Substitute Teachers Lounge
Substitute Teachers Lounge
Getting On Substitute Teacher Nerves
This episode sheds light on my frustrations as an experienced substitute teacher, where low tolerance for certain administrative practices, student distractions, and teacher interactions have prompted reflection and growth. Understanding the evolving dynamics in the classroom and personal strategies for maintaining positivity amidst challenges are key themes.
• Addressing low tolerance for vague administrative practices
• Sharing experiences related to student distraction
• Discussing issues regarding fellow teachers
• Emphasizing the importance of maintaining a positive approach
• Reflecting on personal growth and classroom management
Greg Collins, episode 279 of Substitute Teacher's Lounge. It's February 18th, 2025. You know something that I don't at this point because I didn't know what title to give this episode. So you know it. You've seen it as I'm recording this, I don't know it yet. It's a little. I don't want to say negative.
Greg:We'll say some positive things by the time this discussion is over but I've gotten to the point that I have a low tolerance for some things now as a substitute teacher. I don't know if it's my age, I don't know if it's the sheer fact that I've been subbing for seven years and I'm just thinking why do I have to put up with this? Or I don't know. You're going to have things pop into your head as I'm talking about this today. There are things that get on my nerves that have to do with administration, that have to do with students and, unfortunately, that have to do with teachers. So low tolerance discussion today, things that get on my nerves. Substitute Teachers Loud. All right, guys. I will mention that last week's episode substitute teachers quiet tools was a very popular one that took off quickly. I was I was surprised that it took off that fast, so lots of downloads on that. I did want to mention that the september 24 2024, the one titled Substitute Teaching Elementary School oh my, it's the one that I did right after I had done my very first elementary school session. Well, for some reason it wasn't listed at the end of the year as the number one episode of the year end of the year as the number one episode of the year. But since then it has picked up so many listens that it has had more downloads than any other episode recorded in 2024. And it's not close. So if you haven't listened to that one and you're a big elementary school person, go back to that.
Greg:All right, I got to talk about this Things that I now have a low tolerance for. Let's start on the administrative side first. Oh, and let me say, by the way, that I still know that I am quite blessed. I can let things aggravate me sometimes, but I know from what I'm reading from you guys on our Substitute Teachers Lounge Facebook group, our page there's a lot of you that are going through a lot worse things than I am. I actually am almost embarrassed a little bit to bring up what I'm going to bring up today, but it still gets on my nerves. So I hope that you can at least take something from this, and we'll try to smooth things over. I am going to talk about administration first, just one thing. It's just one thing because I love all the administrators and principals that I've worked with. Then I'm going to talk about students and then I'm going to talk about teachers.
Greg:To me, the most crucial discussion of some things that I have come across in the last few months I don't think it's worth mentioning, and we'll do it in that order, so we'll save the most intense for last is what it amounts to. To begin with, the only thing that aggravates me with administration. There are some schools that let me back up most schools. When an absent shows up, it shows the teacher's name. It sometimes it shows the school that they're at and it sometimes actually shows the subject that they teach. Most of the time it just says you know the area they're in, like social studies, and you know I like to do my research and look them up real quickly and see if I can find some information on the school website as to what grade they teach and so on. We've had episodes about that, so I won't go into that anymore.
Greg:There's ways to do that, but sometimes the postings will just say teacher. Now there's two ways that I guess I should say two reasons that they do this. One is that, like here, recently we've had a lot of sickness in the area flu. Some schools in the area have actually a private school closed because they didn't have enough students to even have class in the school. So some schools in the area will say teacher and post a generic substitute because they know that they're going to have some absences. They don't necessarily know who those absences are going to be yet, so they just put down teacher and they assign you when you get in. That's okay, except for the next one I'm going to tell you about. It makes me not want to take the first one either. Some will put down teacher if it's a hard class to find a sub for, sort of like. It makes me feel like they do it because they don't want you to know what you're stepping into, and I don't like it when they do that. I understand why they do that.
Greg:I've been a I don't want to call it a victim, but I've probably picked up this school year probably half a dozen of those. There's some things that and I've enjoyed. Now don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed the classes every time, but it's just kind of aggravating, walking in blindly and in fact going to the desk of the school not yet knowing what you're even going to be doing. Not crazy about that. I now have a low tolerance for that. That gets on my nerves. I don't like it. I would rather know what I was doing when I get in. Now you could say even worse than that it's when you know what you're doing when they go in but they ask you to do something else. Now I'm more in line with that scenario than I am just having to come in blindly. I don't mind so much. I'll take one for the team. I'll realize that they really need me there. It might be a more difficult area, but the fact that they're asking me Mr Collins, we could really use you in this area instead of the one you signed up for, will that be okay? Well, I kind of like that. They're being very honest with me and I'll go ahead and take those jobs when that happens.
Greg:Let's go to students now. We'll talk about students a little bit. I've loved substitute teaching middle school and high school the six previous years before this school year. I now feel like I enjoy the elementary school more than any of those. Now, because of that, when I go back to high school, I can tell that I've really changed. And maybe it'll be. The students aren't, as I was going to say, crazy about me. That's a little bit silly to use a phrase like that. But maybe they don't look forward to me being there. Maybe they think I've changed and here's why I had this happen.
