Absence Modified

Thursday, while sitting in the teacher's lounge/workroom in the main office, a job popped up on the subbing app. A job I was kind of shocked to see. 

The previous Friday, Mr. K at the continuation high school had texted me to see if I was available to sub for him the following Friday. I said no as I didn't know how long the vacant success class would go, and so I was booked through the week. 

I had assumed that Mr. K had put in the request that day. Apparently not. 

I don't look too closely when jobs pop up, because if I don't grab it quickly enough, I miss it. (I'll click "accept" and then be told that another sub was already assigned to the job.) It wasn't until I got the "successfully booked" message that I looked to see what I had snagged. 

I was surprised to see the assignment for the next day. But there was a problem. It showed as a half day, afternoon. This I knew to be wrong as the continuation high school only has morning classes on Fridays. 

So, I called the school. 

I knew the secretary could fix the assignment, and I knew which secretary to call. When the system picked up, it asked me to dial the extension of the person I wanted. And then it told me that extension didn't exist. Deep sigh. 

The phone list I had for the school was from the 2023-24 school year. 

Well, I knew the front office staff. I dialed O for someone to pick up, and I recognized the voice. "Hi, Shelly. Could you please transfer me to Sabrina?" 

And when Sabrina picked up, I identified myself and told her what had happened. 

She was hesitant to touch the assignment as she didn't want me to be booted from it. I assured her that I get "absence modified" notifications all the time. So, she fixed it, and I retained the assignment. 

Of course, part of me just wondered if something went wonky and put in a job that didn't exist. But no. Mr. K just put in his absence the day before. (He is out a lot. I think he's trying to fly under the radar sometimes with his sub requests.) 

Fridays are pretty mellow at the continuation high school. Not much happened. But at least I had the sweet, sweet air conditioning. (The kiddos complained it was too cold in the room. I. Did. Not. Care. It's been icky hot here.) 

Difficulties or Excuses?

Wednesday. The continuation high school. Computer aided drafting.

Wait. A subbing day...?

Yes, it is still technically summer. The first day of school is in about a week and a half. But the continuation high school starts early (mid-July), so this time of year there's always a chance that I might get to work. If something pops up, I grab it. 

I've covered this teacher's class many, many times, so I knew the drill. They had projects. (They work on Solidworks, completing various drafting activities.) They get their credit upon completion of the assignments, so if they goof around, it's only hurting their own graduation. 

Third period. Joey's task was to program a robot to "dance" to a song of his choice. 

Joey? He explained that he needed Mr. G's help. 

This happens all the time. I asked Joey if there was some way we could figure it out. He booted up the computer (which ran an old Windows because that's what the robot was connected to), and connected to the necessary software. The robot moved. But, as Joey attempted to add to the program, he could get nothing to "stick". Every movement he input disappeared as soon as he tried to get it to work. 

I am sure that we're missing something obvious. But as I'm unfamiliar with the software, I don't know what that obvious thing is. Sigh. 

I'm used to these students making excuses, so I try to push a bit. 

Sixth period. Two girls were "concerned" that I was "standing too close". I was just making sure they could log in. Then Elian had all sorts of excuses as to why Instagram was on his computer rather than the CAD software. 

I gave them time to get their music set up. But Elian was still not working. Why? He said he was done. 

On a Wednesday? 

Generally, the teacher gives an assignment for the week. Most of them slow walk it, finishing by Friday, maybe. The rest of the classes, it didn't look like the kiddos were doing much, but it was the kind of fiddly work that doesn't look like much. They were enlarging their screens to the point that they were looking very closely at detail. And making minute changes. 

I've watched kiddos work in this class before. That is the sort of thing I expect. 

Elian? Done? 

I mean, he could be. It's possible. But unlikely. 

But, if he doesn't complete the project, he doesn't get credit. It's his grade. 

I left a note that Elian said he was done. And I left it at that. 

If he's scrambling in May to get credits done, he can remember the goofing off he did in July. 

And now back to my summer vacation.

From the Garden

I finally got to go back to the continuation high school. (And now I'm sort of shadow banned, but that's a whole different blog post.) 

Wednesday. English. 

As it was Wednesday, it was gardening day. Unlike the last time I pulled this gig, this time we actually could work in the garden. 

There was a "garden ranger" who ran the class. She did a short lecture on natural versus chemically derived ingredients, had them make some tea, and had them do some planting and pruning. 

(At various points she videoed the kiddos. Apparently, there's a program to bring gardening into schools. Here's their Instagram. And here's one of the videos she shot that day.) 

Fourth period. She had brought in some mint plants, and the earlier periods had found a spot to plant them and weeded the area. Fourth period got to plant them. She had them lay out the plants in a sort of grid. 

