Class Picture

Sixth grade. Science. 

It appears that sixth grade classes rotate in a way that hints at what the kiddos will be doing the next year in middle school. On this day I got the science class. 

After lunch and before afternoon recess, they were to go outside to take the "panorama" class picture. It's just a long image of all the students in the grade. 

All "second period" they had been asking me when it would be time to take the picture. I assured them that I was on it. And then about ten minutes before the scheduled time, the next door teacher poked her head in to say the photographer was ready early. So, we got ready and headed out.

With my limited experience in elementary school, I did not anticipate being there to witness the photographing of a bunch of 11-year-olds. They got arranged loosely by height and lined up accordingly. By the time half of them had been placed on the bleacher-like stands, the bell rang to get the youngers out of class for their recess. 

So, with an audience, the sixth graders all got put into position in direct sunlight with the sun in their eyes. They were not happy about this. The other teacher told them to just deal with it as it wouldn't be for long. 

I stood off to the side to watch. The photographer asked the principal if the kiddos had to remain masked. The principal said they did not, that they could remove their masks for the time it took to snap the pictures. When the photographer informed the kiddos they could remove their masks, maybe five of them did. 

They took several shots, and then it was all over. Alas, because we were early, they did not get dismissed to recess. They had just enough time to go back to class... and then they were dismissed to recess. Sigh. 

It's definitely a moment in time, these pictures. I wonder how they'll look back on this picture. (They could purchase their own copy.) The masks will definitely tell a story.

Two Days in Elementary Special Ed

When my gig at the adult transition center suddenly ended, I called in for a subbing gig for the next week. Alas, all that was available was a special ed class for first through third grade. For two days. 

I figured I'd have an aide who knew the kids. I could handle it. 

How sadly mistaken I was. 

The class was without teacher. The aide had also left the district for a better paying gig elsewhere. The class had been in limbo for a while, and I was a stopgap measure until Wednesday, when presumably they were getting a longer term sub or something. I have no idea. 

It was so bad that I now have enough blog fodder for weeks to come. Or I can blow it all out in one Thursday 13. Let's go for the Thursday 13, shall we... 

ONE

I started off day one sending two students to the health office, one with a toothache, one with a stomachache. The toothache kiddo was sent home. The stomachache kiddo was given a snack. When the stomachache kiddo (Emmett) learned the toothache kiddo (Alberto) got to go home, he said he had a toothache. The note from the health office stated that Emmett felt it was unfair that Alberto got to go home and he wanted to go home because he missed his mother. 

TWO

I was informed that I had no aide by the sub aide (a "floater") who came to help me out. She usually is a one-to-one, but her student was absent on Monday. I so needed the help.

THREE

When the one-to-one went to lunch, it was math time for the class. And, of course, things were insane. I gave one group the harder work, and I worked with the group that was cutting and pasting numbers in the proper order. Aubrey was doing very well. I had convinced her that 5 goes between 4 and 6 and that 2 comes before 3 and 4. And then, somehow, a 3 ended up between 4 and 6, and I couldn't convince her to fix it, no matter what I tried. In the end, I just left it wrong, because she just wouldn't do it correctly. Even though we counted together, and she counted correctly. Sigh.

FOUR

Perry's tooth was loose. He had been trying to pull it out off and on all day. He got fixated on it. I asked him if he wanted to have it for the tooth fairy. When he said he did, I explained that perhaps it would be better to pull it out when he was at home, so the tooth didn't get lost. That seemed to stop him from playing with his tooth.

FIVE

I was warned that Nathan would start crying at the drop of a hat. To keep him on task, he had a chart where if he got three smiley faces, he'd earn his STEM box at the end of the day. Alas, he did not earn it on Monday as the rest of the class gleefully pointed out. So, someone else took "his" box. (The boxes are numbered. There are three with the same pieces as "Nathan's", but he wants that one box.) Nathan ran from the room and proceeded to scream and cry outside for that whole half hour, screaming and crying louder when he saw me watching. 

SIX

The aide I had to help on Monday did not return Tuesday. I was alone with all ten of them. (I got an hour here and a half hour there of "help" at various points throughout the day, but it wasn't consistent.)

SEVEN

Alberto returned to school, albeit late. The minute he arrived, he asked for his "bloo-ee". It was a while before I learned this was his Blue's Clues water bottle. It had gone missing. 

When I did not have the "bloo-ee" to give to him, he cried and screamed at the top of his lungs, demanding that he have his "bloo-ee". Which I did not have. Nor could I find. And so, Alberto was inconsolable, needing that particular water bottle (even though he had a water bottle with water in it). He demanded I give it to him. I explained that I could not make it appear out of thin air. He screamed some more.

