A Spoonful of Sugar

I recently did my first sub job at an alternative high school. It was an eye-opening experience as my jobs so far have been at pretty good schools with well adjusted kids.

My conclusion? The students at this school were not that much different than at other schools. Yes, class sizes were much smaller, voices were louder, and kids joking about drinking, drug use, and parties abounded. But, as economist extraordinaire Dan Ariely teaches us, everyone responds to incentives, and students at alternative high schools are no different.

The assignment was for students to answer questions about a textbook reading. Class was over 60 minutes long, and for these "alternative" kids, that kind of attention and concentration just wasn't really happening (needless to say, nor would it be for just about any classroom). So, I decided to discuss the reading instead. It was about Christopher Columbus, and what these students knew blew me away. They knew about the expedition, the spice trade, his dealings in slavery, the oppression of natives, and greed.

I was impressed, so I told them. "Man, you are some really smart kids. I'm totally impressed," and then went on with the discussion.

That was the spoonful of sugar. It was their incentive.

It wasn't intentional; it was just an honest example of giving praise when praise is due. For the rest of the hour students were attentive, respectful, and contributed wholly to the discussion. No more talk of parties, no more side discussions. just focused students sharing their thoughts about this country's shaky beginnings.

Q. What are your thoughts on using praise in the classroom?

Playing the Name Game

When you think about it, your name is kind of a big deal.

Yes, it identifies you. But more importantly, it identifies you apart from other people. While you may share the same name with another person, it is still truly yours.

In the original Freakonomics, Levitt and Dubner (sorry to keep bringing them up) discuss how name choice effects the likes of personality, success, and impressions. As you may expect, there are a lot of correlation vs. causation issues that go on with this kind of research. However, while a name alone may not effect who one becomes as a person, a name can play a significant impact on the way one is viewed by others. Similarly, a less common name can be a big negative factor in job interviews. As in standard Freak fashion, the economists deconstruct the entire issue, exposing social structure and socio-economic issues to complicate the apparently simple concept of a name.

In the epic and fascinating work A History of God, Karen Armstrong describes the meaning of a name in a different way. In biblical times, knowing someone's name not only allowed you to identify them, but also provided a sense of power over them. In a sense, you held some ownership over that person, and could control them. There are many sources to confirm this idea, but the blaring example is the text from Genesis that identifies God's name as an unpronounceable word.

When you think about it, Armstrong's hypothesis still holds true today. If you don't know somebody's name, how can you request their attention, or ask them a favor, or even address them? It may not give you power over them in a literal sense of the word. However without the name, you are at a disadvantage (why do you think my name on this blog is "The Sub"? :-).

One of my biggest challenges substitute teaching this year is playing the name game. As subs, we find a variety of different tricks to address our students (unfortunately a very common one is "guys"). However, nothing is really as good as simply knowing somebody's name. When you have over 100 students come through the door through the course of the day, this becomes extremely difficult.

Here is what I have found that helps my process:

• Simplify - I don't try and remember everyone's name. However, I do pick out a couple of students and work to make their name stick. By addressing 4 or 5 students by name, it can give off the impression that I may know a lot more names than I really do.
• If you know it, use it - Some names and faces just stick. If there is a particular student I remember the name of, I address them by name as they enter, leave, and throughout class.
• If you don't know it, don't use it - calling somebody by the wrong name is embarrassing for them and doesn't help my position. Same goes for pronouncing somebody's name incorrectly. I am very cautious of both of these. When I do make this mistake, I correct myself immediately and then make a point to use the name correctly within the class period.
• Not spread too thin - so far I've only subbed at a couple schools and couple departments. This means I get a lot of the same students. Aside from the other major advantages this provides, remembering names is a big one.

I hope this helps some others playing the name game.

Q. What do you do to address students in a new class, school, etc., when you don't know names? Do you have techniques to learn names quickly and accurately?

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I invite you to contribute by sending in questions, personal stories, thoughts, and articles about substitute teaching. Thanks for stopping by.

Classroom Organization is Classroom Management

I had an absolutely amazing substitute teaching experience on Thurdsay.

Like many teachers, I praise the book The First Days of School by Wong and Wong. If it's not the Bible of classroom management, then it's at least the Talmud of it. The authors neatly explain tried and true methods of organizing a classroom for student success. And as a convincing kick in the bum, they back it all up with loads of scientific research.

But to drive a method home, there's only one thing better than research – hands on experience.

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Part 1: Classroom Organization

Thursday's classroom was a living and breathing example of concepts in The First Days of School. This teacher had the room organized to a T. Here are just some of the things I noticed:

• Everyday, students go to the same place to pick up the day's agenda. Its a print out, including the day's plan, the assignments/directions, and rubrics for every assignment.
• The agenda, assignments, papers, etc., are all hole punched so students can (and are required to) easily organize them.
• All desks are numbered. Seats are assigned, but desks are arraigned in a way that facilitate collaborative learning while still keeping attention focused forward to the front of the class.
• A template was created on the front whiteboard for the week's schedule. It never changes or moves, so students always know where to look for deadlines.
• All written papers follow a strict guideline (name in a certain place, double spaced, written neatly in blue/black ink, etc) and is posted throughout the classroom as reminders.
• Work is turned in by students at the same inbox everyday. Work is picked up by students at the same outbox every day.

