Schooling

So in my spare time (i.e. on Fridays, when both kids are cared for by others), I substitute at public schools. None of these are in my district, which is good and bad. My theory by doing this is to a) keep my resume from looking extraordinarily pathetic, b) meet other teachers and try to gain some knowledge from them while I'm not actually teaching and c) make a little extra to fund the kids' preschool so that I can get one day a week to myself for various pursuits (sadly, many of those pursuits seem to include shopping for food by myself, but occasionally I do something more productive like vacuum without anyone crying). I used to sub exclusively at one high school, which I loved, but the high schools start at 7 am and the kids' school doesn't open until 7:45, so I'm forced to work only in elementary and middle schools, which I have very little experience with. I've always envisioned myself in high schools, where I felt more connection to the students, but these past weeks in other environments have been eye-opening.

I did several days at an elementary school where about half of the subs were parents of the kids,the population was nearly all white and middle-class, and many families were seen walking their Kindergartener to school with the family dog and newborn baby brother in tow. It has long been my experience that a substitute can tell what kind of teacher is in the classroom, even if you never meet him/her. The class really behaves the same as when the teacher is there and when they aren't. One teacher I subbed for had a 2nd grade class that was chock full of books, reading supplements, supplies, bribes for the kids' behavior and many systems to reward good behavior. It was astonishing, and the kids were so well behaved, motivated and charming. I was not surprised when I met the teacher: she was incredibly positive, really excited about the kids, and full of energy to teach, even after 20 years. Parents arrived during the day to help out with getting library books or to read to the class and help individual students, reading was a constant theme in the day, math games were everywhere. Everything was tidy but filled to the brim with activities. No minute went wasted in this day, but the kids had fun and laughed all day, even while doing exactly what they were asked to do. It was delightful. I hoped that my own children could have this teacher.

Another day, I subbed in a different school in a Kindergarten class, and within 10 minutes of arriving, the teacher I was with (I was the parapro for the day) identified to me the kids who would probably be "difficult." And on Friday, at a middle school, before I even arrived at the door of the classroom, two different people made snide comments to me about how I'll "love" the students here (insert as much dripping sarcasm as you can imagine here). What I found was a room full of rowdy 8th graders, most of whom were friendly, but many also didn't listen well and had to be reminded infinitum to be quiet. I did notice, that while the day's activity bored most of them, when I began reading them a story aloud, they were largely silent and listening. One class who didn't get to finish the story, wailed in protest at the sound of the bell. These kids, filled with hormones and Halloween candy, still wanted to learn something.

Later in the day, there was a pep rally to honor the kids who were on the A/B honor roll and those with perfect attendance. Not surprisingly, the students were pretty uninterested. There were only about 30 parents there in a room filled with probably 300 8th graders. This alone didn't surprise me, but I kept hearing snide comments from the other teachers about how bad these kids were, and how glad they would be to send them off for the day. After the last class of the day, the students arrived back in homeroom class, and I had nothing for them to do. I had asked the other teachers what I should do during the 20 minute homeroom period, and they told me the students should read quietly. Since I had to bribe them with the threat of extra homework in order to be quiet earlier in the day, I was pretty sure I couldn't get them to be quiet for no apparent reason. So with no other options, I let them socialize. The teacher across the hall actually sat in the hallway on a chair during this time, and his class seemed to also be socializing. Then came the 30 minute dismissal period when the buses were announced in waves, and for that entire time, a few students did their homework, but most goofed off. I certainly didn't blame the students, because most 13 year olds would happily goof off with friends over doing homework, but I was sorely disappointed in the curriculum and leadership at the school. This was a Title 1 school, which means it was failing to meet standards in at least one area, and yet there was nothing special being done with this 50-minute period of time. The teachers spoke contemptuously of the students, behavioral expectations were low, and time was wasted. I left there so sad. Later I realized that the principal hadn't even been at the pep rally, only the associate principal for the 8th grade. Their solution to motivating the students was a pep rally that even the highest ranking administrator couldn't be bothered to attend.

As I left that school, I vaguely considered stopping at the educational store near my house and buying an 8th grade math game to occupy the students the next time I sub there. But then I felt like it was a waste of my time. What could I, an occasional sub, do when the full-time staff were so defeated, uninspired, and angry? They clearly get no support from the top, and their feelings toward the students reflect not on the 8th graders, but on the state of the school administration. They've given up on these kids already. It just makes me sad.