I was asked to cover an extra period. (Which is not at all unusual. Last week I only had one day where I didn't work that prep period.) The secretary gave me the room number, but it didn't ring any bells. But, eventually, I figured out that I had covered that class before. For a week.
And I remembered 4th period. Not fondly.
I got there, and the kiddos went straight for the rats. I attempted to explain what the assignment was, but half the class was out of their seats and roaming around. Eventually, we got through the intro stuff, and they got to work.
Well, some of them. Most of them. A few did little to nothing.
Well, not nothing. There was the mock fight. One boy superglued a chair, so another boy had a wardrobe issue. Then there was the flipped backpack. You get the idea.
I was so glad to see the end of that class. I went back to my nice, peaceful class for the rest of the day.
6th period arrived. And I recognized two of the worst from the other class. (I guess they recognized me first.)
Nooooo!!!!!
But Mr. H is a much stricter teacher than Ms. S. So, the two boys actually sat down, settled, and got quiet. Oh, they tried to sit next to one another (even though their assigned seats have them across the room from one another), but when I insisted, they sat where they should.
They were difficult, but it was a much more manageable difficult. I wrote down their names anyway.
While they hadn't done anything terrible in the ELD class, I was still reeling from forensics. And I stated that next to their names in the note.
Unfair? Probably. But I just couldn't help myself.
They'll learn the hard way.
ReplyDeleteSuperglued a chair. I never had that in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteFunny how the boys changed from class to class.
That is why I say strict discipline "does work"!
ReplyDeleteAs long as it's consistent. Subbing for a teacher they're afraid of has its benefits.
DeleteI wouldn't waste a moment feeling guilty about that. You never know if the first teacher will bother to correct their behavior, so might as well inform the teacher who will.
ReplyDeleteNothing to feel guilty about. You were being dropped into a war zone, and had to bring out the big guns.
ReplyDeleteMr. H is definitely "big guns".
DeleteMust have been scary for you :). They deserved to be mentioned in the note. They're quite the troublemakers.
ReplyDeleteGot to learn there will be consequences for their actions!
ReplyDeletebetty
Who every said the world was fair.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on
Ah yes, true. But kiddos wail about fairness all the time.
DeleteI've come to the conclusion that the most effective relief teachers have MEAN faces. Don't ever smile. That's my experience anyway :)
ReplyDeleteDepends on the age level. And cooperation level. Absolutely be a pill towards the difficult classes. But the easy classes... There you can relax (for the most part).
DeleteUnfair? Absolutely not. Sometimes you just have to narc on the little darlings.
ReplyDeletehere
ReplyDeletestudents are more organized because they have fear of punishment which is extremely light but long while makes them irritate
All I can say is: Good. Let em learn.
ReplyDeleteThat aside: SOMEONE GOT SUPERGLUED TO A SEAT?!?!
I was hoping to slip that by...
DeleteI only learned of this due to the consequences. (If I had seen it happening, it wouldn't've.) I found a tube of superglue on the floor. One boy jumped up and got all upset at the others. He left to use the restroom...
I'm assuming there was some sort of small tear in his pants. But he hid it well enough. It was more of the argument after that clued me in to what those boys got up to.
You know, I don't remember kids behaving so badly when I was in school. The threat of being sent to the office or worse kept pretty much everyone in line.
ReplyDeleteWow! It sounds more like a circus than a classroom.
ReplyDeleteProbably not unfair if they were really that horrible.
Yes. Circus. With about a half dozen performers. Without them, the class would have been just mild chaos (which considering the assignment, would have been perfectly acceptable).
DeleteYep! Those were the good old days. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteAt least I know to avoid covering that teacher's classes in the future. And apparently I'm not the only one who got that memo...
DeleteMaybe it is because I grew up in the Bronx, but I have some (horrid) junior high memories involving subs with the class totally out of control. Fortunately, superglue didn't exist in 1965. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteSome of the pranks may have changed, but the atmosphere's the same.
DeleteI think I would have had a hard time resisting, too. lol
ReplyDelete