Substitute Teachers Lounge
Substitute Teachers Lounge
Navigating the High School Homestretch
As we count down the days to summer, the importance of communication and planning cannot be overstated. I'll guide you through the do's and don'ts of securing our future roles as substitute teachers, alongside the pragmatic steps to ensure we're top of the list for the coming academic year. But it's not all logistics; the soul of the school is its people. I delve into the art of rebuilding relationships with both educators and pupils, championing genuine interactions that go beyond a simple 'hello'. From unexpected donuts in the teachers' lounge to our very own Substitute Teachers Lounge online, it's all about fostering a community that thrives on support and shared wisdom. Together, let's make this final act of the school year one that resonates with connection and purpose.
It is April 16th, 2024, greg Collins, substitute Teachers Lounge. We are in wind-down mode, so we're going to talk about what you need to be doing this last month of the Substitute Teaching School Year Substitute Teachers Lounge. All right, I am going to assume that I sound as bad as I feel. This weekend I refereed I guess it was 15 volleyball matches, so that probably put me around maybe 1,000 people. I then went to Rupp Arena, which is the college basketball arena in our area here in Kentucky, to be part, along with 21,000 other people, of just kind of welcoming our new coach, mark Pope, and I'm a bit nostalgic, as are a lot of fans. He was on our 1996 championship team, so we were welcoming him back as a coach. But regardless of all that being around that many people I picked up a code somewhere. I hope I sound better than I think I sound, but either way, we'll get through this. We're talking about what you need to be doing this last month of the school year.
Speaker 1:First, just two or three quick comments about last week's episode. No more, mr Nice Guy. Well, I haven't had a change of heart, but I have had some new observances, if that's the right word, since that episode came out, a couple in the classroom, a couple on the volleyball court. I substitute taught last week every day, but one of the days was a half days. I got in there and they actually asked me if I would mind coming in an hour early to cover up for a teacher that didn't get covered. And I said sure. And as I was walking up to the classroom I heard a teacher who was stepping in for me. Until I got there I heard him telling them your substitute teacher is downstairs right now and he'll be right up. And I said well, I'm right here. I walked in. Those kids cheered for me and it kind of embarrassed me a little bit. You know here all this talk I've done about how students have changed for the worst, and here these kids are cheering for me. And then I realized that I was in a class of juniors and seniors, kids that I had known since the sixth grade, the kids prior. I met them prior to the COVID break and that was the difference in my mind. So I stick with what I said last week. Then to kind of further strengthen where I'm going with this this weekend on the volleyball court I did mainly two groups of students.
Speaker 1:I did what's called 18U, which is basically 17 and 18-year-old players, and they were methodical. They worked very quickly. They hustled everywhere they went. We played a match that was composed of three sets 25, 25, and 15 points and we got through it in 50 minutes and that's amazing. They just hustled all the time.
Speaker 1:Then I finished with 14-year-olds, which are 13 and 14-year-olds the middle school area and things couldn't have moved more slowly. When it was their turn to serve, they just walked back to their position as slow as possible, like everybody's got to wait on me and I'm sorry and if I've offended parents out there of those kids, but and these were kids that I didn't even know, they were actually from out of state and I'm thinking it's almost like that COVID break messed up everybody everywhere in that particular age group. I loved coaching their games, but it got to the point if they weren't going to hustle, I was almost ready to give them a yellow card because when they were working at the table keeping score, I had to put their phones away. It's just. It strengthens what I said last week. I think I'm going to stick with high school substitute teaching because that middle school piece is not as much fun to me anymore. Okay, off my soapbox. I don't want to hit on that too much more, because I talked about it enough last week and everybody's entitled to their own opinion and I want everybody out there to sub where they want to those of you that sub elementary school, I admire you most because I know I can't every time. I, you know, a couple of elementary school kids are okay, but when there is a group of 20 of them all together at the same time with their blessed, their hearts, their high-pitched voices, their unbridled is that the right word Energy, it's like we're popping sugar cubes into them all the time. I don't know if I can handle that. I'll stick with the high school students who, while they could have an attitude if they want, they are at least advanced enough that I can have good conversations with them All.
Speaker 1:Right now let's talk about some things that you want to be doing during your last month. One at the top of the list, no doubt about it. In fact, coincidentally, I got a letter in the mail today from our school system just wanting me to check a box. Do you plan on being a substitute teacher again next year? They want to know where they are More and more.
