Ever found yourself stepping into a room, heart pounding with the weight of past judgments about the group you're about to meet? That's the pulse of this 10th episode of Substitute Teacher's Lounge, where we celebrate the connections we've forged and the shared journey through the ups and downs of substitute teaching. Join me as we journey back to an episode that has especially resonated with listeners and explore the transformation that unfolds when you set the bar high for students who've been branded troublesome. My story paints a vivid picture of how nurturing a supportive atmosphere can lead to remarkable shifts in a classroom.
Ever found yourself stepping into a room, heart pounding with the weight of past judgments about the group you're about to meet? That's the pulse of this 10th episode of Substitute Teacher's Lounge, where we celebrate the connections we've forged and the shared journey through the ups and downs of substitute teaching. Join me as we journey back to an episode that has especially resonated with listeners and explore the transformation that unfolds when you set the bar high for students who've been branded troublesome. My story paints a vivid picture of how nurturing a supportive atmosphere can lead to remarkable shifts in a classroom.
We have had so many new subscribers in the last couple of years that I'm going to play an archive episode from before that. Since we've had this podcast for five years, I want you to hear some of the episodes that made this podcast popular. So enjoy this archive episode this week that you probably have never heard before. All right, I made it through six periods of my day. Here it comes, period seven. It's going to be a good day. The kids love me so far, and then the troublemaker shows up. What do we do? We're into double digits.
Speaker 1:Next, episode 10, substitute teachers lounge. Man, this is so cool. You guys have been so great as far as this podcast is concerned. It's grown through all 10 episodes, but now it's kind of growing exponentially. I mean, I see growth every day. So far, my interview with Ms Sheffield a couple of weeks ago is the most popular episode so far, but they're all continue to climb. Even the very first episode, I guess new people come in and start listening to all the episodes. That one continues to climb too. So I'm really excited and again, I want this to be your lounge. I want this to be where you share your ideas. Some of you have done that, but I still want to take it to a level that you know. Maybe I can either talk about what you want to talk about or have you come on and talk about what you want to talk about.
Speaker 1:Let me remind you my email address is Greg Collins, substitute at gmailcom. But let me also mention my Twitter account. A lot of you are on Twitter. I don't do a whole lot of posting yet on Twitter. I do more listening or reading than I do posting. But my Twitter account is at subteachlounge. That is S-U-B-T-E-A-C-H-L-O-U-N-G-E sub at subteachlounge. So I would love to get a post from you guys on there. I would love for you to participate in that way, and we've got a lot of good things planned in the future, so please participate.
Speaker 1:Even the substitute teacher is driving me crazy. I was all excited that I had three of the first four days scheduled to sub days three, four and five so I just knew that I was going to be subbing forever. Day six came along and I did turn down one substitute job at an elementary school. I promise you elementary subs. I will do that one day. All it said was elementary school. I'm a little bit nervous about teaching less than grade four, so I've got to get better at that. But I turned that one down and nothing else popped up. Then nothing else on Thursday or Friday. So I'm going crazy. You know I'm setting home my fifth grade wife teacher tells me that you know it's August, everybody is showing up to teach at her school too. And to make it worse, I'm a volleyball official and I see these kids that I've taught when they're on the volleyball court. So they're coming up to me and saying, mr Collins, when are you going to substitute Teach our class again? So it's absolutely killing me. I hope you're getting lots of work Now, as I say that I've signed up for three sub jobs this morning. So it's, it's going to go away. I'm just going to have to tolerate it, and I, I, I, as you, enjoy substitute teaching. We've got a lot of good stuff to talk about.
Speaker 1:I want to share with you my experience from my substitute teaching on Tuesday, from two aspects. One is the opening teaser One. Now, I overstepped it a little bit. I wouldn't actually call this a troublemaker's student, really, but some of you guys would, because we're all different and you define troublemakers in different ways. But let's start off by just when I showed up in the classroom before the students even got there. You have heard me say before that I really prefer going into a class kind of blind and not knowing what kind of students I'm going to have. I'm not real crazy about looking at another teacher's notes, or even the teacher's notes. I guess I'm okay with looking at them, but I really want to make up my own mind as far as a student goes. So let me tell you what happened to me.