Seth took his shovel, and he stuck it where he wanted it. He jumped on the shovel, pounding it into the ground. He methodically did this three more times, and very quickly created a hole large enough to put the mint plant in. Clearly he had done this sort of thing before.

Seth explained that his grandmother had an award winning garden. It looked like he had assisted her. 

After they had planted about half the plants, Seth invited me to plant one.

Well, didn't want to, really. So, I gave some excuses. My hand hurt. I didn't have the strength. Etcetera. 

Seth? Yeah, he called me out on that. Shot down my arguments. And fair, really. 

I'm usually the one making the kiddos do things they don't want to. This period I had two students who were unwilling to "get dirty" (there are sinks; they can wash their hands after), and I was urging them to work. So, I'm not doing it? I knew I had to. 

So, I did. Slowly. And badly. But I managed to dig a hole with Seth's guidance. And he put the mint in the ground. 

I got a bit of sun that day. And many of the kiddos did kind of enjoy it. It looks like it's a great program.

Not His Own Work

Monday. Continuation high school. Math, fourth period. 

(This was the Monday before winter break. I saved all my subbing stories for when I was back at work.) 

The students had work online. It's a program called IXL. I'm familiar with it as all the schools in the district use it. 

When a student answers a problem, the program immediately tells them if they got it correct or not. If they got it correct, they move on to harder problems. If they didn't, the program shows them how to solve the problem, and then gives them a similar one to solve. 

The goal is to get to 100. It can take twenty problems or it can take forty problems, depending on if the student is getting the problems correct. (If it's taking much more than twenty problems, it's time for the student to ask for help.) 

So, when I walk the room while the kiddos are on IXL, I know what to look at on their screen to make sure they're on track. Twelve problems with a score of 72? They're right where they should be. Twenty-two problems and a score of 31? It's time for me to gently ask if they need some help. 

Jasper was on his phone. I reminded him that phones weren't to be used in class. When it looked like he was back on his phone, I stood over him again. I urged him to get on task. Then when he did...

He wasn't solving the problems. He took a screenshot. Then he uploaded that screenshot into Google's Gemini. And Gemini solved the problem for him. He took that answer and input it into IXL...

Yeah, that's not how that's supposed to work. 

I asked Jasper if he didn't understand how to do the work. He said he did. (Doubtful, but okay...) So, then I explained that he needed to do his own work, not use AI to do the work for him. This was cheating. 

He didn't see my point. He explained that he didn't want to take the time to solve the problems. He knew how to do it, but he needed to do it quickly. When I pointed out that Mr. F wouldn't appreciate him doing it this way, he replied that Mr. F would be okay with it as Mr. F knew he needed the credits. 

Uh huh. Sure. 

(I've had similar discussions with students in the past. They're singing a different tune after their teacher hears they didn't do their own work.) 

Mr. F is a very gentle teacher, but he's also very strict. I imagine Jasper is not going to like having to explain how he did his work to Mr. F. 

(Mr. F is also an author. Here's a link to his Amazon page.)

Recognized and Remembered

At the continuation high school there is an orientation class. It is a class for the newcomers, the ones that have just transferred from their other schools. 

On the second day of school, I was surprised by this orientation class fourth period. The school is making some adjustments with how they do things (some practices were out of date, and it was time to rethink and redo them). And so now Mr. G has a period of orientation. Okay, then...

As with every new group, there were several students I did not recognize. But there were a couple who I did. And I was not surprised to see them. 

I did not say anything to Jensen even though I immediately recognized him. 

But, on Friday, Jensen brought it up. 

Jensen: "Do you remember me from the alternative education center?"

Me: "Yup. I even remember you from [traditional high school]."

Jensen: Looking confused. Then recognition dawns. "Oh, the English class..."

Yeah, among others. 

The good news: Jensen can't really roam like he did at the traditional high school as there's nowhere to roam. And he seems to have matured a little. (Very little.) 

But now I get to see him when I go to the continuation high school. Of course, that means he can't escape me as well. *evil grin*

Second Day Drama

Thursday. Fifth period. 

So, well, um, the continuation high school starts early. Some years I get work, some years I don't. 

It was only their second day of school, so students aren't sure of their schedules. And I don't take roll first thing. I always get them going on the assignment before I figure out who is absent. Usually this works out just fine... 

So, I was looking at the roll. And I realized that I had a student who did not belong in the class. I had seen him the day before. I checked, and he was supposed to be in my sixth period. No biggie. He could explain to his fifth period teacher where he was, and if the teacher needed verification I would give it. 

Only, something else was happening at that moment... 

