The Sub Life - 10/6/06

After being sent into some, shall we say, borderline neighborhoods my first several assignments the substitute teaching gods are smiling upon me today. I am told the name of the school and where it is located. After quickly locating it on my map I realize that it is just off Halsted St. in Lincoln Park, a very nice neighborhood north of downtown for those out-of-towners reading the blog. Though it is a 7:30 start I eagerly accept the assignment and make the 20 minute trip to the school.

I have a group of 4th graders today and for a change actually have 15 minutes or so to get organized before I have to pick them up outside. The teacher was apparently out the day before as well as today and has left very detailed plans for me in terms of what to do and the time frame for each activity. I am not always able to stay right on her schedule but it is nice to have as a reference. Indicative of the quality of the school itself and the administration/faculty, the principal proactively shows up and runs through and activity with the children while I get myself organized at the desk. The visit is very much appreciated by me, and I am assuming not so much by the kids.

The children have workbooks for spelling, grammar, math, etc. so I give them pages to do in these and circulate the room to help out kids that need it. More so than any other group I have had, these kids for the most part do the work that I ask them and cooperate with me and with each other. I am not going to say that there was no misbehavior and quite frankly I expect some as a sub. There ends up being a small handful of kids who are my helpers for the day. They are sometimes a little too willing to help, say with figuring out who paid for lunch and how to best distribute the lunch tickets, but I will never complain about too much enthusiasm.

Things break down a little during recess in terms of my rounding the kids up when it is over. I really wish I could do one of those loud whistles but instead have to yell a lot and enlist a few of my students to help get the others. A kid twists his ankle and has to go to the office and I have to break up a near fight, but otherwise recess goes OK. The afternoon is a little rough in that I try to do this current events activity where we read an article from the newspaper and discuss it. Quite frankly these kids are not interested in most articles that appear in the Chicago Tribune; More specifically, they would rather play with the paper than read it.

I alluded to the fact that while less than usual I do have some misbehavior in the classroom. This culminates in the afternoon when a child throws something (an eraser I believe) out the window of the class. When confronted he admits the crime, and while I appreciate his honesty I still have to send him out. Along with this student go two more boys, Jordan and Jose, who have been giving me trouble all day. Hey, that rhymes! During the course of the day Jose put not one, but two “Kick Me” signs on my back, and while I have to laugh inside on the outside I have to be pissed and teach him a lesson. Having been the creator of such signage in my elementary school days, it is nice to know that the Bart Simpsons of this generation still have a respect for the classics.

Before I leave at the end of the day I am able to chat with a new science teacher. Lacking subtlety I ask her straight out how she got her job. “It wasn’t easy. That job fair in July at Soldier Field (that I also attended) was crazy,” she said and I vigorously nod in agreement. She also tells me that there is a week in November and January where CPS teachers can leave their positions without the approval of the principal, no questions asked. “It is for teachers who change their minds or who are burned out and it is not always the best schools that have openings,” she says. While not desperate, I’ll take a full time teaching job anyway I can get it. For now, I’ll take a weekend.