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I'm newly retired from 25 years of teaching & am substitute teaching for my "kid fix."
This week I had to administer the standardized test to a class. After the exam, the kids were getting a little noisy during partner work.
So I flicked the lights, a universal signal for quiet down in every school in which I've taught. The kids all screeched & jumped under their desks. At this school, it is a signal for a lock-down!
I'm newly retired from 25 years of teaching & am substitute teaching for my "kid fix."
This week I had to administer the standardized test to a class. After the exam, the kids were getting a little noisy during partner work.
So I flicked the lights, a universal signal for quiet down in every school in which I've taught. The kids all screeched & jumped under their desks. At this school, it is a signal for a lock-down!
I have a lot to learn again
LOL! If it quieted them down, I would continue to use it!
Here's an interesting little story. I was sub teaching 10th grade English earlier this week. The teacher had warned me that Period 6 was especially difficult to handle. Normally, I do not have any problems with discipline but this class was really tough. I would solve a little crisis on one side of the room and immediately need to rush to the other side to get those kids working and rush back to motivate someone else and then get other kids to stop goofing around. Even my stern "teacher look" with one eyebrow raised didn't work with this class.
The biggest problem was that one of the kids was acting like a class clown. I would get him to sit down and within a minute or two he would be up sharpening his pencil again or borrowing another sheet of paper or pretending he was doing the bunny hop or something else silly. When he was sitting down he would constantly shout out "funny" quips or comments. Not only was he not working but it was making it hard for the other students to work.
So, for the first time this year I called the office to send help.
In walks the school safety officer (a plainclothes police officer) complete with her badge, gun in a holster, metal handcuffs and other things attached to her belt. You could have heard a pin drop in the room. She asked me in a firm voice, "Who do you need removed from the class?". I pointed to the class clown and he looked like he was about to pass out. She told him in a firm, cold voice."Come with me." He was stunned and went with her. The assistant principal then called me into the hallway to find out what the student had done. I explained that there wasn't a huge problem just that he needed constant reminders and he was disrupting the the students who were trying to work.
About 10 minutes later the class clown returned, apologized to me, sat down in his desk, started working and never said a word to anyone the rest of the period.
After school I spoke to the police officer. She said that he was terrified that he was being arrested (he wasn't arrested, he just had to serve a lunch time detention) and she doubted that he would be acting up for any other substitute teachers.
Here's an interesting little story. I was sub teaching 10th grade English earlier this week. The teacher had warned me that Period 6 was especially difficult to handle. Normally, I do not have any problems with discipline but this class was really tough. I would solve a little crisis on one side of the room and immediately need to rush to the other side to get those kids working and rush back to motivate someone else and then get other kids to stop goofing around. Even my stern "teacher look" with one eyebrow raised didn't work with this class.
The biggest problem was that one of the kids was acting like a class clown. I would get him to sit down and within a minute or two he would be up sharpening his pencil again or borrowing another sheet of paper or pretending he was doing the bunny hop or something else silly. When he was sitting down he would constantly shout out "funny" quips or comments. Not only was he not working but it was making it hard for the other students to work.
So, for the first time this year I called the office to send help.
In walks the school safety officer (a plainclothes police officer) complete with her badge, gun in a holster, metal handcuffs and other things attached to her belt. You could have heard a pin drop in the room. She asked me in a firm voice, "Who do you need removed from the class?". I pointed to the class clown and he looked like he was about to pass out. She told him in a firm, cold voice."Come with me." He was stunned and went with her. The assistant principal then called me into the hallway to find out what the student had done. I explained that there wasn't a huge problem just that he needed constant reminders and he was disrupting the the students who were trying to work.
About 10 minutes later the class clown returned, apologized to me, sat down in his desk, started working and never said a word to anyone the rest of the period.
After school I spoke to the police officer. She said that he was terrified that he was being arrested (he wasn't arrested, he just had to serve a lunch time detention) and she doubted that he would be acting up for any other substitute teachers.
Maybe I'll call the office more often.
Where is this school?
When you said bunny hopping it sounded like middle school.
So, for the first time this year I called the office to send help.
...............................................
Maybe I'll call the office more often.
This is probably why they were so helpful. Admins are so much more likely to respond to those who rarely call them for help. It's the teachers who call them in for every little thing that tend to get the brush off. (at least that's how it was at my school)
I have a feeling you won't be needing to call them again any time soon. I expect word will get around that you aren't one to mess with.
Here's an interesting little story. I was sub teaching 10th grade English earlier this week. The teacher had warned me that Period 6 was especially difficult to handle. Normally, I do not have any problems with discipline but this class was really tough. I would solve a little crisis on one side of the room and immediately need to rush to the other side to get those kids working and rush back to motivate someone else and then get other kids to stop goofing around. Even my stern "teacher look" with one eyebrow raised didn't work with this class.