Speaker 1:I walked into the classroom evidently this teacher this was her second day off and there was a different substitute in there yesterday. So she left six pages of notes about the classroom. Now, I'm okay with that. She shared absences. It's not what I do, believe me. She shared absences. She shared good things about the students, and then there was one period where she wrote down.
Speaker 1:You know the kids were loud, obnoxious. I couldn't figure out any way to get them under control. I almost wrote two kids up. So I gotta tell you guys. First of all, I probably shouldn't have read it, but it was right out on the desk and you know how curious he is. I had to read it and you know that I don't want to make up my mind on students. So I had to decide what I'm going to do. So this particular period, I decided that I was going to encourage them to be the best period of the day.
Speaker 1:All the kids that I come in contact with, as I've told you, I always tell them that I'm not one that leaves notes for the teacher about the worst class of the day. I'm one that leaves notes to the teacher about what I consider the best class of the day. And when that class came in, I didn't tell them what the teacher wrote. I didn't approach it that way, but I did tell them this. I don't know what reputation you guys think this period has, but let me tell you what I told all the other periods. I always leave a note for the teacher to tell me what the best period of the day was. And I want that guy that guy to be you guys, because I want the period to reflect this particular period. I want to show the teacher that you guys really have it going on Now. I know that you're freshman and you're talkative, and so was I when I was a freshman, but let's work together and make the talking productive.
Speaker 1:And they did real well and I wanted them to be my best class of the day and they were. I didn't make it up, I didn't fudge the numbers, so to speak, to make sure they came out on top, but they did so well. They worked in groups. So they still talked a lot, but they worked in groups and every group I looked at was getting their work done. In fact they did so well. I asked one of them you know who's the smartest student in here, who's a good writer? And a couple of them raised their hands and then I said why don't one of you write me some notes about what you would like me to say, or leave for your student teacher to read tomorrow? So they did and they were very diplomatic. They didn't say we were the best students in the world, they just said they were very good about dropping teaching in there. They said Mr Collins, let us work together. He let us talk as long as we were getting our job done. We'd like to have him back as a substitute. And it worked exactly the way I had hoped.
Speaker 1:Now I don't know about you we're all different, but I, as I like I said, when I came in and saw that paper, I considered it a challenge. I wanted that trouble period from the day before to be my best class, and that's the way I approached it. You know, I know you all have probably heard the old story about a new teacher. I don't know if it's fictional or not, but a new teacher was given told about two classes One, they said, was a very low achieving class, one was a high achieving class and that teacher taught them in different ways, she looked at them in different ways and really it was just a test because neither of the class were high achievers and neither of the class were low achievers and it caused her to react differently to both classes. I try not to do that. I you know, some classes have reputations.
Speaker 1:When you go in as a sub, I would encourage you to do your best not to go in expecting the bad but shooting for the good. I like to word it Each day is a new experience. Yesterday is over. Even if you've had this class before and you remember your troublemakers, you know, maybe a little extra encouragement is all they need to pull them over to your side. As you know, I don't come in there and immediately act like I'm the big boss. I usually come in and make comments like you know I'm. I'm not here, you know, free. You're not here for me, I'm here for you. I want this to be your experience. I want to learn right alongside you and we can all grow together and we can all be sympathetic to each other's needs. And they know I like to have a debate or two at the end of class and I think they respect that. So that worked out well that day. So let's talk about the quote. Unquote troublemaker last period of the day.
Speaker 1:Let me give you a little background. This was a class that the teacher chose to leave a lot of work. I didn't need. You know how I am, I like to have a few minutes of my own, but we really didn't do that. I didn't want to take away From their class time so it would minimize the amount of homework they had at the end of the day. So there was a lot of work in that regard and there was some grumblings because some of them didn't want to do that much work. Some of them just quietly jumped in and did it anyway. So you know you're typical. Students will react in different ways. You'll have some that don't complain. You'll have some that complain but do it, and then you'll have some that. Just it's hard for them to get motivated to do it.
Speaker 1:So as we were progressing through the day, one student said something he shouldn't. Now I'll be honest with you. You know that I am a retired accountant. I am not a retired teacher. I know that a lot of you all you guys are either substituting On your way to a full time teaching job, or perhaps you're a retired teacher that loves those kids so much you went back to substitute, teach some more to keep, you know, keep close to the kids and do that kind of thing. So in one regard, a lot of you, I'm guessing, knows a lot more about protocol and what, how you should handle different things that happen in your classroom. Then I do and, to be honest, maybe that gives me a little bit more freedom, or maybe I'm taking freedom whether I deserve it or not and try some different approaches with these kids, even when they have to kind of shift into disciplinary mode.
