Found

When I started this long-term assignment, I had to put together the classroom. But, unlike with the vacant classes I usually end up starting the school year in, the teacher had left most of her stuff. So, I had materials to work with.

First up was procuring a pencil sharpener, which I found on my second day there. I found her printer a couple weeks into the gig. 

But there were other things I needed. And I meant to order them, but I hadn't gotten around to it. I was waiting to bring in a list.

As students turned in work, I had to find a way of keeping the papers organized. I found a hanging file box. I needed those tab things to label the hanging files. 

Then, the dry erase board doesn't erase very well. There's a spray that cleans it. I knew I could get some, eventually. 

But last week, while retrieving something, I stumbled across the tabs I needed. Because of course Ms. S already had some. And behind that? The dry erase board spray. 

I'm not sure how many weeks I was doing without stuff that Ms. S actually had in the classroom. 

I even found another paper organizer to keep copies of things that haven't been passed out yet. 

I suppose if I had more time to just dig through stuff... Sigh. I know she has classroom decor as well, but I haven't had a chance to set that up either. There's just so much time, and my focus is on keeping the class running.

Ah well. At least now I have found a few other things I've been needing.

Uploading Pages

World history. The kiddos were to read a chapter, outline, and answer questions. (The above is my remote work station. Glamorous, eh?) 

I've covered this teacher's classes in the past. This is a typical sub assignment from him. 

I went over the assignment with the first group. I got a few of the usual questions. And then. . . 

"What if we don't have the book?" 

It's October. School started mid-August. While books aren't distributed on the first day, it's been a month and a half. 

They set up a drive through. There were days for the students to show up and get stuff. And, since then, they can still come to the campus to pick things up. 

"I'm going to pick up the book tomorrow." 

Deep sigh. 

But, I decided to be nice. I know how to upload pages to their Google Classroom. I did it for the class I started the year with. Now, I did it for them because I knew they didn't have books yet, and I knew they hadn't had a chance to get them. (If I had been there another week, I would have stopped the practice as they had all picked up their books.) 

It's a laborious process. I take pics with my phone, and then I convert those pics into PDFs that I attach to an assignment in Google Classroom. (I tried just linking the pics from my drive, but for some reason it didn't work. This worked consistently.) But what took the longest was finding where the school computer stashed the PDFs I created.

By the time I got the files uploaded, the period was just about over. (Only two students said they didn't have the book, so the rest of the class was working just fine.) But at least I was prepared now. If the next class had the same issue, I was ready. 

The next class arrived. I gave them the assignment. And. . . crickets. Either they all had the book (likely) or they weren't fool enough to admit they hadn't picked it up yet. 

I guess they haven't done much with the book. I imagine the teacher does more lecturing than having them read. 

At least if this happens again, I should be able to upload the pages much more quickly. Or, perhaps I shouldn't offer at all. Because, they really should get their supplies.

Getting Back Up to Speed

Winter break was over. I got an early morning wake up call. Guess who would be out another week?

I was not shocked by this. The teacher I covered before the break had been out due to shoulder surgery. I half expected her to need more time to recover. So, back to it, the same group I had before the winter break.

Deep sigh.

The teacher was prepared. She left lesson plans for the entire month of January, just in case. So, I knew we were covered. The first day back, they had an assignment in their packets.

All the classes received packets for the unit. The first pages were fill-in-the-blank notes. Then there were pages of various assignments that they would need to complete. These packets were passed out the first couple days I was in the class. They all had them.

After the initial explanation that their teacher would be out another week, I told them to get out their packets...

"What packet?"

"I lost it."

"I left it at home."

I was not shocked. I wasn't even surprised. Since they came to school with their binders and folders and backpacks and such, I figured the packets would have to be in their stuff somewhere. Presumably, it would be with the other school stuff they hadn't looked at in two weeks. (They didn't have homework over the break, so they shouldn't have even needed to take it out of their backpacks.)

Most managed to find their work, and we got underway. Well, except for one notable exception. Blaine.

"You never gave me the packet."

Um yes, yes I did. And you know how I know? He had scores recorded for assignments that were in the packet. Which he couldn't have done if he didn't have the packet.

But he protested he'd never received it. This went back and forth for a bit. Until he realized, "Oh, that packet."

Yeah. That packet.

Threw it Away

Eighth grade science. It was an...interesting day.

The kiddos had a laundry list of assignments to complete. They had a "warm up" which took some of them half the period (probably because they weren't working on it all that hard). Then they had a review worksheet that was multiple choice. And finally they had vocabulary and fill-in-the-blank assignments for four different chapters.