The biggest problem was that one of the kids was acting like a class clown. I would get him to sit down and within a minute or two he would be up sharpening his pencil again or borrowing another sheet of paper or pretending he was doing the bunny hop or something else silly. When he was sitting down he would constantly shout out "funny" quips or comments. Not only was he not working but it was making it hard for the other students to work.
So, for the first time this year I called the office to send help.
In walks the school safety officer (a plainclothes police officer) complete with her badge, gun in a holster, metal handcuffs and other things attached to her belt. You could have heard a pin drop in the room. She asked me in a firm voice, "Who do you need removed from the class?". I pointed to the class clown and he looked like he was about to pass out. She told him in a firm, cold voice."Come with me." He was stunned and went with her. The assistant principal then called me into the hallway to find out what the student had done. I explained that there wasn't a huge problem just that he needed constant reminders and he was disrupting the the students who were trying to work.
About 10 minutes later the class clown returned, apologized to me, sat down in his desk, started working and never said a word to anyone the rest of the period.
After school I spoke to the police officer. She said that he was terrified that he was being arrested (he wasn't arrested, he just had to serve a lunch time detention) and she doubted that he would be acting up for any other substitute teachers.
Maybe I'll call the office more often.
Dang..I could have used one of those school safety officers today.
I subbed and had a class of 35 that I was warned of and sure enough it was "Lord of the Flies" and all I could do was manage to keep the volume of the socializing down. Forget any type of work.
Only 4 actually did the work and turned it in. 31 vs 1 ..the odds were against me and I didn't even attempt it after taking 10 minutes just to get attendance done.
I subbed for an English class today and we read "The Raven" by Poe.
I mentioned that I had learned this in English when I was in school "a long time ago".
A student raised his hand and asked if I ever met him (Poe 1809-1849)
My reply.."No, he lived in Baltimore and I lived in New York City".
Today I subbed in a 5th grade class. In science they were reading aloud about small jetties, called groins. They all had a cow with that word. I, though, had never heard of THAT kind of groin either LOL.
Here's an interesting little story. I was sub teaching 10th grade English earlier this week. The teacher had warned me that Period 6 was especially difficult to handle. Normally, I do not have any problems with discipline but this class was really tough. I would solve a little crisis on one side of the room and immediately need to rush to the other side to get those kids working and rush back to motivate someone else and then get other kids to stop goofing around. Even my stern "teacher look" with one eyebrow raised didn't work with this class.
The biggest problem was that one of the kids was acting like a class clown. I would get him to sit down and within a minute or two he would be up sharpening his pencil again or borrowing another sheet of paper or pretending he was doing the bunny hop or something else silly. When he was sitting down he would constantly shout out "funny" quips or comments. Not only was he not working but it was making it hard for the other students to work.
So, for the first time this year I called the office to send help.
In walks the school safety officer (a plainclothes police officer) complete with her badge, gun in a holster, metal handcuffs and other things attached to her belt. You could have heard a pin drop in the room. She asked me in a firm voice, "Who do you need removed from the class?". I pointed to the class clown and he looked like he was about to pass out. She told him in a firm, cold voice."Come with me." He was stunned and went with her. The assistant principal then called me into the hallway to find out what the student had done. I explained that there wasn't a huge problem just that he needed constant reminders and he was disrupting the the students who were trying to work.
About 10 minutes later the class clown returned, apologized to me, sat down in his desk, started working and never said a word to anyone the rest of the period.
After school I spoke to the police officer. She said that he was terrified that he was being arrested (he wasn't arrested, he just had to serve a lunch time detention) and she doubted that he would be acting up for any other substitute teachers.
Maybe I'll call the office more often.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Everdeen
Where is this school?
When you said bunny hopping it sounded like middle school.
This is a HS in a nice suburb outside of a major city.
It wasn't exactly"bunny hopping" just sort of "this is how I irritate the sub by hopping/jumping/dancing/moving from place to place."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eresh
This is probably why they were so helpful. Admins are so much more likely to respond to those who rarely call them for help. It's the teachers who call them in for every little thing that tend to get the brush off. (at least that's how it was at my school)
I have a feeling you won't be needing to call them again any time soon. I expect word will get around that you aren't one to mess with.
This is only the second time that I needed to call the office in four years of subbing at this high school. Most of the students already know not to mess around with me! LOL
Actually, I treat students with respect and expect/demand that they work in class and most respect me for that. Over the four years I have built a solid positive relationship with many students and that really helps me as a substitute teacher.
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