Gift of Gab Is Underrated

Can a student's "gift of gab" be productive?  What about a substitute teacher's gift of gab?

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You know, you've met some students that just kind of grind on your nerves not because they really do anything that that's bad, but they just talk and talk and talk and won't stop. Really, they can't stop. And then I had a first this week, a student referred to me as their favorite substitute teacher. And that students never even seen me. So I have to tell you, every situation I've talked about so far have to do with the gift of gab. Alright, guys, what I hope to do these next two weeks, these are our last two weeks of substitute teaching, some of you are probably already finished, I actually have a job this week during a testing day. So I guess I'm just going to be setting in a room. The last couple of times I've gone in the students haven't had a whole lot to do into the school year. But I want to talk about the gift of gab today. And then I want to talk about routines next week. So we'll talk about that how to improve ourselves as a substitute teacher, you may think that the title I got wrong, you may think I meant to say the gift of gab is overrated. I'm actually saying that it's underrated. There are some positive things we can get from that we're going to save the discussion about students to the end, we're actually going to talk about gift to gab for teachers. You know, I have it obviously, the kids joke with me that I'll ask them, How do you think I got in trouble in school, and they all say that I probably talk too much. That's the gift of gab. Let me say something real quick. That has nothing to do with today's episode. But 95% of the listens on this show, the downloads are through Apple podcast, mobile devices. You know, I guess I picture in my head. Some of you all listen to this in your car. And I guess that could still be through your phone. But Apple decided this week to take episode numbers off of their listings. So you won't see an episode number on this week's podcast. From now on. They also have decided or recommend it to podcast people that we don't type in an episode number into the title because that throws off the search engine so to speak. It's harder for a search engine, like if you typed in a topic like substitute teacher. And I had substitute teacher in my title, but it was after a number, the search engine has a harder time typing it or finding it I should say. So here's what I would recommend. I don't refer to substitute podcast numbers very often, if I do, there's an easy way to get to it. When you've got your podcast on your phone and you're listening to it, hold your finger down on it. And it will kind of bubble up pop up. And one of the things that we'll say is go to episode. And once you're on that episode, if you scroll down, you'll see show notes. And within the show notes, you'll see an episode number. Now that might be kind of cumbersome. I understand. So if I do refer to a previous podcast, and I will do it from the standpoint of I'll give you a title. I'll give you a date perhaps that it was first out and then we'll go from there. Alright. gift of gab I'm going to talk about I actually got the thought for this topic after last weekend volleyball tournament that I did, I did 15 matches, I did every age group from 13 year olds to 17 year olds. Now having said that, hold that thought for a minute. And let me remind you because some of you are newer listeners and you haven't listened to every podcast. And you don't know that I've told the story about my first day in November of 2018 substitute teaching again, I'm a retired accountant. So I'm not a credentialed teacher. I'm a substitute teacher. And that very first day, I didn't know how I would do I didn't know how well I did. But by the end of the day, I was already hearing students say, Mr. Collins, will you come back and be our substitute teacher again, and I didn't know why. And then I realized it was later it was probably my gift of gab, I talk a lot I come across. I tried to be friendly with them. I mean, this might be an episode of about going out of your way and being friendly, but talking to them is a big part of that, after last weekend's volleyball tournament, I guess it was actually, during one of the matches, or between matches, one of the 17 year old players just came over and started talking to me about what they're involved with, and various different things. And I guess I know, they don't do that with every official. And that's one of the reasons I like the club volleyball atmosphere better than the school because with schools, it's just kind of designed to where you can't quite be as friendly or at least sociable with players and coaches, because other teams will see that and think that you have favoritism towards that team. So it bothers me a little bit. It's tough for me in that environment, knowing that I want to be a friendly person, I want to be a gift of gab person. And I can't do that I can't exercise my natural personality. But what that has gotten me in the club volleyball environment is that players will come up and talk to me all the time, is now I understand maybe with the younger ones. But here's an older player that said, Hey, are you going to do all of our games this weekend they wanted me to, that kind of made me feel good, because they only said that they didn't say that because I was a great referee. They said that because I was probably a friendly referee, I had the gift of gab and I talked to them and was friendly with them the whole time. I had met this player before I remember her from her. The school that she played for I recognized her face. And I got to talk to them later in the day, they actually won their section of the tournament over the weekend. So that showed me that being friendly. Talking about your experience. Goofing off with the students in the classroom, helps the gift of gab in your personality to bond with them better. I had a first this week, I was able to substitute teach a blind student for the first time. They were very open about it, even to the point of joking a little bit and, or mentioning how it's, it sucks being blind. I asked this person what resources was available if they could read Braille, all this kind of thing. But the thing that touched me most, and this student was an excellent student. It was a great experience for me that day, I look forward to the next time I sub at this school, if that student is in the room, because they were a very good student. We talked about computer applications as a thank there might be a braille version of a computer that that student could use. Of course, they would need headphones, because the computer would have to speak back to you based on what you typed in. But the thing that moved me most is here I am trying to be a good substitute teacher trying to interact with the students trying to talk to everybody. This student told me while they were still in the room, man, you're my favorite substitute teacher. Now that took me aback a little bit. Because here's somebody that couldn't see me. But yet the friendliness in my voice, perhaps the gift of gab I had in the classroom, made them feel comfortable in my cat classroom, and made them