EIGHT

Then it was PE time. Alberto spent the whole time not following directions. He took another kid's spot. He refused to play the game, wandering the field while the other kiddos ran around. (There was a PE teacher. I was just there as extra supervision.) 

NINE

We got back from PE, and someone from the office delivered Alberto's "bloo-ee". And suddenly he calmed down. 

TEN

Emmett again had various complaints that "required" a health office pass. And again, Emmett was sent back to class with a note stating that he had asked to go home. He was not going to get to go home. 

I did inform him on his second and third pass that he was not going to get to go home. But sometimes you just have to let them learn this on their own.

ELEVEN

The assignment had them cutting out pictures and pasting them in order. Nathan enjoyed the cutting part a bit too much. Instead of cutting out pictures, he cut the paper into confetti that ended up all over the ground around his desk. 

At various points, I attempted to get him to clean it up. He picked up a couple pieces, but then got distracted by something else. I warned him that he would not get his STEM box at the end of the day if he did not clean up the mess. (He was not earning smiley faces at all.) Still, nothing. 

TWELVE

I went to pick them up from lunch, and Perry was slowly making his way from the playground. That's when I saw his left foot. It was bent back and to the side at a very odd angle. 

Someone said someone pushed Perry on the playground. I just... And for some reason Perry wasn't screaming or crying or complaining of pain. I looked around for someone to help as he shouldn't have been walking on that thing. Eventually, another student helped him to the health office. 

Another adult came over to me questioning what was up with Perry. I mean, his foot? It wasn't obvious? But apparently he wasn't talking. 

He returned to class to gather his stuff as he was being sent home. Another student said he'll probably get a wheelchair. I said it was more likely he'd be in a cast. They did not know what a cast was.

THIRTEEN

For about the last hour, the school psychologist and a trainee came by to help. And they were a great help. I pointed out the mess around Nathan, and one of them stood over him and prompted him to get every piece of paper he had cut. 

I snuck the STEM box away so another student wouldn't claim it. Because they were eager to. And once Nathan had cleaned up his area, I gave him "his" box. It was so much nicer not having him screaming and crying.

CONCLUSION

And that was two of the longest subbing days I've ever had. (Okay, I'm exaggerating. But this was the hardest I've had it in a long time.) This is why I dread doing elementary. Hopefully, things won't be this bad continuing on.

Can't Do Math

Sadly with *gestures wildly* everything going on, I have been "persuaded" to attempt elementary school subbing. I mean, I could stay home and wait for a high school gig to open up, but I've decided that I'd rather work right now. 

Last Thursday, I caught a fifth grade class. 

The teacher had everything set up in Google Classroom, with slides explaining the day and everything. Alas, I did not have access to a computer that connected to the in class projector, so while I could log in and see what the slides and everything said, I could not project it to the class. 

This meant a lot of hand waving and "make sure you're on slide number five" or whatever all day. All the slides were available to them, so I could read what it said and hope that they were also looking at the slide I was referring to. 

Most of their assignments were in the computer, so it wasn't a big deal. Until math time. 

They had a math test the next day. The assignment was to review the concepts that would be tested. 

Well, math needs to be demonstrated. I did have a white board. So, I pulled up the problem on the slide via my computer, wrote it on the board, and had them walk me through it. 

We got through adding fractions. Then we got to subtracting fractions. I put the problem on the board. 

First we had to find a common denominator, which is taught somewhat differently now. Once I dug down, it was the usual thing, but the getting to it was different. Simpler, kind of. 

Anyway, we got the common denominator, and then it was time to put the fractions together. And the answer I got was nowhere near the choices for the multiple choice. 

Uh...

And that's when they pointed out that I had added rather than subtracted. Oops. 

As one of the concepts to be tested was estimating and finding the "reasonableness" of an answer, I pointed out that clearly I had gone wrong when it was clear I was nowhere near the answers given. 

I'm so glad I don't get embarrassed by getting something wrong in front of a class. I figure it's a good way to let them know that mistakes aren't something to be ashamed of. They happen. We catch them and learn from them. 

They asked me if I "knew" math. I don't know if they believed me when I informed them that I have, in fact, passed four semesters of calculus. 

They should have done well on that test.

Burning Up

Guess who spent another Friday in another sixth grade class? 

The lesson of the day was "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. (Yeah, for sixth graders. Yeah, I know.) 

As an introduction, I was to ask them for instances where people had to make difficult choices. I wrote their responses on the board. (I did this three times as the classes swap out, kind of like they'll do in middle school.) I got some standard answers, and I had to give a couple examples to get things going. 

The third group, after giving me several pretty standard answers, came up with "leave someone behind in a fire". 

