Friday, March 20, 2020

Cheater


Last week I covered a biology class Tuesday through Thursday. On Wednesday, I was sent to cover a math class on the prep period.

I have covered this teacher's classes before. Mr. D is a special ed. co-teacher, so I was working with Mr. R (who I've written about before) for that period.

As soon as class began, Mr. R asked who had been absent the day before. They had had a test, and the absent students needed to make it up.

One of the students who had been absent the previous day was a special ed. student who takes his tests in a different room. (It's a common accommodation.) As I was covering for the special ed. teacher, I got to go with him.

The testing room was being used for an IEP meeting (which was the reason Mr. D was missing class, as he was the special ed. teacher in it), so the student had to go elsewhere.

As we were on our way to the library, I realized I knew a classroom that wasn't being used that period. And I had a key to it.

I asked Martin if he wanted to go to the library or if he'd rather take the test in an empty classroom. He asked if I was sure it was empty. In fact, once we got there, he was still hesitant to enter until he saw for sure there were no other students there.

Turned out, I had Martin in my sixth period class, although neither of us realized this as he had been absent Tuesday. So, he was familiar with the room.

He took a seat and got to work. And I proceeded to do the things I would normally do on a prep period. I had some stuff to pick up off the students' desks. I updated my note to the teacher. I read some blogs...

Oh, hey, I was keeping an eye on Martin. It was a test, so there wasn't much help I could provide. He was working. There was no one to bother him. He had a couple questions that I answered. But mostly I left him to it.

But still, it felt like cheating. I basically had the whole room to myself, and it felt like a prep period. But I was paid for having worked it.

12 comments:

  1. No, it wasn’t cheating. You did what Martin’s accommodation required.

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    1. Oh yes, I was fine with providing a quiet room for him. But then I spent the period doing prep period stuff.

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  2. Ha, awesome. Hey, somebody had to be there with him. Think of it as a reward for all the classes that drive you up the wall.

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  3. I thought when I saw your title that you were going to write about someone who took 6 bottles of hand sanitizer at the store when the sign said "two to a customer." What you did is in no way cheating.

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    1. I don't know what I would title that post. Alas, I have not witnessed such a thing. But that's just because I haven't been going out.

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  4. Sometimes its the way it is where you feel like you are getting paid to do your own thing....enjoy that time for now.

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  5. You did what was assigned for you to do. I call it responsible for doing your job!

    Betty

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  6. You should not feel guilty at all. ~nods~ I used to do all sorts of things while monitoring emails and such at my previous workplace. That included using my personal laptop for Rosetta Stone Japanese lessons on slow afternoons. I should add my boss gave me his blessing. :) He was pretty cool.

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    1. Considering how often I do check blogs while covering a class...

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  7. You were just doing what he was comfortable with. So there is nothing feel guilty about, that is what I thought.

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  8. Cheating? Not at all. Embrace the luxury of times like an empty classroom with a student taking a test. :-)

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