I was only half listening. Something something someone's girlfriend. And Travis was looking at her? Only, Travis got very upset at the accusation, because he said he knew she was dating someone, and he wasn't looking at her? I don't know, it was a ridiculous disagreement. 

But Travis.

Some people just aren't quite able to get along. You know who I mean. The kind of person who blows up for no reason whatsoever. 

On Wednesday, I had given Travis the assignment. And he complained. Loudly. The lines he was supposed to draw hurt his hand. And he was sure Mr. G wouldn't make him complete the assignment. (Continuation high school. If he didn't do the assignment he wouldn't get the credits for it. There would be other assignments he could get the credits for later.) 

I wasn't in the mood for an argument, so I moved on. Travis sat in the back far corner, and he did (or did not do) his work. Fine. 

But this time Travis wasn't going to let the whole "looking at the girlfriend" go. Andres said something that set Travis off. And Travis was getting louder and louder about it. 

At roughly the same time, I asked Andres what class he was supposed to be in. He realized he was supposed to be in my sixth period. I asked him to go to his actual fifth period. And Andres was willing to go. 

Only, Travis wasn't backing down. Travis was taunting Andres. Challenging him. Making it as if Andres leaving the class was Andres running away from him. Because Travis could take him. Travis was tough, and he would mess Andres up. 

I picked up the classroom phone and dialed security. 

Andres got up. Headed out. Travis continued his taunting. 

I told security that maybe they were settling... 

Andres left. Travis got up from his seat and followed him out. 

Nope, I told security. Fight incoming... 

But small school. The boys were facing off outside, but five other staff members (including security) were there before it came to blows. 

Whew. Fight averted. 

We shooed the students back to class (because everyone left their classes when it looked like a fight was starting) while Travis and Andres were escorted to the office. 

I did not see Travis again that day. Andres showed up on time to sixth period. 

It's been a while since I witnessed a near fight. Glad that sort of thing doesn't happen every day. 

After school and the next day I talked to other adults on campus, and I got a clearer picture of what that dispute was all about. 

Andres' girlfriend had reported to the administration that Travis had been "watching" her, and I heard he was doing other things that were making her uncomfortable. (Andres and his girlfriend have a baby daughter.) Andres had mentioned to Travis that he should stay away from her. Rather than backing off, Travis doubled down. 

And, apparently Andres was nowhere near stone cold sober that day (hence not realizing he was in the wrong class). 

Early Start

Monday. I was on my phone, playing a game, when a text popped up. "I was curious if you're up for subbing for 3 days, beginning this wed..." 

I knew the first day of school for the continuation high school was Wednesday. And I had no plans for the week. Of course I took the gig. 

It was for the computer aided drafting class (CAD). I've subbed for this teacher and this class many times in the past. 

But then I saw the lesson plans for the day: "Students will complete the sketching exercise since computers are non-operational." 

The computers, in the computer aided drafting class, are non-operational... Uh... 

When I arrived on campus on Wednesday, all questions were answered. The teacher, Mr. G, showed up before school to make sure everything was ready to go. (He was finishing up his summer job--teaching a class at the community college.) The computers were non-operational because the school had bought brand new computers for the class, but they were still waiting on a cable to connect them. (Public schools...) 

And... Everything was fine. Pretty much. The "sketching exercise" was an intro drafting exercise, which was fine since many of the students were brand new to the class. 

So, does this count as having worked the first day of school? I mean, kind of? (The district superintendent even showed up to say hello. So, kind of a first day.) 

Not Gardeners

I was very surprised by a late call on the penultimate day of school. I had just enough time to get ready and get there, plus the cushion of the teacher having a first period prep. 

Wednesday. The continuation high school. English. 

It was a fairly quiet day. Their graduation ceremony had taken place the night before (in the middle of a surprise rainstorm with thunder and lightning). But this time of year is a bit quiet for them anyway. 

When a student gets enough credits to graduate, they stop attending school. (They are done. There's no reason for them to show up.) The deadline to participate in the graduation ceremony had been the previous week. So, the only students left were the juniors and the few sophomores that had recently started at the school. (They have to be sixteen to attend.) 

The lesson plan said they were to work in the garden. 

So, I took roll, and then we headed to said garden. Only, no person to run the garden was there. 

There is someone in charge of the garden. She instructs the kiddos on what to do. 

I called the office to find out where she was. They didn't know either. I heard that she had been on campus that morning, but she dropped some stuff off, and then she left. 

Uh...

The class was quite content to not be in the garden. (Only fourth period was disappointed to not have garden duty.) I instructed them to complete any missing work they might have. (If they haven't graduated, there is work they can be doing.) But end of year. No one was really in the mood to do anything. 