Well, that qualifies. 

Then we were to discuss if they'd ever faced a choice like this, what choice they made, what effects the other choice might have had, and what advice they'd have for people facing hard choices. 

So, I picked a couple choices from the list to discuss, choices like "moving" or "doing your homework". (The second group came up with that one. The class vehemently protested that this was a choice. Having met many kiddos who don't do homework, I assured them that it was, in fact, a choice. We also discussed consequences.) 

I couldn't resist. I decided we had to go down the "leave someone behind in a fire" rabbit hole. 

They hadn't actually experienced that. (Whew!) But we talked about why someone might be forced to leave someone behind. 

Somehow, that turned into them saying if the other person was someone they didn't like, it wouldn't be a hard choice. 

I told them that they were wrong. I said that if they were in such a life-and-death situation, if it was them and their worst enemy, they'd save that enemy. They wouldn't leave that person to die in that fire. 

They didn't believe me. They said no, they'd have no trouble leaving that person behind. 

I'm not so sure. But rather than get into a shouting match, I moved on to the next part of the lesson (reading the poem). It was going long, anyway. 

Sometimes I wonder about me, though. I could have picked a way less controversial item from the list they generated to discuss. Ah well. 

So, do you think I'm wrong? Would you save a person you disliked from a fire? 

Disputed Tech Deck

I may have mentioned once or twice that there's a bit of a sub shortage at the moment. So, when I didn't have an assignment for Friday (on Thursday), I called the sub caller to see what was up. She told me it was going to be another day of her scrambling to cover as many classes as she could, and that I'd have to cover an elementary class. 

Ugh. 

Because elementary schools don't have teachers with prep time who can cover classes, they have to get covered by subs first. The subbing situation has gotten so bad that they don't have enough bodies to just get those classes covered some days.

But, she wasn't pulling me at the last minute (when I was starting a long term assignment someplace), so I resigned myself to doing what needed to be done. And she gave me sixth grade, so not too much of a difference from seventh grade.

How short were they subs this day? A class across from mine was also out a teacher, and the only person they could get to sub that class was the school's principal. 

All in all, it was a pretty mellow day. The kiddos had tests all day. I was covering the English portion (but the math and science classes had tests, too). The sixth graders rotated through the classes. 

When the second group came in, one boy immediately caught my attention. He couldn't sit still, had to go back to his homeroom to retrieve the book (the test was open book), and then returned without the book. He pretended to stutter, and then he proceeded to speak without that stutter for the rest of the time. 

While he was out of the room, I asked another student his name. Cannon. 

Cannon returned from a restroom break. As he was walking to his desk, he threw his Tech Deck at another student. 

A Tech Deck is a miniature skateboard made to be scooted about using one's fingers. It's pictured above with a pencil for size comparison. They've been around since the time I worked at the evil toy store (now defunct). That's over 20 years ago now.

I asked the student to hand the Tech Deck to me. I placed it on the teacher's desk. 

Cannon came up to me to ask for something, only he spotted the Tech Deck. 

"That's mine."

Yup. I was aware. 

"Can I have it back?" 

He was not happy with my answer. When he asked why, I asked him why he had thrown it at his classmate. 

But he hadn't thrown it at anyone, he protested. It had just fallen out of his pocket. 

Yeah, it fell out so violently that it bounced off a desk and made a clatter. 

I didn't get into the argument over whether or not he had thrown it. I informed Cannon he could have the toy back... from his teacher upon her return on Monday. 

I like to employ this trick over disputed property. If the kiddos want to get into an argument with me over what was or was not done, they can take it up with an adult who is more familiar with them. And they can explain why there's a toy on the teacher's desk when the toy shouldn't have been at school (or at least out of the backpack) in the first place. 

Cannon tried to get the Tech Deck back from me a couple more times. He did not succeed.

Schedule Change

Monday. I was woken by my cell phone ringing. It was the sub caller? 

I already had a job for Monday. I was starting a long-term gig for a geography/economics teacher.

Nope. They were short subs, and they needed me to cover a fifth grade class.

Fifth grade? Do they not know I don't do elementary? 

(Well, it has happened. I've written about it here, here, and here. But I'd rather it didn't.)

After arguing, I accepted the inevitable. 

Because the sub caller called me late, I was late to the school. The principal was covering the class. She handed the class over to me, and I was off and running.

I know how to do this sort of thing with high schoolers, but elementary kids? Well, it was pretty much the same. They had something to get started on while I figured out how to set up the computer. Once I had the technology working, I was able to project the math notes. And then it was time for recess. 

(Well, we did math notes for an hour. But it was fifth grade math, so nothing I couldn't handle.)

