Interviews with Elementary Students, a Substitute Teachers Lounge First

Have you ever wondered what elementary school students really think about their teachers? In this unique episode, we flip the script by interviewing our youngest guests ever - students from kindergarten through fifth grade - to gain their unfiltered perspectives on education.

Our first guest Anna, a fifth-grade graduate with straight A's, shares wisdom beyond her years about academic success. Her advice to take time for projects "even if you have to take time from recess" reveals the discipline that helped her excel. When asked about substitute teachers, Anna delivers perhaps the most insightful comment of the episode: substitutes sometimes struggle because "we learn a little different than they did whenever they were learning." This gentle observation highlights the generational gap in teaching methods that many educators face today.

Younger voices join the conversation too. Eli, having just completed kindergarten, appreciates teachers who "help you learn about what you don't know" and substitutes who are "kind and sometimes you already know them." Meanwhile, five-year-old Zachary, entering kindergarten, reminds us of the social importance of school, mentioning friends and games as his highlights, along with "giving hugs" to teachers.

The episode concludes with a heartwarming revelation - all three interviewees are the host's grandchildren, making this not just an educational exploration but a family affair. Listen now to hear these refreshing perspectives that remind us why connecting with students of all ages matters so much in education. What young student in your life has shared wisdom that surprised you? We'd love to hear your stories!

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Student Interviews
• 1:03 Anna: Fifth Grade Graduate
• 4:38 Eli: Kindergarten Perspective
• 7:22 Zachary: Entering Kindergarten
• 8:37 Special Reveal and Reflections

Transcript

Greg: 0:00

Greg Collins, episode 293. It is May 28th, 25, and we've got a great treat for you today. You love it when we interview students, but for the first time ever we're interviewing students from fifth grade and below. So you don't know what's going to be said today. You just never know with that age. But let's get it started on Substitute Teacher's Loud, all right. Now, when you're interviewing this age, it's sometimes more difficult to make people feel comfortable about the permissions. Even when I had gotten some parental permissions, sometimes I would still have reluctance from the schools because you just never know how parents are going to react. So I figured a way to do it as proper as we could. I'll reveal that to you at the end of the episode, but for now we've got interviews to deal with. All right, let's start with the oldest of our students. I'm going to let her give you her first name and the grade she just finished. Go ahead.

Anna: 1:18

I'm Anna and I just finished fifth grade.

Greg: 1:22

All right, here's what I want you to do. First, Think of all your teachers. Don't say any names, but think about what you liked most about your teachers this year.

Anna: 1:34

Probably that they always push you to be your best that you can be.

Greg: 1:39

Okay, that's really good. Let me maybe I'll embarrass you a little bit, maybe not. I was at your graduation and you won an award. What was it?

Anna: 1:49

I got straight the straight a's award all right.

Greg: 1:52

So I want you to inspire some other students. What did you do to make you get straight A's? Was it the studying? Did it just come natural? What advice would you give others that would want to get straight A's in their classes?

Anna: 2:15

Even if you have to take time from like recess or something, you should still like take your time to work on projects because it kind of helps your grade a lot.

Greg: 2:30

Good, good. What are you looking most forward to when you go to middle school next year?

Anna: 2:39

All the responsibilities that I'll get next year. Okay, let's see.

Greg: 2:43

Now Let me ask you this other responsibilities that I'll get next year. Okay, let's see. Now Let me ask you this this is a podcast for substitute teachers, so take a guess at how many different substitute teachers you had this past year. I won't hold you to it, but how many different ones did you have, do you think?

Anna: 3:03

30?

Greg: 3:05

30?, 30?, I don't know. Wow, it was a lot higher than I was expecting. What characteristic of a substitute teacher is best? What did you like best about your substitute teachers?

Anna: 3:20

The fact that they're kind, but also they make sure that we have discipline.

Greg: 3:27

Okay, what's the? I don't say any names, but Can you think of anything about substitute teachers that you wish they would have done a little bit better or understood a little bit better?

Anna: 3:42

Just like the fact that we learn a little different than they did whenever they were learning.