I'd've been more upset at this, but the day had already gone sideways. If I run into any of these kiddos later as they scramble to finish credits in time for one deadline or another, I'll point out the time they wasted on a day like this one. But likely, it won't come up. 

And that was my last working day of the school year. (There was a very, very late call on the last day of school, but I woke up with a migraine, and there was no way of getting to the school on time if I had taken it.) 

Next week I officially go on summer schedule, starting off with my stats for this school year. Happy summer. 

Three Days at the Continuation High School 13

After finishing up the long term in the English class, I was able to snag three days at the continuation high school. The last time I was there was December. And, things went about how I'd expect. As none of those things were terribly blog-worthy, I figured this was a good opportunity to do a Thursday 13. Because while nothing that happened merited a full blog post, it was an interesting three days. 

ONE

My long term ended on the day the internet went out for the entire district. So, I could not do the grading I had intended to do before leaving. But Tuesday the internet was fine, and the classes were small in the computer class, so I was able to finish that stuff off. I still had access to the class (that hadn't been turned off yet), and I was on district time... 

TWO

On Tuesday I covered Mr. M's class. One of his periods is orientation. That is the class the newbies take first, right when they are first transferred in to the school. 

At the beginning of May, I lost a student in one of the English 11 classes. She dropped suddenly. So, when I saw her name on the orientation's roll, I was not surprised. 

She asked about Ms. A's class. I told her that my last day had been yesterday. 

THREE

I had a prep period. On Mr. M's bookshelf happened to be a copy of The Great Gatsby. I had missed out on reading the last two chapters in the English 11 long term. (Timing.) So, I took the time and read them. Of course, I only read them once, whereas I read the other chapters four times (this go around), but at least I got to actually finish it. 

FOUR

Seventh period, credit recovery. The kiddos worked on various assignments in various subjects that they needed to earn credits for. (Classes that they had failed the first time through.) A boy sitting near the teacher's desk was working on math. 

I watched him get out his phone, take a picture, and then input something into the software. Deep sigh...

I pointed out that what he was doing was cheating. I told him to put away the phone. He could do it on his own. He explained that he knew the material, but he wanted to get it done quickly. 

I sat with him and helped him. And no, he didn't know the material. But, he caught on as we worked through a few of the problems. 

He was not the only student I had to urge to do their own work and not rely on "help" from their phones. 

FIVE

As I left school on Tuesday, a couple students caught my attention. After school, there's an occupational program that students can sign up for. (These students were taking the childcare class.) 

The two students had been in Ms. A's class. They complained that I had left them. I reminded them that I had hit my max number of days, that I had warned them of my leaving, and that Ms. A was to return the next week. They said I should return to the class. I told them they'd see me around as this wasn't a goodbye, but more of a "see you around". (Ms. E was there, and she agreed that I was around a lot so I wasn't going away.) 

SIX

Wednesday and Thursday I covered Mr. A. He was chaperoning two field trips. On Wednesday, they went to Disneyland. On Thursday, the L.A. County Fair. Which shrunk the classes a bit as many of the students had gone. 

SEVEN

Mr. A teaches two periods of woodshop, two periods of graphic arts, one period of leadership, and a video editing class. The woodshop has its own room. The other classes are in a different classroom. 

When there's a sub, due to safety issues, the woodshop class meets in the room where all of Mr. A's other classes meet. They do know this, but I still did put a note on the door to alert the students to go to the other room for class. 

EIGHT

On Wednesday, I was surprised to have no students in first period. Sure enough, though, a student did arrive late. By a couple minutes. 

Upon a couple minutes of conversation, I discovered that the kiddo had been on time, but had been waiting beside the woodshop to go in. Sitting on a bench. Then he remembered Mr. A had gone on the field trip and that he had to go to the other classroom. 

At no point did the student notice the sign I left on the door...

NINE

Fifth period leadership. I perused the names on the roll, and I was surprised by one. Well, not all that surprised... But I had just seen him at one of the traditional high schools. Okay, so that was in January. Of course, he was not in class that day. Probably for the best.

TEN

Wednesday was advisory day. I read over their announcements, which were all about graduation stuff. Student had a serious question for me. What was he supposed to do after graduation? Was he required to go to college? 

We ended up having an interesting conversation about him. He's been doing computer coding, and he's already making decent money at it. As for what he should do with the rest of his life, I had no answers for him. I replied with a question: what do you want to do? 

ELEVEN

On Thursday we were supposed to have even fewer students. When no one showed up to first period, I went looking to make sure no one was waiting at the other classroom. That's when I ran into the teacher next door, and we got to talking. For the whole period. 