Speaker 1:So this particular kid Said, said something he shouldn't have, and there was a reaction from the class. It wasn't terrible, but it's obviously obvious. They couldn't believe that he said it. So he said it again after I had told him not to say it again. Now the immediate reaction from a lot of you and to be honest, it was my initial reaction as well. I basically said OK, I had given you the warning, let's go.
Speaker 1:I chose one of the kids that I thought was responsible to set with the classes for the high school area again, by the way, and I noticed there was a very strange look on the young gentleman's face. The second time he said it. He didn't get near the class reaction that he got the first time. I think the reason he said it the second time is because it he got attention the first time he said it from the rest of the class. The second time they just basically ignored him and ignored him and couldn't believe that he had said it again. So I looked at him and I could tell his expression changed and I said OK, let's do it this way. You get your work back out and start working on it again and we'll see if we can go from here now. He didn't smile, but he did change his attitude and he was quiet. The rest of the class, in fact.
Speaker 1:I continued to glance at him from time to time and I noticed that none of the other classmates were any longer giving him any attention and he was sitting there kind of like a loner and I think it made him think twice about possibly doing that in the future. So I didn't get him in trouble. I'm sure that there are other students that have been written up, sent to the office, whatever, for saying the same things that he did. But I chose not to do that and I think it did him a little bit of good. I noticed that as the class progressed he at least started on his work. He didn't make any more comments, didn't say a whole lot of anything. He didn't try to push the point. He didn't try to challenge me any longer. He just tried his best, given his abilities, to finish as much of the work as possible, just like the other classmates.
Speaker 1:So we went through the rest of the period. Everything else went fine. I didn't hear another word out of him. One thing I noticed is, since it was the end of the day, usually once that announcements go up or are set over the intercom, they start lining up at the front door and I kind of kept an eye on him to see you know what he was doing. He really didn't talk to anybody. He walked over and I was standing close to the front door and he actually came over and stood right next to me and was very subdued. In fact he kind of gave me a nod like a smile and that was it. Now I'm not going to begin to sit here and tell you that I think I changed that kid's life, but you know, it went from the possibility of dragging him to the office, getting him in trouble, and instead I chose to give him another chance and I think that helped him in the long run.
Speaker 1:I'd love to hear your thoughts about when things like that have challenged or have challenged you. I think maybe there's different grade levels, that perhaps you have to speak a different way. I've heard some words say, as an example, I've heard some words said in high school that I realized the kids that were saying them were talking to their friends and I would go up to them and say listen, I can't tell you to talk outside of what, how to talk outside of this class, but don't talk like that within, where you know close enough to me, where I can hear it, because that really doesn't belong in the classroom. Every time I have done that probably done that about a half a dozen times They've all said I'm sorry, yeah, I shouldn't say that in here, and I could go into a big speech about how you really shouldn't say that anywhere. But who am I to judge them? I just tell them that we can't tolerate that in the classroom.
Speaker 1:So I actually came out of that day feeling well, because that student that I could have labeled as a troublemaker sent him to the office. All that good stuff ruined his day, ruined my. It would have ruined my day too, for that matter. I gave him the second chance. He seemed to react positive to it, got some work done and gave me a nod on his way out of the room. So maybe, just maybe, when I get the opportunity to teach him again, you know, maybe he'll look at me a little bit differently. Not that I would tolerate things like that. If he did it again, I think he knows that the next time I would have to. You know, if he forces my hand I would have to do something. But maybe for that just that little short period of time, maybe it paid off and did him a little bit of good, and if it did, I'm glad for that.
Speaker 1:It's interesting at this particular school as I mentioned, it was a high school. You know, they've always had a policy, up until this year, that the students could have their cell phones right out in the class. Now, to me, a smart teacher takes that and comes up with some activities to use their phone so that they're not just texting on their phone. Now, they're not supposed to text but, let's face it, a lot of them do, a lot of them, you would see, with an earphone in their ear, one ear so that they can hear at the other. And I'll be perfectly honest, I know a lot of you do not like that. That doesn't bother me. I'm not sure any of the noise bothers me, as long as they're getting their work done. In fact, this year that high school changed their policy. So no more cell phones, they have to hang them on the wall. I'm not sure if it's true, but it sounds like it was because maybe one teacher got upset and caused such a stink. I don't know this for sure, but that's the rumor I had heard and for that reason there's no more cell phones.