And the list goes on.

But what's more impressive: it is only the second week of school and student's know exactly what to do. I attribute this to two things:

1. the teacher must have explained it very well to students - but more importantly:
2. it was implemented from day one

The result: there is less stress for everybody. Students don't have to worry about asking a multitide of questions just to complete an assignment correctly - they already know what is expected. The teacher doesn't have to make new guidelines for each assignment - they are already in place. Simply collecing a paper goes from a 3-5 minute production to a painless, ritualistic task of students setting them in to a box.

Genius - or common sense? You decide. The fact is it works!

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Part 2: Classroom Management

It is my solid belief that organization and management are completey interrelated. The ying and the yang, the push and the pull, the the demand and the supply. Have one and implement it properly, and the second will follow.

Again, the experience is the proof. Across all class periods on Thursday, the progression of events at the beginning of class was amazingly similar:

1. students walked in before the bell rang
2. before sitting down, they went to the side table and picked up the day's agenda
3. they went to their assigned desk
4. before the bell rang, all students were in the class, seated, and working on their assignments

Does excellent teaching help class management? YES! However, I wasn't their teacher. Students were on top of the game and successful without their teacher there to motivate.

Compared to my first day subbing on the first day of school (read more about that debacle), this experience proves that organizing a classroom successfully on the first day of school, and implementing it thoroughly, works.

Q. Have you had a similar experience subbing? How did it compare?
Q. What do you intend to do to organize your future (or current) classroom?

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I invite you to contribute by sending in questions, personal stories, thoughts, and articles about substitute teaching. Thanks for stopping by.

What Doesn't Work: "Guys"

There are words that substitute teachers definitely shouldn't say. Most of them are four letters. The most atrocious, sexist, and wildly overused is the word GUYS.

Why it doesn't work:

Unless avoiding "guys" is within your active consciousness, you probably use this word far more than you think. Here's a scenario:

So you've greeted students at the door, engaged in casual conversation before class, written the schedule on the board, and now the bell rings and you need to get their attention. You stand up and say “Ok guys lets get started...”

You then introduce yourself, explain why you are filling in, and then move on to the assignment. “So what your teacher would like you guys to do is...”

As students begin working, you notice a group of students isn't on task. You go up to them individually. “Hey guys, could you please...”

On and on. Students will pick up on it. Using this one word, over and over again, establishes that you don't know anybody's name – and that you also have a very limited vocabulary. It makes you look inexperienced and amateurish, and opens you up for a host of issues.

How to fix it:

Use other words. It's difficult; the word “guys” has become such a staple to our daily language. But there are tons of them. Here are my suggestions:

• Folks
• Friends
• People
• Men, Gentlemen, Dudes, Boys
• Women, Ladies, Dudettes, Girls

Other tips of advice:

• Learn some student names before class begins. When you address a student by name, it shows them and everyone else in the class that you actually are relevant to them.
• Find other ways to gain student attention. More of this in the future.
• Whenever you are about to say “guys,” think of Sloth from The Goonies yelling "Hey You Guys!" This will probably make you reconsider your word choice.

First Day of Subbing on the First Day of School

Calm. Cool. Collected.

That was my strategy yesterday, and it worked great.

First days of anything are generally always intimidating. The first day of first grade; the first day of college; the first day in a new city; the first day at a new job.

I guess I should have figured the same for my first day substitute teaching as well. And it wasn't just my first day subbing – it was also the first day of school. I knew that going in.

But then the curve ball: it was also my first experience where the teacher left no lesson plans. On the first day of school.

There was absolutely nothing. No textbooks, syllabus, or classroom policies. No first day activities, no hint of what the first assignment was going to be. There wasn't anything in the classroom. All desks were sloppily lined in rows like it had just been cleaned. There were no posters, books, or papers. There was no teacher's desk, and there were no files or folders. A teacher had never come in to this classroom to set anything up.

Calm. Cool. Collected.

Amazed, I walked next door and asked another teacher if she knew what was going on. She didn't, but recommended I check the teacher's mailox. I did and found nothing there either. Word spread quickly among the teachers in the department about the debacle, but suprisingly none of them knew what the deal was (or, unsuprisingly, they did and kept their mouths shut).

A very helpful fellow teacher provided me with a “get to know you” game that she uses on the first day of class. I thought quickly how to fill the rest of the period. I wrote the Kurt Vonnegut quote on the board, and planned a current events discussion that would bring together the topics of Labor Day, teenage unemployment, and President Obama's upcoming jobs speech.

Calm. Cool. Collected.

The first class of students came walking in, 10th graders. I stood at the door welcoming them, and let them know they were at the right place (they were expecting a teacher with a different skin color, gender, and age). Instructions were on the board:

1. Take out a half sheet of paper
2. Write name in the upper right hand corner
3. Wait for further instruction

The bell rang and we jumped right in to the quote. I asked two questions about it to encourage independent upper level thinking, and then discussed. Maybe not the best strategy for most first-days, but it worked for what I needed: getting kids quiet and focused.