Speaker 1:The school that I taught most of the time in the fall man. Every day it was like 12 to 15 substitutes. The school I'm teaching, mainly in the spring, is not quite that bad, but they're getting worse. They're running out of substitute teachers. Very rarely do I go in now and I'm not asked to cover for another teacher during my planning period, and very rarely does a day go by that I didn't accept a job there, that they don't call me to see if I could come in that day. So they want to know how to plan next year.
Speaker 1:Now what you need to be thinking about is how you can do that and how you shouldn't do that. I'm going to start with how you shouldn't, and it may be that even the majority out there will disagree with me. I'll go back to my very first substitute teacher day. The day went well. I've talked about it many times. I cut to the end of the day and I saw the notes from the substitute teacher the day before and she had stapled a business card to it.
Speaker 1:A business card, now, very professional, right? You know, there's probably two reasons I don't like them. One is just my bias, because my career in business was filled up with business cards and I hated them, so I was not going to create business cards. Now we do live in a world today where you can get a whole bunch of cards for next to nothing and they really don't look that bad. You can design them on your computer and they look pretty good. Here's my feelings, and you're allowed to disagree with me. Obviously. I think business cards come across as a little desperate. I really do. If you clip a business card to everything in sight, first of all business cards get lost and you might have your neat little email address on there, and some teachers do like to see that your phone number, all that kind of thing.
Speaker 1:Here's what I chose to do instead, and for the most part, I am at the top of enough teachers' favorite substitute list now that I usually don't have to seek out a job. I have enough just from them calling me. So here's what I would do. Everybody likes that handwritten note. You like receiving handwritten notes? Business cards are shortcuts. They are. I'm going to do what I can do in the quickest way possible, especially if you don't leave any notes for the teacher, and that's a little lazy. I think it comes across as lazy. Here's what I would recommend Make sure this last month, every substitute teacher job you go to, you leave some good notes.
Speaker 1:Now, there's going to be times. I usually don't leave too many bad notes, but there will be times when you'll need to. I would encourage you to do this just to keep the teacher reading. You might think it's a good idea to leave the bad notes first and then follow them by the good notes. There's some teachers that if you start out too negative, they may not even read your whole paper. So I think you start with the good notes first and that will make the teacher feel good about your day. Close with the more negative notes in such a way that they're diplomatic.
Speaker 1:You don't just say what happened, you say you don't just say what happened, you say here's how I would have you know, here's what I consider doing. Would that have been okay? Give some ideas, make it a very positive impression and then, the most important part sign your name. Make sure your signature is readable and put your phone number down there. I get most of my substitute teacher jobs from text messages. Now you might say well, greg, all that's on the business card. Why don't I just do that? And you answered your own question. Because if you just throw a business card down there sometimes they're a little busy and I think the teacher would remember your number more if you wrote them a handwritten note they might put it in their phone and they'll have it from that point forward and hopefully you'll be on their substitute teacher list that way.
Speaker 1:The next thing is a little bit more vague. I'll just say it like this build back the bridges that you burned down. And I say all this if you made some teachers upset, if you made some students upset, think about some ways now, not artificial ways, not hokey ways, where it's apparent what you're doing, that you're trying to just get them back on your side. But don't be so stubborn that if you had a run-in with a teacher or run-in with a student that you don't encounter them again, don't go out of your way. But if you encounter them in the hallway, speak to them. Make sure they know that you are still willing to talk to them at every opportunity, especially if it's a student you have in class. Walk by other students first, ask them how they're doing. If they need any help, make sure you ask that student first. Obviously, if you walk up to them first. They're going to know what you're doing. So that's what I would suggest, and especially with teachers.
Speaker 1:Now, teachers are adults. They might hold grudges longer than the students do In fact I know they do. So make sure that you do something for those teachers. Maybe you bring in some donuts, not just for the teacher you made mad, but hand them out when that teacher is around and make sure that you go to that teacher and give them a donut or whatever else. If you see that teacher carrying some items, asked to help them, do whatever you need to do to make them realize. Okay, I realize we didn't get off on the right foot here, but that's in the past, let's just go from here, okay. Okay, I might follow this up next week with some more suggestions. We'll see. I might have another interview, but my voice is wearing out. We'll call that a week and I hope I at least planted some ideas in your head about what to be doing this last month. In fact, why don't you post some ideas on the Substitute Teachers Lounge Facebook group and I will read those and include those in next week's episode?