I was in his room, but the two rooms had a connecting door. It was open. At some point, a student did arrive. Late. I only learned this at the end of the period when he left as he gave me his late pass. 

I mean, technically I was supervising him, as the door was open. And he knew what the assignment was as it was the same as the day before. And, as the day before, he didn't do it. (He was late on Wednesday as well.) 

TWELVE

As I headed to the restroom on our break, I learned that the school now has a pickleball court. Four of the teachers were playing. I asked another teacher if the pickleball court was for the students or the teachers. I was told both, but it appeared that the teachers were enjoying it more. 

THIRTEEN

Sixth period was video editing. Apparently the kiddos have a screening of the film they've been making next week. On Wednesday they did little to nothing (even though I pointed out they were supposed to be working on their poster). Then Thursday, when the experts were there (able to actually direct what needed to get done), they got quite a lot of work done. I'd've been more upset at the lack of work on Wednesday, but the editor had been on the field trip. I can't really blame him for enjoying Disneyland. 

Unexpected Familiar Face

I finally got back to the continuation high school last Monday. 

It used to be that the sub caller would put me over there, as she knew I was fine with working there. But ever since we went to the computerized scheduling app, finding and catching those days has been harder. And with the long term I started the year with, I just haven't seen the school since about February. 

February? Let me go back into my posts. I'm sure I wrote about the last time I was there...

Nope. The last blog post I have from the continuation high school is from August 2023. According to my year end stats, I only spent three days there last school year. Ouch. No wonder they barely remembered me.

(Not true. They remember me. The staff, anyway. The students were more like, "You subbed at [insert home school's name here]".)

I was in the English class. They were either working on their district essays (the district has them write essays every quarter to measure how well they can write) or reading (We Were the Lucky Ones) and answering questions. And, it went pretty much how I expect the classes to go. That is, many did little to nothing while a few got done what they needed to do.

Fifth period, as I was walking the room taking attendance, the students did their usual, "Don't you sub at...?" bit. 

Then one boy said I had been his math teacher last year. 

That's when I placed him. I mean, I recognize the kiddos when I see them as knowing I've seen them before, but where had I seen them? Yeah, it's not always there. But this boy? Yeah, I remembered him from last year's long term in Mr. J's math class.

And... I did not expect him to be there. There were a couple students who I would not be shocked to see there as they did little to nothing in class. This boy? As far as I recall, he was doing fine in math. He had a passing grade. He did the assignments. 

Deep sigh. At least he doesn't have to make up his math credits. Clearly, he did need English credits. 

But that's why the continuation high school exists. It's for students to come back from whatever setback led to the possibility of them not graduating. 

Experience

The official first full week of school was incredibly boring for me. I only got one job, for Friday. (It was for the history class I had covered many, many times.) 

When I arrived first thing in the morning, I was surprised to learn that four teachers were out that day. But, fortunately, all had their very own sub covering the class, so it wouldn't be a mad scramble. I took note of who was out that day, as I knew what was coming.

Third period. Two boys, giggling, insisted that they needed to go to another class "to work". I inquired further, and they explained that they had a poem due in their English class. 

Ms. E, the English teacher, was one of the teachers who had a sub. 

What were the chances that they'd go to the other class--that had a sub--and actually do work? Versus, what was the likelihood that they'd go to the other class to play? (I had not met this sub before, so I didn't know how new he was.)

I've been around long enough to know that last week's instance of a student changing classes and actually doing work is not how these things go normally. 

So, I told them no. 

They protested. They said that Ms. E had sentence starters to help them. I offered to let them get those sentence starters and bring them back. No, they needed to be in the room. 

Unlikely. 

I've been doing this job long enough. I wasn't going to subject that sub to two students who could just as easily do nothing with me.

But later in the period, another student asked for something similar. He explained that once he finished his work, Mr. K usually let him go to PE as that week they were doing something with weights. Of course, the PE teacher, Mr. M, was also out. 

But... I knew the sub in PE. She's fairly new, but not new new. And I could hear the weights being used. (The weight room was next door.) 

So, I called her and asked. Mostly, students who leave to go to PE are fine, although Mr. M would know who he should say no to. She said it was fine, and I heard the weights being used, so it was probably okay. 

The boys who I denied earlier? They didn't bother to ask again. 

Did they get any work done? Unlikely. But at least they didn't have a chance to make things miserable for that other sub.

Fixing It

Continuation high school. Friday. CAD class. Second period.

Class had started. I finished taking roll. Then Javier arrived with a pink classroom exchange slip.

That Mr. G wasn't there was a surprise. (I got the assignment at about 8 PM the previous night. Whatever caused him to be out was last minute.) 