This should have been enough to keep them busy. Half the class claimed they finished everything. (This is where I ask them to prove it and show me their work. Which is suddenly not where it should be. Hmmm...) They asked me what they should do next.

Older students have figured out that when they've finished the day's assignments, it's probably a good idea to get ahead on work for other classes. 8th graders haven't learned this yet. So, that's what I told them to do. (A few of them had a math test later in the day, so they did manage to find something to do.)

One boy started going through his backpack. He cleaned out a bunch of papers. Took a softball-sized wad and threw it out.

And I just knew this was coming...

Later, as he sat twiddling his thumbs (metaphorically), I wanted to make sure he had finished the day's assignments. He went looking for the review worksheet...

"I threw it out." With the wad of paper he just cleared out of his backpack. Naturally.

Me: "Well, go get it."

It was early in the day. The trash can had been emptied the night before, and the only thing in the can besides the liner was the wad of paper he had thrown out.

"I don't want to go digging through the trash."

Um...

I probably should have been nice and given him a fresh sheet of paper. Probably. Or, I could have gone and retrieved the page he had thrown out. I had no compunction about digging through the trash. But I did neither of these things.

What do you think? Was I a meanie for not fixing this for him? What would you have done?

Paper, Please

It was the last day before spring break. The class was to write the final draft of an essay on the Holocaust. The students were to "use paper provided" and write only on the front of the sheet.

Okay. I passed out the paper. Gave the instructions. Suffered through their grumbles. No worries, right?

Except I saw the problem right at the top of first period. There was no way I had enough paper for every period.

First period used about a third of the stack that the teacher left me. Second period more than halved what was left. I ran out just as I passed out the remaining sheets in third period.

I follow lesson plans. This one said, "Don't let them use their own paper." (Emphasis was hers.) But I only carry enough paper with me for my use (like writing notes to the teacher).

This is not the first time this sort of thing has happened to me.

Dear Teachers,

When you leave paper (or worksheets) for your students to use in your absence, please leave more than you think they'll need. The sub (me) does not have access to where one can get more of anything. Thanks for your help.

Sincerely, Your Sub

I hate not being able to follow the lesson plan to the letter.

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...

Do you think the teacher will be mad at me? (I swear, I wasn't wasting paper. The class was working on their essays diligently. Not a paper airplane or crumpled page in sight.) What would you have done in my situation?

A Neon Green Pen

"She gave up!" (This said with quite a bit of glee.)

I went around the classroom giving each student a sheet of assignment questions and a blank page on which to do the work. (This was at the continuation high school. They don't bring paper.) As I moved up the row, I found work distributed to students who I had not gotten to yet. That's when I saw the boy handing off the 3rd set of pages I had given him to a neighboring student.

I asked him: "You're not going to do it?"

I suppose I should have pushed harder. But it was Friday. At the continuation high school. I might have gotten him to keep the papers on his desk eventually, but he wasn't going to do the work. So, I moved on.

He was astonished. (See: quote above.)

Another student explained he couldn't do the assignment because he had nothing to write with. I offered a pencil. (The students don't bring pens/pencils to school either.)

"I can't write with pencils. I need...uh...a neon green pen."

Uh huh. Because I might be able to procure a pen for him, but could I find a neon green one?

Well, at least he kept the assignment.

Later, I passed by his desk. He had a pen. A black one. And then when I collected the work, he had done some. Not all of it, but more than some of them. In black ink.

The strangest thing was that period was the group that turned in the most work.  

No Notebook

7th grade science. They start class with a "warm up". This time, they were to read two pages from their textbooks and answer the four questions that went along with it.

One boy wasn't doing it. His desk was empty, so I asked him what he was doing. He explained that he didn't have his science notebook.

I got this excuse several times during the day, so I had a solution. They could do the warm up on a loose piece of paper and staple it into the notebook when they got their notebooks back. Every other student was okay with this, so I reiterated that instruction.

"I don't have any paper."

Of course not. I wasn't much in the mood, so I informed the student that I'd let his teacher know this. As he wasn't bothering anybody at the time, I was going to let it go at that.

Two minutes later, the boy pulled a notebook out of his backpack. Hmm. I guess it wasn't lost after all.

Unencumbered by Stuff

Back, ages ago, when I was a high school student, I used to wish for a day when I wouldn't have to carry anything to school. No books. No pencils. No paper. Absolutely nothing.

I was never able to do this. Even my very last day of school was filled with finals, so I had to carry writing utensils. And I couldn't not bring my yearbook around for everyone to sign.

