Substitute Teachers Lounge
Substitute Teachers Lounge
Surprising Substitute Teaching Moments That Keep Us Going
Join me on a journey through my experiences as a substitute teacher that have not only transformed the lives of students but also reshaped my perspective on teaching. Listen to the inspiring story of a third-grade volleyball player who, after a little guidance, made a remarkable turnaround and became one of the most skilled servers on the team. Her heartfelt expression of gratitude was a moment that renewed my passion for teaching and spurred my interest in elementary level education.
I also share some striking instances from the classroom that have left a deep imprint on me and continue to motivate me to substitute teach. One such story is of helping a student overcome her fear of public speaking and watching her flourish in high school debate club. As the summer draws to a close and the new school year looms, I find myself in eager anticipation of more such inspiring moments. Together, let's relive these rewarding experiences and gear up for another season of life-changing opportunities. Whether you're a teacher, parent, or anyone passionate about making a difference, this episode is sure to touch your heartstrings and inspire your spirit.
Greg Gollins Substitute Teacher's Lounge. It's still summer. If I look back to my top five episodes, they were all kind of on the practical side. We probably do about 90% practical, 10% emotional, don't tune out. But today is going to be one of the emotional ones because something happened to me this week that was very positive. It's one of those kind of things that keeps you coming back to substitute teaching and it's just so. One of those positive, unexpected events. We're going to talk about them today. This one might actually finally make me take a job at an elementary school for substitute teacher. So let's get into it, alright.
Speaker 1:Every now and then, especially in summer I mean, we have nothing else to do. We don't have any student stories to share from subbing this week. Every now and then we just need an emotional pick me up and some events. Well, a event happened this week that made me think man, that's why I do this. I go through all those days where maybe I've had trouble in the classroom, but it's incidences and days like this that make me realize why I keep coming back. I'll put up with the bad stuff just to get to these surprising moments that were totally unexpected but that meant so much to me this week. I've already gotten the call. In fact it was for a long-term substitute teaching role. It would have been for several weeks for to relieve a lady who's having a baby Turned it down. Here's why it was kind of more of a specialty class that I've taught two times and every time I've taught it it's been with other teachers. This time it would have been me as the only teacher, maybe an aide from time to time. But I just knew that it was not the moment where I wanted to start back to full time of substitute teaching in that way. Plus, there is a little caveat there's a high school that I haven't done that much substitute teaching for lately, but I am helped. That's the group that I'm helping, their volleyball team this this year. I kind of wanted to get back in early on during the volleyball season and substitute with that school. We'll see how all that goes. But I wanted to bring up something that happened this week. It wasn't with a student I've had before in class, it was actually a sister of a student that I had had before in class who's only going in to the third grade.
Speaker 1:But you know, as substitute teachers or when you get right down to it. Some of you are probably. I talk about coaching volleyball. Some of you are probably coaching something, some of you may be helping with band, some of you may be helping with the academic team. Even if you're a substitute teacher, maybe you're a parent of a student who you help out with on their special events, any of that kind of stuff. So I'm going to venture to say that all of us do extra curricular work all the time. It just so happens to be my wheelhouse is with the volleyball program and a new club that's starting in the area.
Speaker 1:Well, one of the things that I like to help to do, especially as a referee, I have been refing some of the young games and I'll stand up on the stand and I'm actually able to give advice in this league because we're not just playing to win, we're actually playing to instruct. So if I see somebody getting ready to you know, go about Serving the ball in the wrong manner, I'll just say something nicely quickly to them. Well, two weeks ago I gave some advice to a little girl who's going into the third grade who just coincidentally had a sister that I've had in class several times, an older sister, great student, and always thought a lot of her and I did know that this was her sister, but it wouldn't have mattered. This was just a little girl who was struggling getting her serve over. She's only going into the third grade. We're letting them serve about ten feet away from the net until they learn and gain their strength.
Speaker 1:And couple weeks ago I could see that she was serving into the net and I could also see why. Because she is just a little bundle of energy and we like that. But I told her, I said, listen, the only reason your serves are off right now is because we love your energy. But you're you're constantly in motion, which is great. You want to be able to move quickly, but when you're serving, try your best to stand still and get that serve over. And she served three in a row over the net. Then this past week, the first night of games bless her heart she served Seven straight points and she may now be the best server on that team. I know that the coach has her serving first and that's usually what you do you put your best server first. But here's the moment that sparkled for me, that made me realize not only do I love working with the kids, but maybe it's time, since I feel so good about working with these Eight to ten year olds that maybe I want to do a little bit of elementary school this year. Anyway, she came up after the game and she actually made the comment Thanks for all of your advice.
Speaker 1:Now here's a little third grader thanking me for my advice to help her with her serve, and I know she was sincere about it, but I also figured that was probably something her Parents put her up to. Once you go over and thank mr Collins, but it wasn't. She did that on her own and the way I know is because I asked her if her mom was here and she said no, they're not here right now. And then I remembered she also had an older sister, not the one I talked about as a student, but another one playing there as well. So she she would hunt around from the game and then the parents would pick them up.
Speaker 1:Well, the next night, more games. After her games, she came up to me and she said hey, my mom is here tonight. So I went over and met her mom, I told her what she had a said on her own the night before and the the. It's so funny because the people. It's one of those stories that the people setting or setting around her. I just went. Oh, like you know, here's this little third grader that gave me a surprising moment and Made me realize that's what I love about substitute teaching and working with kids. I Know for sure, since I now know that player real well.