My lesson plan stated that after recess, they were to go to PE. So, I went to pick up the class (after fumbling about for where I met the kiddos), and I told them it was time for PE. They informed me that it was not.

Apparently, the schedule had changed. They did PE at 11 AM, not 10. (From what I gathered, their teacher has been out for a bit, and they've been taught by subs for a week or two or more.) 

There are times when I go by the lesson plan even when the kiddos tell me that's not how they do things. Because sometimes the teacher does change the way things are done because substitute. But this time I trusted the kiddos and took them back into the classroom.

I flipped the PE lesson with the English lesson. At the time I was told to pick up the kiddos from PE, I took them out to PE. And it appeared that I was on time. Whew.

Forty-five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Because I had a wrong schedule, I did not know when PE was over (when I should have gone out to the yard to collect the class). Oops. 

Well, I made a lot of mistakes that day.

At least I had the correct time for their lunch. And to release them at the end of the day. 

We all made it through relatively unscathed. If all my elementary days went like this (the actual subbing day, not the getting there), I'd do more of them. Maybe. I still prefer the older kiddos, though.

Reading the Clock

I was scheduled to go to the continuation high school for day two of a two-day assignment. I got a call in the morning telling me that they had to pull me. There were not enough subs to go around so I was being sent to...

Elementary school.

I was not happy about this.

(I avoid elementary school for various reasons. They know this. I was not given a choice.)

But none of this was the fault of the elementary school staff or the students. And the fifth grade class wasn't too terrible.

We were midway through their math assignment. A student asked how long until recess.

I pointed out the clock...

Frequently in the middle school and sometimes in the high school when I point out the clock, the kiddos inform me that they "can't read" it. And I grumble and sigh. They seem to be perfectly content not knowing how to read an analog clock.

No, I don't help them out with this. They can figure it out.

So, when the fifth graders asked how long until recess, I figured we could go over clock reading.

The clock on the front wall was set up for learning to read a clock. (I'd think they learned that younger--I recall it being part of the curriculum in second grade--but I know from experience that they don't.) The teacher had posted the minutes on the outside.

I asked when recess was. They knew and said. I asked what time it was. I took a volunteer. We read the time off the clock. The student managed it. And then I had them subtract...

They were able to figure it out.

And now I know what I'm going to do next time a student informs me they can't read the clock on the wall, whether it be in middle school or high school. If they don't know their elementary school lessons, we can go over them again...

Kinders Horror

Friday at the middle school. Day two of a two-day assignment. 6th period prep, but I knew I'd be covering an extra period. Until I got the horrible news...

Some emergency/problem/mix-up at the elementary schools, and they needed subs who had 6th period preps to divert. And I was on the hook.

I got sent to cover... kindergarten...

For an hour.

So, I really shouldn't complain. It wasn't that bad. They sort of followed directions.

They had this pipe thing that they spoke into, I suppose so they could hear themselves read out loud. Instead, they burped into it.

They were supposed to get into partners and read something back and forth for three minutes. I timed them. I didn't see any reading happening.

They had a math worksheet. The teacher showed it to me. I went to get it to pass it out, and I couldn't find it anywhere. And it had been right there before she left...

I was to read a Dr. Seuss book to them. We ran out of time before I could finish.

I was so glad to see the end of that day. So glad.

Writing with My Left Hand

Last Wednesday I ended up in a second grade classroom.

Eek!

(It's a rather long and complicated story involving my assignment on Tuesday, the new sub caller, and my not paying enough attention to early morning wake up calls.)

The teacher was at school when I arrived. She was a bit frantic, as the thing that was taking her away from school that day had happened so last minute that she did not have lesson plans prepared. (She did not explain nor did I ask what her emergency was. Some things are private, and I respect that.)

I tried to get a handle on what needed doing. And figure out the class' schedule. All the while clamping down on my panic at being thrust into a second grade class. The teacher was having a rough enough day. She didn't need to know that her sub had no business being in a room with children under 12.

It was very odd. Since the district is the same, the buildings looked just like the buildings at the high school. For a moment, I felt like a high school class would walk in any minute. Then the little 7-year-olds arrived, and I had to shift into little kid mode. It's not a mode I work in, so it was odd to say the least.

But, it wasn't as bad as I had feared. (The last time I did elementary things were decidedly different. Bad. Very bad.) Somehow I managed to make it through.

The day kind of felt like if I had tried to write with my left hand. While I know what needs to be done, the muscles aren't as accustomed to what my brain wants them to do. So, it's all harder to do. Takes more time. I'm slower. But, I can get it done.

Although, I'm much happier when I can just do the easier thing and work with older kids.