I asked Javier if he specifically needed Mr. G's help. While I can generally assist the kiddos with most classes, computer aided drafting isn't something I know how to do. Javier said he needed to fix his speaker. 

He showed me the one he had made. He designed it on Solidworks and then Mr. G had printed it out on the school's 3D printer. Unfortunately, there were flaws in the design, so Javier needed to redo the design and have it printed out again.

(I forgot to take a picture of the thing, so if you want a visual of what he made, go to about 1:45 in this video. That's roughly what the thing looked like. Watch the whole 2 minute video if you're curious about what he was doing.)

I was dubious, but I let him stay. Students don't usually actually work when they exchange classes to a class taught by a sub. Usually it's an excuse to go somewhere to play. But as Javier was actually planning on working on something, I figured I'd give him a chance.

And... he actually worked. He spent the period on the software, tweaking the things that were problems. (He showed me on his first attempt the things that bothered him.)

He didn't quite finish, so I told him he could return the following period if he needed to (and if his third period teacher gave him permission). 

Third period he returned. And he finished what he could do. He figured he wouldn't get the finished item until about Wednesday. (He'd have to ask Mr. G to print it out. It would take Mr. G time to get around to it. Then, it would take about three hours to print.) 

This was kind of unusual for me. A student voluntarily working on a Friday and completing his task. It helps when it's something they want to do.

The Monitor

Friday at the continuation high school. Computer aided drafting (or CAD). I have covered this class many, many times. Just not in this classroom.

At some point last school year, Mr. G switched classrooms with Mr. F, the math teacher. The move made sense as Mr. G needs more room for his "toys" and Mr. F just needs enough room for desks. (Mr. G's "toys" include a 3D printer and a spot where the students can construct small robots.) 

The bigger room also gave me a good spot to sit behind the students' desks.

What usually happens in this class is that the students say they're working, but when I watch what they're doing from the teacher's desk (there's spy software that lets me see what's on their screens), I see that they're actually playing games. 

Fourth period. While much of the class was on task, two boys were over in a corner, whispering. I finished inputting the attendance, and then I went back to monitoring what was on their screens. The boys were playing some shooter game. 

So, I went back to my perch for the day.

I took a chair behind the kiddos. I could see what was on each of their monitors. I mean, I could see that from the teacher's desk, too, but by sitting behind them, it was obvious I was paying attention to what they were doing.

The boys? They were suddenly on IXL. (IXL is a math program.) 

One boy explained that Mr. G was having him build and organize stuff for the classroom. Knowing the situation and Mr. G, this tracks. The boy would have been getting credit for helping Mr. G set stuff up. So, no Mr. G, no work for the day. Instead, he was going to do his math work.

I was fine with that.

(I'd rather they spend their time in school productively. They can play games at home.)

And so, I sat there, behind them, zoning out. And they kept their computer monitors on stuff that looked schooly. A win. Sort of.

Alas, some of them just hid their phones with their bodies and did nothing anyway. Sigh.

Newbies

Last Thursday was the first day of school. I only got one gig for Friday. 

But, it was at the continuation high school, so instead of it being the second day of school, it was their 18th. 

And while things are usually pretty slow this time of year, I have noticed that I've been missing a lot of assignments. Alerts keep popping up on my phone, but by the time I check, the assignment is gone. I mean, I immediately check, and someone has already grabbed it. That quick.

I miss the old-fashioned sub caller. I was at the top of her call list, so I got first pick. Ah, technology...

When I checked in to the office that Friday, I got a chance to talk to the site secretary. She said they've been getting a lot of brand new subs at the school. 

Apparently, the district hired 50 new subs.

On the one hand, that's great. You might have noticed from my posts last school year that things were very busy for us subs. We need the extra help so more teachers are covered on the daily. (So many teachers were period subbed so frequently last year. That is a bad thing.)

(One of the reasons the district was so short of subs last year was due to the pay. They finally gave us raises--which has been nice--so they've been able to attract more subs to the district, too.) 

But right now that means a lot of people for few gigs. 

Although, the newbie subs have been driving the staff crazy. They haven't been taking attendance. They've let the kiddos get away with things they shouldn't have. And they've been nervous.

I remember being a newbie sub. This stuff will pass. They'll get better. Or they'll quit.

Or, they'll stop going to the continuation high school, and I'll pick up those jobs. 

Things might be slow for a bit. But they'll pick up. They always do. 

(I might do more weeks like this one--where I write about one subbing day over three posts. Hey, it's better than me telling you about what I'm watching on TV.)

Not Antarctica

Credit recovery, seventh period. (This is the same day as I talked about yesterday on this blog.) 

Credit recovery is a class that students take to quickly make up credits for classes that they initially failed. So, everyone is working on something different.

