, a friend had asked me to cover her class on the Monday of the last week of the semester. During the following days of finals, the phone was completely silent...

By Friday of that week, I realized I am now in a long stretch of school vacation that started on the week of Thanksgiving and would end after the first week of January… seven weeks of vacation, with only one day of work… (almost) by my choice…

Sub Vision:How to Survive a Long-Term Assignment

After a long summer vacation, the last thing a substitute teacher wants to do is obligating to a long-term assignment. Of course, it helps the summer money drought, but who wants to get back to a daily 6:00 AM wake-up commitment and an ongoing effort of restraining a bunch of unwilling teenagers...

My first inclination was to refuse, easing into the new school year with few daily assignments a week. A long-term assignment at the same classroom required more energy than I had to offer.However, more for the sake of keeping good standings with the school that I like than for the badly needed money, I consented, and promised myself to take it as easy as possible…

Yet, there is nothing easy about keeping a class of 30-40 students under control for more than few days without investment. The older students can be contained for a little longer, but with the younger ones, just fresh from the unruly middle school world, immediate time investment in planning is needed.

The first-aid for a teacher in a new class is mastering students’ names. Without a proof that one can be identified any mischief can happen, and if your memory is as slow as mine in digesting 180 names then you need a system. Seating charts is a good way to start. One way to do it is to draw a chart and fill in the names while taking a roll. I, usually, jot down the students’ roster number and fill the names later.

The next challenge is to keep students busy, and it should come with incentives and penalties, and a recording system. A sub briefly replacing a permanent teacher, is completely different from a case of a substitute starting the school year where students are aware of the temporary situation. This is when a plan is badly needed to convince students that their efforts do count toward a grade...

Out of the five classes to which I was assigned, two were Physics. I am no physics expert by any means, but with enough knowledge of math, mature students, and easy first two chapters still in my capability, I tried to study with my students, do homework together and learn from them. As I did not get much help from the department, I found an unexpected ally in an administrator, who secretly supplied me with teacher's edition book, to direct me to the right direction. I even had a quiz planned for them…

Academically, it was somewhat easier with the younger students at the general science class. There I could fake knowledge more easily. However, motivating them to work was harder. We read sections of the text book and I assigned class and homework from the book, added additional tasks for learning terms and locations, gave a map lab from another teacher, and assign a project with deadlines.

It somehow worked for almost three weeks, and then came a real deadline, grades for the report cards. But then I was called to the principal’s office and was informed that the whole plan is changing, although not all the details were clear yet. Two days later my classes were switched to a different teacher, who was not interested in my wonderful planning, and I received a new set of students, all physics.

At that point I gave up my physics efforts, as all my new classes were AP and honors classes. I just assigned them work and vaguely recorded their efforts for the next teacher. Fortunately, by that time I had grades ready for my general science students, which I submitted with the hope they will appear in the first quarter’s report card. At least I could prove I was not bluffing.

The message here is not about my, or my students’, achievements, but about how much work it takes to sustain a class that is yours only temporarily, for few days or weeks. How no compensation is paid for the extra hours of work, and no appreciation for the extra efforts to expand students’ knowledge. How little help you get from anyone, if at all, and how, never the less, you do your best, invest many unpaid extra hours, that no one will ever acknowledge, let alone appreciate…