Greg:A few weeks ago there was a student in class smart student really has nothing to do with that but he got through with his work and instead of just sitting still, he walked around the room seeing how many different people that he could distract. Now, the worst problem was he's a popular student. The kids kind of liked to be distracted. I didn't like it that he was doing that. I made him sit down. He probably didn't appreciate that. I had him in a lot of classes. He probably thinks I've changed. Probably thinks I've changed and maybe I have, but and maybe it's a little elementary school-ish that I've changed, because that really doesn't happen in elementary school. It happens with teenagers and their freedoms and I can do what I want, type of thing. Now, younger kids have that attitude sometimes too, but it has now gotten to the point that those kind of students who feel like they can just do whatever they want to now get on my nerves. I have a low tolerance for them and I'm sure they can see it in the way I react Now.
Greg:I'll leave that one there for students, I know already those of you that are listening can think of a lot of students that get on your nerves for various different reasons. Some students require a lot of attention. Maybe that takes you away from the other students. Maybe that's an unfortunate thing that could perhaps get on your nerves. So I don't know what would you even do in that situation. The few things that I've changed on that get on my nerves now are probably not significant enough that they're close to what you have to go through. But I'm just sharing some thoughts Now as far as that situation, maybe since it happened in the last few weeks I know to handle it better.
Greg:Maybe I can be more diplomatic if the student doesn't respond and just basically, the student never was disrespectful to me. I just finally got fed up with him distracting I was going to say aggravating everybody, but he really wasn't doing that. He was distracting everybody. So I had him go back to his seat, all right. Finally, teachers that get on my nerves are because I tend to be popular with the students, for whatever reason. Maybe it's because I never matured past their level. I've used that line before, but I don't know why. But that doesn't bother me. Here's what bothers me I have, within the last six weeks, I have taught some classes where a couple of them were sped classes, but that really doesn't matter.
Greg:I volunteered to take a student, that is, a first grade student, who had kind of made up to me, and when I took the student somewhere, they wanted me to hold their hand, sit with them the whole time, and I took them through their activities class. When they say activities at this school, they're usually talking about band or music or the gymnasium or even outside activities, something to that effect. And that student wanted me to walk with them to those classes. So I did. Well, the student was very nice, always smiling, but not participating. And I saw two teachers and you know the students are supposed to participate, even though this was a sped student, they're supposed to participate in the classes too, and the student didn't want to. The student just wanted to sit by me, to be perfectly honest, always smiling, always a pleasant personality. One teacher went up to them and tried to get them to do something and she wouldn't do it. But the teacher just said all right, you won't be able to participate in the fun things we're going to do later on if you don't know how to do this right now. That was one way to handle it. That was my preferred way.
Greg:Another teacher I saw her walk over to this student. In fact, the teacher had such a stern look on her face I thought she was going to another student because they were doing something wrong or talking when they shouldn't have been, on to another student because they were doing something wrong or talking when they shouldn't have been. But she went to this student and said listen. And then went to a whole big spill about how you've got to do this and, as you might expect, this particular student. She was a slow learner. That's the best way to handle it. She reacted, and here's this sweet little kid that reacted negative because the adult was being negative with her. She started flailing arms, flailing legs. The teacher tried to get her to settle down but really didn't give in to her. She stuck by her guns and finally the girl just laid down on the floor and wouldn't do anything else, and then the teacher walked away.
Greg:Well, the teachers that I have a low tolerance for, I'm not going to tell that teacher that that is not my place. I had the discussion with other teachers and they actually agreed with me. In fact, they interrupted me and said oh, I know what you're getting ready to say happened, and they agreed with me. So I have a low tolerance for teachers, that you know. We want students to respect us. Well, let's respect the students too. We don't know what's going on in that student's life right now. They've got to get their work done, there's no doubt about that. But still, let's have a little compassion and be able to share, maybe more diplomatically. Maybe that teacher could have gone up.
Greg:And you know, I'm not a teacher. I don't have to put up with this every day, and that's part of it too. I just show up every so often, try to do my best and try to make the students' days go by better. I like it when I see the positive attitudes which the student had. They just weren't doing what they were supposed to be doing during their related arts activities, so the teacher went off on them in that manner. That's what I have a low tolerance for. Maybe. Maybe if I had to deal with that every day, I would finally get fed up with it and what I would call snap as well. But those are the things that I tend to have a low tolerance for now. I know you have some Wrapping all of it in a package.
Greg:Regardless of what I have a low tolerance for, I'm going to try my best not to compromise myself to the point that I will not be the positive person that I have strived to be. I talked to a co-teacher outside of school not too long ago and the teacher actually said she's a very young teacher. She's working on trying to be so nice. And I said well, I'm just the opposite. I was probably meaner in my 20s and 30s than I am now. I've tried to become more positive over the years and I think the students like that about me. So I don't know if that's the formula. Are you supposed to be mean in your 20s and 30s and then be nice later on? I don't know.
Greg:But regardless, there are things that get on my nerves that I have a low tolerance for. I'm working on ways to adapt to that. The main way to adapt to. That is just not going back to the class that you really got to the point that you can't stand anymore. That's a tough way of saying it. It's probably not quite that bad, I'll be honest, and my wife can't believe it, but I'm really liking elementary school. I have passed over openings that I would have just pounced on in years past because I'm hoping that an elementary school job opening will come together. Hope things are working well with you. Hope you don't have any of these on my nerve type situations. But if you do, maybe we can work on still having a positive approach or at least being able to get out of it in a positive manner.