It was a warm day as is usual for August. At least it wasn't scorching hot which is also usual for August. But, small room, 15 or so students, and the room heats up quickly. I had the air conditioning on.

We had a high somewhere in the 80s outside. Inside I had set the a/c for 75° (24°C).

"Turn off the air conditioning."

Um, no. If I turn it off, it's 80° in next to no time, and no one wants that.

I explained this to Milt. I informed him that soon the classroom would reach the temperature and then the a/c would click off.

He whined. "It's like Antarctica in here."

Soon enough, the a/c clicked off. Milt should be happy now, right? Nope.

"It's too hot in here. It's like a desert. Turn on the air."

Well, no. It was then a reasonable temperature, and there was no reason to turn the air back on. I told Milt that it would click back on when the temperature got above 75°. 

Sure enough, it did a few minutes later. And what did Milt do? I'm sure you can guess...

And so, for the rest of the period, Milt complained. If the a/c was on, it was "Antarctica". If it was off, it was "the desert". At one point of "Antarctica", I offered to let Milt work outside. He returned a couple minutes later, complaining of "the desert" outside.

I stopped responding. If a student's going to complain, sometimes they're just going to complain.

But I got to complain, after school. And when I named Milt, the office staff wasn't surprised. Apparently, he's working towards becoming a professional boxer. 

I'm glad I'm not his trainer.

Yo-Yo

The school year hasn't officially begun (it starts today, but this week's posts are from last week), but the continuation high school has been in session for about two weeks. I haven't been seeking out jobs, but when one falls in my lap, I take it.

Social studies. Sixth period. (The classes are all combined, so each class has students who are doing geography, world history, U.S. history, and government.) They had various assignments, depending upon which subject they were in.

But afternoons at the continuation high school are... um... interesting. (Read: they're way more laid back and less likely to work.)

I was walking the room, taking attendance, when I noticed a girl winding a yo-yo. From the conversation, I gleaned something...

"You've never played with a yo-yo?"

I asked the student straight out. She admitted that she had not. (It wasn't her yo-yo, but the other student was letting her play with it.)

Now, normally I'm all about "put that away" when it comes to toys. But this was a senior--17-years-old--and she had never... Okay, time to fix that.

She threw it down, and it didn't bounce back up. She was seated, so when she threw the yo-yo, it hit the floor. That would not do. I had her stand up. (She was a bit embarrassed to stand up, but no one was really paying that much attention to her.) 

She threw it, and it bounced back up. Yay. Success. 

And then she gave the yo-yo back to its owner. 

As I walked away, she was explaining to her friend how her parents had just never gotten her one. I mean, I can see that. A yo-yo isn't something that everyone experiences. I guess...

But yeah. At least she got to use a yo-yo once.

Oh, the Drama

And so, it begins again.

School doesn't officially begin until August 10th. But, the continuation high school had been in session for a week. The class was "Adult Re-Entry". I have not covered this class in years, but I am familiar with it. (I wrote about it many times, but here are three posts from back then: one, two, and three.)

(Re-entry is a class for young adults who just missed graduating from high school. The class is four hours long, and they spend their time working on whatever credits they are missing. It's a very chill day.)

The students don't arrive until 10 AM, but the continuation high school starts at 8:30, so I was very early. (We're supposed to report to the school site a half hour before class begins.) So, I got into the classroom and I was prepping for the day (read: checking my personal email and reading blogs).

At 8:40 there was a knock at the door. Duke informed me that Mr. G lets them come in early if they arrive early. As I had nothing better going on, I didn't see the harm in it.

Duke got a computer and attempted to log in. Alas, he couldn't remember his username and password. He had saved them on his phone, but alas, he had left his phone at home.

He asked to use the classroom phone to call his sister. 

It took him a couple tries to call out. (They have to dial a number before to indicate an outside line, and then we have to use 1 + area code to dial all phone numbers in our area. But as I knew all this, I was able to help him get the call to go through.) He got a hold of his sister, but she was unable to help. 

I know their user credentials live in a screen I don't have access to. But I know who does. She gave me Duke's username and password, and Duke was able to log in. To the computer. But not to the program.

While attempting to get a hold of the counselor who has access to the program's data, Duke got a call back from his sister. 

I only heard Duke's portion of the conversation. "Bruh... Why'd you have to tell me this?"

He was clearly upset. He wanted to know why his sister had to call him to tell him whatever it was while he was at school. He wondered why she couldn't have waited until he got home. Then he informed me that he wasn't going to be able to concentrate, so he was going to leave. 

I was once again alone, but class hadn't started, so that was no surprise. 

There's a reason why these students didn't graduate "on time". But at least they're making the attempt, distractions notwithstanding.