Speaker 1:If I ever am in a situation where I see a substitute teaching job popping up out of elementary school and I know it's her school and I know it might be her class, I'll probably take it because at least I'll know on. I already know some of the students that are in there. What I Would encourage you to do right now is is possibly this Now, I'm not a big fan of writing things down. I Never have been. I've told you before. When I do one of these podcasts, I probably have four words written on the piece of paper and since I'm a gabber, I can talk from those four words. But I did make some notes tonight. But I usually do my notes in my phone in the notes section.
Speaker 1:But think about the moments, your best moment as a substitute teacher, the ones that make you say, just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore. This happens, and now I'm high as a kite, I'm ready to go back and help kids. Let the kids help me sometimes. I mean that really motivated me to hear her say that. You know, it's interesting. I'm in this volleyball program as a coach but I really don't have any coaching background. I have a referee background but yet I find myself being intelligent enough to at least provide some help. Parents meeting this week for the high school volleyball program and she introduced me as a volunteer assistant coach and she'd said Greg is excellent at keeping the score for a match and we're gonna make sure all our players learn how to keep score. They're gonna sit with Greg and he's gonna teach them. Those will be moments I'll be able to bond with those kids. Here's some of my favorite moments from when I substitute taught. That keeps me coming back. You know, I'll give you one more extracurricular one, because this is years ago In fact.
Speaker 1:I think this student I think this happened in the eighth grade and this student just graduated from high school, so it's been a while back. But I remember I was an umpire for softball. I had hit her in class that day. She's a good hitter. She stepped into the box, she took the first pitch and I called a strike because in my eyes it was on the outside corner. She swung at the next pitch and missed. And then I called a third strike on the inside corner and I said, oh man, that's one of my students. That's the thing about umpire. You're a student, you teach. You never know what you're gonna cross your mind. But I said, well, she's gonna give me an earful in class tomorrow.
Speaker 1:Well, it just so happened we were changing umpiring gear, we were switching up between varsity and I guess it was actually eighth grade and seventh grade games, and as I was changing, she was leaving with her mother and I just took the opportunity and said I looked over at her and I said are you mad at me? And she actually, in front of her mom, ran over and gave me a hug right there. And I'm thinking those kids Let me call the strike zone. They might think I'm tough on them, but yet they still respect me. And that was a moment for me. I was friends with that student. From that point on we would. I loved having her in class. She was a great student, a straight A student, actually a disciplinarian for me sometimes, because if I thought that kids would were getting out of hand, she would fuss at them for me. So it was really kind of an interesting situation.
Speaker 1:I've had classroom situations. That's what I wanted you to maybe write down. Think of your best classroom situations. I've had students tell me and I don't know why I have a feeling it's because the students didn't listen the first place. But they'll tell me. Thanks for explaining that to me. I never had it explained that way before. Well, that's a special moment. Think about your special moment.
Speaker 1:Think about the reason you want to keep going back as a substitute teacher. There's other special moments, also with your administrative people. You know I don't want to use the word hand, but let's use it anyway when schools start hounding you to come back and suffer them. It's not just because they need warm bodies in the building to cover the classes. They probably ask you to teach some of the tougher classes because you have a reputation as a good substitute teacher. Keep that reputation up. Don't ruin it.
Speaker 1:I hope that with the time, with me taking more time off last year, it won't ruin my chances to try to go back to at least four days a week this year. I love my volleyball situation. I have the players ask me, even though I haven't had them in class lately are you going to be at our practice tomorrow night? Are you going to be at practice tomorrow morning? That kind of thing. So glad I'm retired from my normal job. I get to spend a lot of time with them and just watch the way a team comes together. That's fascinating to me. I'd like to do that someday. I'd like to be a coach of a team someday.
Speaker 1:All kinds of classroom situations that I'm sure you've been through. Maybe. One surprising thing to me with a student is I knew I was going to be with a group of students for about 10 weeks. I was left directions from the regular teacher. So I knew on the curriculum early on was kids being prepared to make a presentation in the front of the class. Well, let's face it, some students just don't like doing that. So I had one student in the class that I worked with and worked with and had them come in at lunch one time and said once you talk to me instead of talking in front of a class and tell me how you would present this. And they did. And I said and I didn't you feel comfortable doing that? And they said yes, but it was just you, okay. And then I said all right, remember the last time that you saw somebody in front of class that may have been nervous? Did you think much about them being nervous? Did you make fun of them? No, there's nobody out there that's gonna make fun of you either. So why don't you? When your class period comes up today, why don't you give it your best shot? And I talked them into it, and not only did they do a great job, they ended up being in the debate club when they got to high school. So that was hilarious to me.
Speaker 1:So think about before your summer's over and before you think about, oh, I gotta go back to work. Think about all those special moments that kept you going as a substitute teacher. I've got a lot of them. Some of them have touched my heart. Some of them are a bit more personal and I haven't shared those with you today, but you've got the same ones. You've got some that are a bit more personal. It's kind of funny I am.
Speaker 1:I'm writing an e-book. It's called Don't Run Away For Me, and I've handed out copies of the first chapter to some of the volleyball students and they're reading it. I want them to kind of critique it for me. They own a copy. A lot of them own a copy of my previous book that I wrote. Just for fun it is. If you wanna buy it, you can. It's on Amazon. It's called Butterfly Swag. That was the first one I wrote. It's a short one, it won't cost you much and it won't take you long to read. But just having them request I'd like to read your book, that was special to me.
Speaker 1:Remember those special moments. They keep you coming back as a substitute teacher. And as we get our countdown going, my goodness, we've got I'm recording this on a Friday. It comes out on the 23rd of July 2023. That means there's eight more days left in the month and then in my area, there's 16 days after that before schools start. So it's 24 days. We've only got 24 days and that's calendar days. That's not weekdays, that's calendar days before we fire school back up. So get ready, make the most of those emotional, surprising, happy moments, and that would just help us all to be better fulfilled as substitute teachers.
