I'm sharing insights into the importance of being a steady figure in the lives of students—popularity aside—and how that bridges gaps and fosters meaningful connections. Whether they view me as a stand-in parent or just that cool sub, my quest to be the most effective educator during these fluid times remains at the heart of every lesson plan. Join me in the Substitute Teachers Lounge for stories, reflections, and maybe even a few teachable moments.
I'm sharing insights into the importance of being a steady figure in the lives of students—popularity aside—and how that bridges gaps and fosters meaningful connections. Whether they view me as a stand-in parent or just that cool sub, my quest to be the most effective educator during these fluid times remains at the heart of every lesson plan. Join me in the Substitute Teachers Lounge for stories, reflections, and maybe even a few teachable moments.
Greg Collins. Substitute teachers lounge. It is March 5th 2024. I'm less than a week away from my birthday. In case you haven't picked out a gift yet, do that I'm just getting today. You know there's a lot of things that we have to deal with as substitute teachers and I thought it was about time we talk about today's topic. You know, in the past we've talked about you have to deal with disruptive students. You have to deal with maybe long term substitute teaching where your commitment goes up. You have to deal with students that just talk all the time, like myself, and haven't stopped till this day. And you even have to deal with today's topic, which is how do you deal with being embarrassingly popular? Let's do it. Substitute teachers lounge. Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 1:This may be my first kind of tongue in cheek episode. I'm doing this for last, at least in the beginning, and then I guess this is going to be the fourth episode in a row where I've talked about how things have changed. So stick around, I'm not, you know. The reason this popped into my head is because of a couple of things that happened to me this week. That sort of embarrass me, and we'll talk about that first and then move on to more serious topics that I think we can all have you share some practical information that we can use in the future. So first story I'll share with you actually happened six years ago and I've shared this story with you before, but it fits so well here because it was a little bit embarrassing.
Speaker 1:I had substitute taught for maybe a half a dozen days at this one particular school sixth grade, and you know those of you that have taught middle schools I used to say that sixth grade was always my favorite group to teach. I still like teaching them. I don't think they're my favorite group anymore, just because of various different things you've heard me talk about over the past few weeks. But I will say this the sixth graders then, which are now the, they're going to be seniors next year. They're juniors now, they're going to be seniors next year. So that's the age group we're talking about. I came in one day he's probably my seventh day there and, bless their hearts, they see me at the door. You know the sixth graders are kind of more cuddly kids they're still huggy, all that kind of stuff and they were jumping up and down and clapping and they were excited that I was there and a friend of mine teacher. I would have felt bad if a teacher I didn't know say this, but she said boy, they never jump in cheer when I come in. And you know, first of all, it wasn't that I was that great, it's just that we got a substitute teacher today. We, like Greg I'm glad he's here I was a little bit embarrassed about that and if you remember listening to an episode in the past where I've talked about popularity, you know I wouldn't really.
Speaker 1:I had plenty of friends in high school. I don't know if I would call myself overly popular, but now I felt like I was one of the most popular substitute teachers. In fact I'll even say it now. A group in high school approached me this week for their newspaper and said they want to take pictures of several of the substitute teachers that they like to have around the building. That'll be embarrassing too, but the two stories this week that I thought were embarrassing was I was at a high school.
Speaker 1:These students that I'm getting ready to talk about, they are the just exact same kids I was just talking about their juniors now in this high school and I had them. I've known them 6th, 6th grade, in fact. I'll get to a basketball game I went to last night here in just a moment. But they, everybody on that basketball court last night I had substituted boys and girls. It was a we're into what's called districts, then we do regionals, then we do the state tournament. That's the way it works here in Kentucky. Obviously, the districts are the smaller groupings, then you go into the bigger groupings and so on.
Speaker 1:But these were some of the kids that I had taught when they were in 6th grade. I'm still subbing them now and I was walking down the hallway to get to my classroom there was another teacher between me, walking towards me, and the students that I knew coming down the hallway. You know, they started yelling from the other end of the hallway Greg, greg, this was before school, so it wasn't a big deal, greg Greg, they had gotten there early and I think the teacher thought they were talking to him, turned around. He was excited and then the kids got embarrassed. Then they started laughing a little bit and then I kind of turned my back. I just said guys, you're embarrassing me. And then I felt embarrassed for the other teacher because he thought they were talking to them. So he responded and it was just crazy. But you know I'm popular with those kids. They like to have me in their class.
Speaker 1:The other thing that happened yesterday In fact it happened two days in a row I taught the same middle school the last two days, and in the morning you all know me I'm an early bird, so I got there probably 15 minutes before the kids were allowed to come in the actual hallways, go to the lockers and all that stuff, and these were probably a combination of sixth seventh graders. Maybe it was time for them to come in, but the glass doors at the end of the hallway were still locked, and if this particular school, they do in fact give me a key that I can unlock things. So the first day they beat on the door and say Greg, greg, greg. And so I went down and let them in. You know, get, gave them high fives, fist bumps, all that good Same, dab me up, all that cool stuff.
Speaker 1:Next day, though, I was talking to a teacher before it was time for them to come in. In fact, it was a teacher whose kids I have had in my class before, and she's probably I'm at the end of the hallway. That glass door we talked about was at the other end of the hallway Anyway, she was about halfway team between but there's nobody in the hallway so we could talk to each other and hear each other. Well, here come the kids. They start knocking on the door, so she goes down to let them in and all of a sudden they say no, no, no, we want Greg to do it. And I'm thinking, guys, you're embarrassing me. I like the feeling, but yet they're embarrassing me. And the teacher was friends with me. She knew the kids like to have me in their class so she just said too bad, I'm letting you in today. So you know, those things were a little bit embarrassing.
