It was Friday, my last day in the 11th grade English class. They had a quiz on five more chapters of The Catcher in the Rye. I got class started, and we passed out the quiz. They got started...
Another teacher walked into the room. It took me a couple moments to catch up to what she explained. Turned out that the class was scheduled to get a talk about college stuff that day. Problem was, no one told me about it.
Oops.
I tried to wrap my brain around what to do next. Should we pause the quiz? That seemed like the wrong thing to do. So, instead, we just waited for them to finish. It wasn't an overly long quiz. Once they finished, there was still plenty of time for the presentation.
(Luckily, the teacher--who had a class of her own that period--agreed to wait until they finished. She had a sub that period and no other class to get to after ours. Whew.)
Well, now that I knew, I made sure to find out when the speaker would be arriving for the following periods. For the next class, she was coming at the end. So, that was easy.
I passed out their quiz. Got them going. And I told them nothing of the speaker coming later. They finished more that 10 minutes before the teacher arrived.
When she did, I let the class know, surprise, you've got a presentation to hear.
This is not the first time this sort of thing has happened to me. It is the first time that it interrupted a quiz.
Did you enjoy having speakers come into your classes (even if they were talking about college)? Did anything surprise you this week?
Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...
I used to love anything that interrupted the usual school routine!
ReplyDeleteThat's Purrfect
I was surprised that I woke up after the 5K I "ran" on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, when I was a sub, I loved anything that broke up the monotony.
Even fire drills.
You certainly have to be adaptable as a sub :) (see I got an "s" word in, sub :)
ReplyDeleteI did like speakers; anything to break up sometimes the routine of the school days.
Yes I did get a surprise this week. We got a new fence put in and I thought the guy was supposed to remove the old fence. No, the "all clean up" on his estimate meant he would clean up the mess he made, not the fence.
Thankfully I put the wood on craigslist for free and 2 hours after I did, someone came and hauled it all away.
I learned my lesson though; next time asked specifically what "all clean up" means.
betty
That was not a good surprise...
DeleteI'm happy to know that high school students still read Catcher in the Rye. I cannot imagine what today's kids think of it!!!
ReplyDelete@Kathleen01930
Meet My Imaginary Friends
#AtoZchallenge
Like with anything, some like it, and some don't.
DeleteGood grief. I'm glad it worked out all right. My worst surprise this week was discovering my hairdresser was actually worse after back surgery. She literally cried over the frustration and pain. It broke my heart.
ReplyDeleteAwakening Dreams and Conquering Nightmares with a Pen
I hope you are well!
Oh, that's terrible.
DeleteI was a substitute teacher for a time so I know how much you have to adapt to changing needs and demands. Good job. Thanks for visiting; it meant a lot!
ReplyDeleteOh yea. That's the main part of the job description.
DeleteI was a normal kid...anything that interrupted class was welcomed!
ReplyDeleteGood point.
Deletelol woops! Glad she was flexible about it :)
ReplyDeleteFrom a student's perspective, any reason to interrupt a quiz might be good, hehe.
ReplyDeleteWell, they didn't get to the speaker until after...
DeleteI enjoyed having speakers come in, don't think we had any for college. I did go to a huge school though so that might be why. Have a great weekend!!
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't so much *for* college as it was a heads up about something that they were going to encounter that would help with college. Too much detail for the post, so I left it out.
DeleteI was always happy if something interrupted class, just for a change of pace. Too bad it didn't stop the quiz on Catcher in the Rye
ReplyDeleteIn one of the YA stories I wrote, they school holds a career fair rather than a guest speaker for each class. Not knowing when someone is coming can be as annoying as a pop quiz. Oh, those days. I remember them well.
ReplyDeleteI've been at career fairs, too. Those are interesting.
DeleteI'm not much on spontaneity, but I understand it does happen. Right now I have in home client who is very in to the moment. I like to have some what of plan.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on
Ah, a planner. I do understand.
DeleteI actually don't remember having anyone come into our class to speak. Ever. The only surprises were the fire drills and by the time I got to high school we'd often get wind of one.
ReplyDeleteI can't recall ever having that happen when I was in school. That would be a little awkward to have the teacher show up and the other teacher have no idea. Oops!
ReplyDelete~Ninja Minion Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
And it happened again today, too. You'd think they'd remember to inform the sub.
DeleteI enjoyed having speakers come to our class
ReplyDeleteIt can be nice.
DeleteSounds like somebody dropped the ball in letting you know about the change in schedule. You handled it well.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had any surprises this week. But on Saturday, I am going to a surprise 80th birthday party for my aunt.
Flexibility is the key to subbing as I'm discovering :)
ReplyDeleteIt is. Also, "I'm only the sub," covers a multitude of sins.
DeleteI liked interruptions from class, they were a nice change of pace and we usually got free stuff like pens or stickers :) Nothing really surprising this week, beyond the fact that I survived another week of work, A to Z, and a visit to the dentist!
ReplyDeleteI hope the dentist went well.
DeleteSurprise visits are always fun for the students, but if teacher isn't prepared, it could be disastrous for the day.
ReplyDeleteMary
#AtoZChallenge T is for Tina Turner
Generally I'd just ignore the lesson plan, but in this case the quizzes were already passed out. Sigh.
DeleteIt sounds like something that would be fun for the class, but not so much for the teacher if they didn't know about it
ReplyDeleteDebbie
It's not usually a bad thing. Just in this instance.
DeleteA nice surprise for the kids -- maybe not so much for you!
ReplyDeleteYvonne V
It actually shortened the period by just the right amount of time, so it was perfect. Except for the no warning part.
DeleteIf we ever had a speaker at our school (and we did from time to time), it just became a school-wide thing. Which can be done when you have 40 students in the entire school.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree surprise speakers were always welcomed as a student
ReplyDeleteEven if the topic wasn't thrilling?
Delete