Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Class: Missing

I got called rather late. So, I didn't get to school until about ten minutes after first period started. Not ideal conditions, but not something I'm unfamiliar with, either. I checked in and I headed for the classroom.

I noticed the lights weren't on and the door was still locked. I slipped in, expecting them to be watching a movie or something. But no. The room was empty.

Huh?

I found the teacher's lesson plans. He had a first period. But they weren't waiting outside nor had someone found them a sub to fill in until I could get there. The class was missing.

I called the office. They managed to track down the students. They were in the library.

So, I went to find them. It wasn't a large group. There was even an adult aide. I asked. Why were they in the library?

Apparently, one of the students decided to go there, and the rest followed. (I should mention that there were only six students in class.)

Well, at least they were findable.

(A couple things went wrong that morning to have this happen. First was the late call. Second, the secretary normally in charge of subs was out for the day. She would have gotten the message that I'd be late, and then she would have gotten someone to cover. And third, the students found someplace to be. When a class is outside after the bell, very quickly administration figures out there's a problem and finds someone to cover.)

4 comments:

  1. Oh yes, I know that situation well! When the teacher doesn't even call for a substitute until an hour before school (and, yes, there are legitimate occasions for this....sometimes), it becomes a crisis for admin - especially if there is no one else on prep! That adult aide should have taken them to the library and notified the office. I can't tell you how much I value capable subs who can manage classes and handle disruptions. I support them 100% and back them in everything.

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  2. this why subbing would not be good for me - being called suddenly and unexpectedly to work would drive me crazy. At least the students didn't just skip out altogether.

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  3. Maybe it's a sign they like books or wanted to find a "safe" place. Funny!

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  4. It makes sense that a small group all wandered together. No one wanted to be stuck alone. And the library sounds like a pretty good place to wait. Funny that the aide never said anything.

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