A Surprising Reputation

Thursday. Second period. I was back at the continuation high school for the first time since March. 

It was a pretty typical class for this teacher. He teaches social studies, so the class is a mix of world geography, world history, U.S. history, and government. I have covered this class many, many times. 

There was one group near the back who were having some random conversations, but mostly the class was working (or appearing to work). They all have different online assignments, but some get so sucked into their phones. 

Towards the end of the period, one of the students asked me if I had subbed at one of the other high schools in the district. The continuation high school is where the students from all the district's high schools end up if they are deficient in credits and in danger of not graduating. When they first get to the school, they all recognize me from when I subbed their "home" school. 

So, of course I had subbed at this student's "home" school. 

The boy remembered me. He then told me that the students were scared of me. 

The boy explained that when he had me in class, one of the other students had told him that I was a strict sub and that I would kick misbehaving students out of class. 

I had no idea. 

I mean, I don't often send students out. I don't have to. 

Most days I feel like a pushover. I feel like I'm letting them get away with so much. But then again, most days they're doing what they need to do and aren't being a problem, so there's no need for me to get on their cases. 

So, to hear that students fear me? I'm dubious. 

But still, it was a nice thing for him to say. 

Protecting my Cardi

Wednesday I was back at the continuation high school, this time for the English class. 

They were working on a poetry unit. (They were also doing a blackout poem, like the class I posted about yesterday. It's funny how certain things recur over different classes and even at different schools.) Most of them were working on a haiku. 

They were to paint a picture and then write out the haiku on it. Many of them were still working on the paintings. So, paints were out. And paint got everywhere...

It's been chilly here in SoCal. I've been getting some wear out of my sweaters. 

At first I was hesitant to wear my seven (and a half) year cardi. I've been paranoid. What if I snag it or something happens and I damage it? 

But, every time I've worn it, I get a little less worried. I don't generally damage my clothes. And it's nice to get some wear out of the cardi I worked on for so long.

I didn't know I'd be dodging paint, so I wore the cardi. 

I didn't think about it too much until I went to straighten up the paints, and I got white paint on my hand.

My hand. Just my hand. I kept well away from the paint after that. 

I shuddered in horror when a student found she had gotten paint splatter on her jacket. (She went to the restroom and tried to clean it off.) 

Somehow I lucked out. My cardi is intact. And paint-free.

Sixth period. This was the orientation group. The school gets a new batch of students about every month. The new students have a time where they all take the same classes to get used to the new school. 

There were a few familiar faces. 

One of them was Marta. 

I... uh... can't say I was surprised to see her there. Nope. Not surprised at all. 

Oblivious

Wednesday. Sixth period at the continuation high school. Social studies.

They are given five minutes of "SSR" at the beginning of each period, otherwise known as free phone time. I generally let it slide into seven or eight minutes before I call it, though. After that, they are to put the phones away and not use them for the rest of the period.

Do they? Well, not really, but most will at least have the decency to hide them.

Nylah was making no pretense.

So, I approached. I stood there, waiting. I asked her to put her phone away.

She took a phone call.

Facetime. On speaker. She was talking to someone about nothing much at all.

Again, I asked her to put her phone away. She ignored me, although to her friend on the phone she mentioned that she would call her back, and then said she wouldn't. And continued with the conversation.

"What's so funny? What are you laughing at?"

This was directed at Solomon, Malia, and Tyson at the next table over. Which just made them laugh harder. 

Nylah got even more upset. She asked the others again, and then she flounced out of the room.

What were they laughing at? That Nylah was blatantly on her phone, talking loudly, and while I was clearly telling her not to be.

Nylah returned. She was still on her phone. 

Again, I asked her to put her phone away.

Solomon, Malia, and Tyson were trying to pull it together but failing miserably. 

There was nothing more to do. I sent Nylah to the Cell Phone Park.

(The Cell Phone Park is the "punishment" for students not getting off their phones. I haven't had to resort to it before. Students sent out of class for cell phone infractions get the rest of the period to be on their phones, but then parents are called and consequences are added on. Initially it sounds like a reward, but the downsides are such that no other student has pushed me on it. All I have to do is threaten the Park, and they're off their cell phones.) 

For the rest of the period, Solomon, Malia, and Tyson could talk of nothing else. Solomon wondered why Nylah didn't realize they were all up in her conversation when she was having it in the middle of class. Malia blamed Tyson for making her laugh. Tyson said he was just trying to keep a low profile.

I was just glad that I wasn't the only one who thought that having a full on conversation in the middle of class was ridiculous. 

With the way the kiddos are on their phones nowadays, I was beginning to wonder.