Last week was state testing. In the spring, the schools are all mandated to do these official tests that the state then uses to classify schools and check progress and that sort of thing.
As a sub (even a long-term one), I was not required to proctor the testing. But I was required to be on campus. "My" classroom was being used to administer the test. So, I borrowed the desk of the class' co-teacher as she has a desk in the special ed learning center.
The testing block was the first two hours of the day. You might think having to be on campus was a bad thing, but I had actual work to complete. The computer science classes had turned in their resumes, so I had to grade them. Then once I got those done, it was again time for progress reports, so I had school time to input grades.
Oh, and I also got the math classes' test and study guide for that test finalized. That took longer than expected as I forgot to include one of the problem types on the study guide. And there was one problem on the test that would not format no matter what I did.
(Every time I tried to move this triangle to the spot it should appear on the test, it vanished from the test. I won't go into how many times I tried things to get this to work. In the end, I had to just leave it where it was and modify the other questions to work around it.)
Just when I was back in the classroom...
The math teacher next door was also a coder at one time, so he's familiar with computer science. Mr. J had asked him to explain something to the computer science classes. But Dr. K had his own classes. Of course.
Well, there was a simple solution. We traded classes. Dr. K explained what the kiddos needed to know. And I watched Dr. K's kiddos take a test. I got the easy part.
Being able to "work" on "school time" is god-sent. The amount of work teachers do off the clock, that everyone does off the clock, is crazy. Look, my boss owns me for the hours s/he is paying for - no more than that. Can you imagine how much the world would change if American words did the "quiet" strike - only the work paid for during the hours paid for?
ReplyDeleteI know, right? This is one of the reasons why I used to avoid long term assignments. But lately I've figured out a way to get most of my work done at work. It makes the long terms way less stressful.
DeleteNice trade
ReplyDeleteIt was.
Deletewhen it came to the photographers trading jobs, the chief photographer would say, stick with the devil you know! haha.....in a word, the trade might be worse. Glad yours turned out good.
ReplyDeleteIt helps to put someone in who knows how to explain the concept needing an explanation.
DeleteNice it worked it out!
ReplyDeleteIt was.
DeleteHi hope you are doing well :)
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteYes you did! Wow, a lot for you to do as a substitute.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we do do a lot, depending upon the situation.
DeleteThere's always one little thing like that triangle that screws up everything else.
ReplyDeleteSubstitutes have to do a lot more than people realize.
ReplyDeleteIt's being on the long term. Day-to-day they don't expect nearly as much.
DeleteCreative problem solving at its best!
ReplyDeleteI remember visiting my late childhood best friend (who was a 4th grade teacher in New York City) and all the times she had to excuse herself to do things like grade tests on non school days (we normally visited on weekends or school holidays). Or take the class hermit crab home on school vacations and care for it. So, the fact that you are able to do a lot of this work on school time is priceless. So is being able to do a swap that is a win-win.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there's a lot of grading and lesson planning that doesn't always happen on school time.
DeleteTeamwork is a powerful force. Having that with my husband got me through many difficult times. :D Be well!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's been nice having the help of other teachers during this long term assignment.
DeleteHahaha...you lucked out! You just had to watch the kiddos taking a test!
ReplyDeleteI know, right? Of course, Dr. K structured it that way so he could take the time with Mr. J's classes.
DeleteProctoring a test is easy as long as the kids are serious about the test.
ReplyDeleteIt was open book, open note, open neighbor, so I didn't have to worry too much about keeping them quiet. (Yes, Dr. K specifically said they could consult each other for it.)
DeleteNice trade! Thanks for educating me about how hard substitute's work beyond teaching in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteThere's always lots to do in long term assignments.
DeleteAll of this sounds very hard to me. I am glad I gave up substituting!
ReplyDelete