Greg: 3:48

Oh, that's good. That's good. I've tried to sub their math classes and even though I'm good at math, they don't do it now the way I used to do it back when I was young, so that's a perfect example. All right, Is there anything else you can think of that? Let me say it this way Are you doing anything this summer that will help you when school starts in the fall? She's thinking hard about this. One will help you when school starts in the fall.

Anna: 4:17

She's thinking hard about this one. I may end up having my parents get me a lock to help with the limited time that I have to get from class to class.

Greg: 4:26

All right, that's good, all right. So, anna, I want to thank you for being on here with us today, and you have a good day, okay.

Anna: 4:34

You too.

Greg: 4:35

All right on here with us today and you have a good day. Okay, you too, all right. I do want to say that I did substitute anna's class a couple of times and I like the way she raised her hand in class and always had an answer for a question, and there was other students like that too. So she had a good class. And when you've heard me say on this part, in episodes past I've talked about how I went to the middle school principal and told them they are going to have a really good sixth grade come in next year. Well, anna is in that fifth grade. This past year they were the group I was talking about, so that school is really going to enjoy having them. So, our next student we have a student. Well, let me just I'll let him introduce himself tell us your name, your first name and the grade you just finished I am eli this finished kindergarten all right.

Greg: 5:33

so we have a kindergarten student who's going to first grade. Tell me this I know you like your teachers Tell me what you like. Don't give me your. Don't say their name, but tell me what you like most about them.

Eli: 5:50

They help you learn about what you don't know.

Greg: 5:59

That's good. No, that's good. So did you ever have any substitute teachers in your class this year?

Eli: 6:08

Yes.

Greg: 6:09

I think I one of them is sitting right next to you, isn't he? Yeah, I was a substitute in eli's class once this year. The thing I liked about eli is he raised his hand a lot. He paid attention and I know when he was doing his I ready work he was really concentrating. You can see how much he was concentrating. Let's say this what is what do? What's a good trait? You might not know what that word means for a substitute teacher to have. What do you like about substitute teachers?

Zachary: 6:43

They are kind and sometimes you already know them.

Greg: 6:48

Oh, okay, you like it better when you already know them. All right, let me ask you this You're going to first grade next year. What are you looking forward to most about first grade?

Eli: 7:01

I want to be in the teacher's class because I like that class.

Greg: 7:11

Okay, all right, all right, anything else you have to say to us today? Yes, what's that? Have a good day, all right.

Eli: 7:15

All right, anything else you have to say to us?

Greg: 7:16

today. Yes, what's that?

Eli: 7:18

Have a good day.

Greg: 7:19

All right, thanks, eli, we'll talk to you soon. All right, we have our next young student here. What's your first name, zachary? How old are you? Five, five. What grade will you be going into next year? Kindergarten, very good. So I saw your graduation. Was your graduation fun? Yeah, did you like your school that you were at? Tell me what you liked most about your school, my friends. What kind of games did you play at that school?

Eli: 8:04

Yesterday we did a water one and a hula hoop one.

Greg: 8:12

Nice. Well, tell me this what did you like about your teachers that were at your school Giving them hugs? They were good teachers, weren't they? He's thinking about it, all right? Well, I thank you for talking to me today. Say goodbye, zach, goodbye, all right. Me today, say goodbye zach, goodbye, all right, all right.

Greg: 8:37

Hope you enjoyed those interviews with elementary school students, one of them soon to be middle school students. I had a lot of fun doing it and I'll be honest with you, it was easy to get parental permission because all three of them were my grandchildren. So it was really a lot of fun to interview them and I'm glad they agreed to do it and their parents agreed to do it, and I'm already I mean, they don't miss school as much as I do already. I saw some pictures of various students' graduations here recently and I miss being back there. Some of you, I get melancholy about stuff like this Some of those students that graduated high school I know I'll never see again. Some of them I will, but some of them I won't. So I thank all of my grandkids for giving me an interview. Hope you enjoyed it, and we'll do. We'll probably stick with these shorter episodes throughout the summer, so we'll see you soon.