Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Outburst

It's summer, so that means I have no new subbing stories. Lucky for you, I also had no followers early on in this blog, so I can repost some of my old posts for a new audience.

This post originally appeared March 3, 2008.

Did I mention that I had a bad day on Thursday? Today I subbed for the math teacher in this group.

There is a group of 8th grade teachers at this middle school. Each of these teachers has the same students as the others--so if a student has Ms. A for English, then he has Mr. B for history, Ms. C for math, and Ms. D for science. And since all the teachers share the same students, the teachers can coordinate with each other about these students.

It's great for the teachers. It's great for the students. It's bad for the sub who had a hard time with this group on Thursday.

At least I was prepared. I knew what I was getting into. And I made sure I had a stack of referral forms ready.

They were taking a test. I wanted silence. They decided to test me.

"My name is on my paper."

A boy announced this to the class after the class had gotten silent. It was as if he wanted to break the silence. As if? Nah. That was his intention.

Then the boy behind him announced, "Mine too."

I hope they enjoyed their stay in in-house-suspension. Clearly they wanted to be there.

Reminder: My contest is still on. Make sure to enter here...

13 comments:

  1. I know the type of students who want to be in house suspension! They enjoy it!

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  2. I love the way you lay down the law. My daughter (in 6th grade!) was in a classroom of rule-breakers and smart-mouths. Always challenging her teachers. She had 4 main teachers and adored the ones who didn't let the rule-breakers run over them. But the one who 'wanted everyone to like her' - even a bunch of 6th grade trouble makers - she hated that class. It actually turned her favorite subject and made it her least favorite class. She would LOVE you!!!

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    Replies
    1. I wish I could say I did this all the time. But some days the misbehavior is clear cut, and I can follow through.

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  3. No nonsense teachers are definitely more effective. You're not there to be their friend. Boys love to test the boundaries don't they? Take no prisoners Liz!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, boys do love to test boundaries. So do girls. Well, if they're in the 8th grade...

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  4. My son got an in house suspension one time and described what they could do (basically nothing) for the time he was there. Can't figure out why anyone would want to put themselves into such a position.

    betty

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  5. You are such a snark. =) You know, I was one of those subtly rebellious teens who never got caught but acted out my fair share of trouble. I get this directly challenging authority, but really, you have to be smart about it, eh?

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  6. Aww, kids testing their limits. Isn't that cute? See, this is why I have pets. ;)

    VR Barkowski

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  7. LOL. You're a spunky sub. So, in a sense, you're using substitutes for your blog, in essence, so you can take the day off? :-) These reposts are your subs!

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, it's a cheat, but it's summer. So, summer reruns...

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  8. What a bunch of brats. Yeah, that will teach him (them), testing your limits. Back in the day, there would have been some spanking involved. :)

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  9. Kids! They just have to be brats. They will probably never win the Nobel prize

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