Speaker 1:This next story is not that embarrassing. I you know I've shared with you that I was an assistant volleyball coach for a high school in my area this year. It just happens I didn't know this when I first started and it doesn't really matter for the story, but they are the second highest enrollment of any public school in Kentucky. So it's a really big school with a really experienced coach for volleyball and I really learned so much from her. I know some of the players are listening to this and the reason I'm bringing it up is I'm switching schools. I'm going to the other high school in the county, other public high school in the county. I'm coaching for them now that the coach asked me. So I went to the coach I had worked for last year and I told her and she jokingly said no, greg, you're not going to do it. And then I told her this I said listen, you have such a big, you're at such a big school, bigger player pool. You are a 30 year probably at least coach. I said the other team is a smaller school, a newer coach. I really feel like I could have more impact there. And she actually understood that.
Speaker 1:And I have been embarrassed a little bit when I've run into the previous volleyball players because I mean they told me they would tell me flat out. They understand why I made that decision, but they didn't have to like it. And that embarrasses me a little bit because I like all of them. I like all of you guys. If you're listening this week you know I've told you before how it was really close to the seniors I helped coach this past year. They know it's my birthday this week. They also know that I'm going to associate coach now their rival school and yes, they are graduating. But you know that could probably still give them a reason to be upset with me if they wanted to be. Well, they actually contacted me this week. They want to take me out for my birthday.
Speaker 1:So is it that so cool that you make bonds occasionally with students? I see my wife all the time when we're maybe in the grocery store together, just out in public wherever, and students come up up to her all the time and say hi, mrs Collins, hi, mrs Collins, I miss your class from the fifth grade. I remember the stuff we used to do, and these are kids that are out and have their own kids and have their own career, and that kind of thing I like being that type of remembrance for those students. They're students that I will remember. I won't remember them all by name, but I'll remember how effective they were in the classroom. I'll remember all those seniors that are getting ready to take me out for my birthday, so I'll remember all those.
Speaker 1:Now, having said all that, first of all, let's make this comment it's not a requirement to be popular, to be a substitute teacher and in fact, listening or I should say reading the Substitute Teachers Lounge Facebook group, I'm not so sure that maybe the majority don't want to even be popular. They just want to go in and do their job and go home and not build any kind of relationship with the kids at all. I'm not like that. I'll tell you one thing we did me and it was sort of my idea, but I thought it was important to these new volleyball players that would have been at that basketball game last night to see us, me and the head coach, setting together at the game. That shows them that we're already in communication. We all already are comfortable working with each other enough that we enjoy outside activities together. And we did have probably 10 to 12 volleyball players come up and say hello. They saw us seated together. Parents of eighth graders that will be our freshmen next year saw us setting together. They know the commitment is there, they know that we get along well as coaches and I think that's a big part of building a program, just like a big part of building success In the classroom.
Speaker 1:Do things, don't even call it popularity. If you don't want to do things in the classroom, that will make those students want to have you back in the room and make those teachers want to call you back. One of the where I'd substitute for yesterday I'd say yesterday. I'm recording this on Saturday it was actually on Friday that I substitute for also had to substitute the day before and he struggled with them a little bit. Ironically, the class he struggled with a lot of them got pulled from when I was in there because of a couple of Friday projects going on in the school, so I would probably only had 25% of the students, but I gave them a heart to heart. When I got in there I said you all know because of what went on in here yesterday that you're on notice with administration. The principal's gonna walk in here sometime today. You all need to work on your character.
Speaker 1:Now, having said for 13 and a half minutes all this stuff, I'm gonna talk about what disappoints me a little bit. Never cared whether I was popular or not, but I'll have to admit I was excited when I did find out they wanted me to come back. I use an old fashioned word now my popularity is waning, it's decreasing. It's just an uncomfortable type of feel. I could blame it on COVID again or just the COVID break. I should say Maybe they missed a level of maturity. Maybe there's more and more students these days that truly don't care how they treat a substitute teacher.
Speaker 1:Go back and listen, if you haven't already listened to the worst substitute teaching day in my life, three or four episodes ago, I can't remember. You can find it on the directory probably quicker than I can. But kids have changed a little bit. Schools that I went to where kids, a lot of kids most of the kids are still excited when I come in. There's some kids in there that don't want to be reprimanded for anything. May throw a paper wad at me and insist that they didn't, even after I tell them. You'll get in less trouble If you tell the truth. Then if you lie to me about what happened, what I just saw happen still won't do it.
Speaker 1:It bothers me now when occasionally I'll go into a school and not feel I'm as or let me word it this way not feel there as excited to see me as students were years ago. Maybe I can blame myself, maybe I've become a little more harsh, maybe I've become a little less interactive, all that kind of thing, but it still bothers me a little bit. What do we do about it? I mean, do your best not to be popular but to give those kids what they need. They are just looking for an adult. You know I hate to say it like this. I would just say it because a teacher told me this once always remember that you're a parental figure or a father figure for some of these kids that maybe don't have that in their life. Many of them do have that in their life and you're still an additional adult that they can talk to and feel comfortable about.
Speaker 1:As things change from being a substitute teacher. He does kind of give me a melancholy feeling of the way it used to be. All I can do then. All you can do go out, be the best substitute teacher you can be. That sounds so cliche, but it's the truth. Don't just do things to make yourself popular, but rather do things that will make you helpful to them. Don't just I hate to keep using this word don't just be the babysitter. Be the one that you interact with them enough that you talk to them enough. The last day I substitute Todd, I had students tell me tell us another story, like the cafeteria story, mr Collins, if you don't know what that is, you missed out. You'll have to go back through the transcripts and see which episode that was on. But do that. You're not always. There's some students that you're always gonna be popular with. There's some students that you're never gonna be popular with. Try your best to bridge the gap and move forward and just be the most meaningful substitute teacher you can be.