Nowadays, I can get some semblance of this when I am asked to cover an extra period. I will leave my school bag in the room I'm in for the day, and I'll walk around campus unencumbered by stuff. It's a free feeling, and I enjoy it immensely.

Thursday was the last day of the quarter, so it was a minimum day. I expected a class filled with random movie. Instead I was to administer the district-mandated quarterly benchmark exam.

I have done this sort of thing before, so I knew the drill. I was a bit surprised that the teacher hadn't left me any #2 pencils as many students forget to have one on hand, but there was nothing to be done at that point (I don't carry extras). I dove in and hoped for the best.

The first class trickled in, and everyone had their usual school stuff except for one girl. She was dressed in sweats, and she carried nothing with her. The other students asked where her backpack was. She told them she left it at home. It was the last day of the quarter; no one was doing anything.

Guess again.

As I had already passed out their answer sheets, they knew immediately what was on the agenda for the day. The girl had to scramble to find a pencil. She asked me, of course, and I told her what I told the other five students who asked before her. She did what those other students had done as well--she found a classmate to borrow from.

This is why I never went a day supply-less when I was in school. No matter how sure I was that we were doing nothing, I knew that one teacher would give us actual work. One always did.

Did you ever go to class supply-less? Did you ever wish to?

Book Fake Out

Today I covered a graphic arts class. The teacher left them book work.

This is usual for shop-type classes. Because of the specialized equipment, teachers don't let the students do their usual projects when there's a sub supervising. (This class gets to do all the interesting arty stuff like silk screening t-shirts.) I wouldn't know what to look out for. Besides, when students have a sub, they can't be counted on to use their best judgment.

The students did not want to do the book work. But middle schoolers can't be trusted to do nothing all period, so I insisted.

I had the first group leave the books out on the students' tables. So, during 5th period when table 3 told me that they didn't have any books, I was momentarily thrown. Before I started to look around the room for some more books, however, I noticed that there was a stack of books...on the lap of one of the students.

Slick.

The rest of the table acted as if they were shocked. Yeah, I wasn't buying it.

What perplexes me is why. Did they think that if they didn't have books, I wouldn't make them do the assignment?

They probably weren't thinking that far ahead. If they had, they would have hidden the books better.

At least it made for an entertaining anecdote in my note to their teacher.

Lending Supplies

"You came to class unprepared...?"

That's what I say to students when they tell me that they don't have paper or they don't have a pencil (or both).  Unfortunately, only once did the student appear worried after my statement.  The rest of the time, the students have some long, drawn-out explanation as to why they don't have their materials.

What to do, then, when a student doesn't have the required materials?  This is my problem, because if the student isn't doing the assignment, he will find a different way to entertain himself, and that usually involves some form of misbehavior.

After I utter the above phrase, many times a neighboring student will offer to lend the missing item.  I thank that student and make sure that the unprepared student thanks the peer as well.  Problem solved.  If only it was always that easy.

I don't carry extra supplies with me.  I don't make it a habit to lend out paper.  I don't want to become the sub that always has an extra pencil for the students.  Besides, my bag is heavy enough.  I don't need to lug around extra stuff for students.  And I don't want to constantly replace the stuff that I won't get back.

So, when they don't have their materials, it is a problem.

I also try not to lend out the full-time teacher's supplies.  Unless the teacher left out stuff with that intent, I have to assume that the students are expected to have their stuff.  But sometimes the students say that the teacher does lend out pencils.  They could by lying, but I can't know that for sure.

The next best thing is to make sure that I get the lent pencil back.

It's so easy to forget who has what.  At the end of a period, it's also easy to forget that something was lent out.  So, it's best to ask for collateral up front (or "something of value" to those that don't know what collateral means).

Some days I can get quite the collection.  Things like mp3 players (which they're not supposed to have at school), cell phones, and wallets are great.  I know they'll remember to return the pencil.  I've had students leave a whole backpack.  A student ID is okay.  They won't necessarily remember that they left it with me, but I know who left it, and I can remind them.

I think my favorite thing to ask for is a shoe.  The kid won't forget to get a shoe back.  But most middle school teachers don't like the idea.  Middle schoolers without shoes?  Middle school classrooms tend to stink anyway.  That makes it so much worse.  But most students balk at the shoe idea anyway.  They find something else for me.

Most days, the student without supplies finds a way to get the work done (or at least looks like she's working).  But not all days.

Sometimes I shake my head and walk away.  Sure, it's better to keep the student busy.  But when all else fails, I can always write up a misbehaving student and kick her out of class.  The referral starts with, "Student came to class without materials, and then..."

Luckily, most days this is only a minor issue.