Speaker 1:And it's kind of ironic that a lot of these students I had several freshmen this particular day and a lot of them remembered me when I taught their middle schools. There are three middle schools that funnel into this high school and I taught most of the kids in there. So they remembered me and also remembered me saying, when they were in middle school and they were eighth graders, that just think, guys, next, next year, you're being high school and you'll get to look forward to being able to hang on to your cell phones and to get away from dress codes. So they were excited about that. And then, lo and behold, here we are. They changed the policy and they can't have cell phones.
Speaker 1:Personally, my initial reaction is that it's caused more harm than good cause. It really puts the teachers on the spot to police some additional things that they didn't have to do before. It is really a difficult policy to uphold. You have to I mean, let's face it even though you tell those kids to put their cell phones in slots. Not all the kids have cell phones and some of them will claim that they don't when they've really got it stuck in their pocket. So it is so difficult to police. Only the good students are the ones that are going to abide by the policy. The others will try to get away with as much as they can.
Speaker 1:It'll be interesting to see how the year progresses and how they feel it went, how they were able to carry out the policy and See if it continues to be that way next year. I'm gonna take a wild guess that maybe they change it back, but I don't know. Apparently, the teacher that complained had a right to complain. They she felt that they were using them too much for non-class things. I'm not sure why. There was only a handful of teachers that thought that, apparently, the other teachers were had come up with some kind of way to make it much better. But that's one of the things that really caused some problems and I think that the Classes I taught, they were so upset about it that it really bothered them it. You know, when I tried to debate just a little bit, that was the topic they wanted to come up with and they basically say and I agree with this point that they want to be considered adults now and they want to be able to make up their own minds in that regard. I won't disagree or agree with that statement, but I think they have the right to make it. So it'll be interesting to see how that goes, and I would love to hear your comments too. In fact, it kind of makes me wonder, you know, do we sometimes Over-concentrate on compliance to policies and Therefore undermine our abilities to get those students engaged because they're so distracted about what they have to do? But that's a discussion probably for another day.
Speaker 1:You know, and it's interesting, one of the other topics I talked about to the high school kids In fact, as I recall, it was the period that the Previous substitute had left the bad notes about that. I tried to encourage to be the good class. I told them that a lot of times when we substitute teachers get to high school classes, it raises the anxiety level a little bit Because you know a lot of the students in the room. I said you guys are bigger than I am, so there's like a reverse intimidation factor that you know. Maybe when some of the bigger students might intend to joke around about something, it gets interpreted as an intimidating factor. And I told them that's the reason for some of our anxiety when we teach high school. You know those. They have been through a lot more. They're closer to being adults, they've been exposed to a lot more, so there's a lot more things that they have to deal with. So I told them remember that when your substitute teachers came in that come in, they might be as nervous about the class as you are. So, you know, give them some time to know, you get to know them and let's all get through the process together.
Speaker 1:One of the cool things I'll mention to you that day too is I was going down and taking row. I pronounced one girl's name as Kyrie. It was spelled k-y-r-i-e and I hesker. I said, did I pronounce your name right? And she said no, it's actually curie. And I thought, well, you know, is that like the song from the 80s? And she said, yes, I was named for that song.
Speaker 1:So it gave me a chance to goof around with that class a little bit, because I always loved that song. So I sang curie. It's by, if you want to look it up, it's by a group called mr, mr, and the whole phrase is curie, a laison, which actually means lord, have mercy on us. So I thought that was interesting. She said, yes, that's the song, okay. And she, she wasn't embarrassed at all.
Speaker 1:I think I might might have been one of my middle school school students from last year, but I thought that was kind of a cool way to get that class started. Let's remember guys and gals, as we go into our sub jobs, let's try our best to go in looking for the best rather than expecting the worst. You know my personal opinion as we, as we shouldn't go in Like the beast, maybe go in more like the beauty and try to uh, you know encourage those kids that this will be a good class if we all work in that regards towards that. So hope you have a good week of substitute teaching. We thank you for listening to episode 10 of the substitute teacher's lounge Music provided by bingsoundcom.