make the comment that I was their favorite substitute teacher. That really kind of, I don't know if it was a shocking experience. That's the word that popped into my mind. But I've always joked around with kids, I've always had the gift of gab with kids. I've always told stories to them. And here's a perfect example of how all that rolled into a package made me come across as a substitute teacher that this student liked that this student could tell in my voice, that I was a friendly person and I was here to make the classroom experience as enjoyable for them as possible. So that was very exciting for me. And you know, It's funny, I was teaching a seventh grade and I hadn't thought about it because you know, sixth grade is always my favorite. By the time they get to seventh grade, I've already met them, they remember me, but it just so happens at this school. Because of the longterm roles I had had previously, last school year. I was meeting them for the first time, I had not taught them as sixth graders. So they were meeting me for the first time and just from one meeting, having them say, not all of them, of course, but having them say that I was their favorite substitute teacher meant a lot for me. Now, kids re are reactionary, they'll say whatever pops into their head at the moment, but I'm still going to take that as a compliment. They might have had another substitute teacher the next day that they said the exact same thing to, but I was appreciative of the fact that they weren't comfortable in my classroom, they were comfortable in the way I treated them. They were comfortable in the way I respected them. And I think my gift of gab helped me in that respect, I'll tell you this, if you don't have the gift of gab, at least figure out ways to be friendly, you will put those students at ease that way, they will better want to work for you that way. Now, I did encounter some friction from students this week, because they had the gift of gab, we're going to talk about that here in a moment. They know that the OB total, the only reason they'll get in trouble with me is if they do something after right especially right after I tell them not to just to make the kids laugh in the class. But I think we're working on your over the summer working on being as friendly as possible working on coming up with stories, you probably got some funny stories in your life, I feel like I have a bunch of them. But even if you don't, if you don't have that many funny stories, I don't know. I mean, take a preacher approach make up some stories that you can share in the classroom, you don't have to lie about it, but have it come across as if it was you. You can tell a story that you read in a joke book, acting like it is you. And all of a sudden those kids are laughing more than if you just read it to them out of a joke book. If you personalize that experience, they are going to associate you with friendliness, they are going to associate you with respect, give students a chance. Perhaps there's going to be times when you have to, quote yell at them or raise your voice. I had to do that this week a couple of times. But you can still come across as friendly, the more you are willing to talk and exercise the gift of gab concept. I think the better it will go and the only reason I'm telling you that is that is my experience. If that's not your experience, and your you don't have the gift of gab but you're still confident that the students are comfortable and like it when you're in the classroom. That's fine. Now, we've talked about teachers who have the gift of gab and come across as friendly and how that helps in the classroom less talk about students because there are ways let me back up just a little bit. What gets on your nerves more than anything in the classroom? Are you frustrated easily when students talk and talk and talk and appear that they can't that they're not even able to shut it off? What do you do when you have students of that type? What if they have the gift of gab? How can you channel that so that they can use it productively? I tell you some of the things I've tried. I've had debates in classrooms and one that I thought was kind of comical. I'm gonna say that most of you all know what AI ready is. It's a tool that helps educate students. Of course, students, a lot of times will tell you they don't like it because of the way it works. I excel is another one they talk about. So I said alright, those of you that like to talk, let's have a debate. All right. Now. Some of you that like to talk you may be I've told him you may be a good lawyer someday, but here's how you know a You can be a good lawyer. If you can argue either side of the same topic, then you might be a good lawyer. And I will tell them all right, I'm going to pick two students that have quote, the gift of gab, I'm going to let them debate each other. And I'm going to tell them what their stance is going to be on a particular topic. And the one I picked was, I think, I ready is the best thing ever created for this school. And they both just cringed. And the one that I knew, would want to take that approach least I made them take this out, they had to actually argue that iReady was the best. And then the other one would argue that iReady was terrible. And we'd see how they, they blend it in together, that was sort of a way to use their gift of gab in a productive way. You have to eventually, say, two students that talk all the time, all right now, I talked to, but when I talked too much, I got in trouble, too. So let's remember that, let's try to use the gift of gab in a productive way, maybe we can get it the students are capable of helping other students. Usually, if they have the gift of gab, they're friendly. They talk to students all the time. So see if you can get them to channel that into helping other students with their assignment. I'll bring up a topic sometimes just a discussion topic, sometimes I'll throw out a discussion topic, they're usually good topics in the readers that schools order that they read from time to time that they can talk about, and then rather than having a debate, I'll just let them discuss it. I've had debate, you know, probably the most popular debate or not debate but discussion I've ever had was when I brought up the topic, should your parents be able to use programs like live 360 to track you everywhere you went? Now, interestingly enough, you're gonna think the predominant answer to that is no. But it's actually now the noes are very strong in their opinion. But if you took about my students have always voted yes, they have the right to track me and they look at it from a safety standpoint, and that kind of thing. But today, gift of gab, use a gift of gab to work on a friendly approach in the classroom. It's amazing how much the students would do for you just if you give them a friendly approach, and make them realize that you think what they say is valuable, regardless of their grade in the class or regardless of whatever they're doing. Then students who had the gift of gab, see if you can use that to your advantage in that classroom, where it to be a debate, a discussion, whatever, and then all of a sudden, the gift of gab can work to our advantage. Which means yes, the gift of gab is underrated.