Then came the game, where kids got to learn names. Then the discussion, which went over way better than I thought it would. Then the class left, and the first 1/6 of the day was successful. Win!

Calm. Cool. Collected.

The same teacher who provided the first-day game came by and commented on how relaxed and confident I looked. I didn't feel stressed, but regardless this comment came as a big compliment. Later she asked me if I was available for specific dates this month for filling spots in her schedule. Win! I promptly gave her my contact information.

Other daily highlights:

• 2nd hour was AWESOME. 11th graders for African American Humanities. More on that tomorrow.
• 4th hour the principal came into the class and asked to talk with me in the hall for a minute. Apparently word spread very quickly about the situation in room 209, and he came by to make sure everything was running smoothly. My mantra (Calm. Cool. Collected.) worked like a charm as the kids were quiet and on task. Always helps to make right with the principal. Win!
• 5th hour helped me realize how immature some 10th graders can be. My mantra got me through that one. Whew.
• 6th hour had five students in it, probably to some scheduling glitch. My mantra didn't work so well in this class. With no first-day activities or information provided by the teacher, it was more akward than anything. Time was mostly consumed by talking about school sports and playing hangman.

So I guess all that racket about a Bag of Tricks really is important. Without it, yesterday would have been far more of a struggle.

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NOTE: At the end of the day I tried learning about the teacher situation. I wanted to find out 1.) if I could sub tomorrow, and 2.) in case there was an issue with the position, I could be considered as a candidate.

But there was no info to be found. The office was unsure of the absence, and could provide no advice for securing another sub position. Other teachers said the same. I tried to find the principal, but it is a big school and he couldn't be tracked down.

Q. What do you do to ensure another sub position?

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I invite you to contribute by sending in questions, personal stories, thoughts, and articles about substitute teaching. Thanks for stopping by.

The Substitute Teacher's Infamous Bag of Tricks – Part 1

As I prepare for my first days of substitute teaching, I must face the inevitable Substitute Teacher's “Bag of Tricks.” What are your tricks, you say, and why do you put them in a bag? Well, what will you do if:

• the teacher didn't provide any plans?
• the lesson ends with 20 minutes of class left?
• you are subbing in for the AP chemistry teacher's 3rd consecutive absence and the kids are so totally lost they can't do the work?
• The lesson plan is so awful the kids won't stay on task?

That's where the Bag of Tricks comes in. This is a two part series. Today we will look at the bag itself and one of the ideas to put in it. Tomorrow, we'll continue with more ideas to fill it up.

What goes into the bag?

So its not literally a bag. I mean I guess it could be. But more importantly its a source of tools. Some of them are in my brain, some are in a folder, some are in my pocket. The fact is, you have to have something.

The web provides a host of recommendations: Nerf balls, crossword puzzles, games, magazines, etc. While these work great for elementary grades, I'm a little timid of trying to play “Heads Up Seven Up” with High School kids. After much searching, I'm left to my own imagination and strategies. And so far, here's what I've got planned for those days when I'm alone with 30 or so teenagers and nothing but my own tact to get me through the next 50 minutes.

News and Current Events

There's an extra 15 minutes at the end of class, and despite your pleas, students are still noisy and off-task. Fuel their fire - build a discussion around something engaging and exciting.

• Relevancy – students get involved in class discussions if it has to do with their lives. While I personally could talk for hours about classic Cinelli bicycles, I don't think high schoolers would really care.
• Passion – you have to be knowledgeable and interested in the subject as well. Don't start up a discussion about the high school football team if you've no idea about their rankings or who their competition is.
• Timelessness – yes, we're talking about “news,” but be on the lookout for articles or data that can be used for months, rather than days. This will make it more convenient to put in your bag.

A tip on finding good content. Blogs are an excellent way to find really cool, new, and interesting items to share with the class. Take some time to find ones that interest you personally. Use an RSS reader to stay up to date. Here's some of my favorite blogs that I take snippets from to put in my bag:

• Freakonomics – the hidden side of everything
• Economix – explaining the science of everyday life
• Dangerously Irrelevant – technology, leadership, and the future of schools

Recently I just read an intriguing post on the Freakonomics blog that suggests colonial Americans were more literate than today's population. Ok, so maybe it sounds boring. But I can just imagine it taking off in a history or literature class: making it relevant to their lives by discussing their literacy and culture, sharing Payne's verbose and archaic prose, and probing students to think of factors that may skew the data.

Remember – the idea is to find the right content for your teaching style!

Tomorrow we will continue with the Bag of Tricks, and take a look at other possible methods I'm considering to fill it up for empty days.

Q. How do you promote class discussions in your teaching?

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I invite you to contribute by sending in questions, personal stories, thoughts, and articles about substitute teaching. Thanks for stopping by.

Post 1, Version 1 (with satire)

How to successfully begin a blog (or better yet, a class), as outlined in the The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher by Wong and Wong.

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to The Substitute Experience! I am happy you are here, please make yourself comfortable. Your assignment for the next few minutes is to introduce yourself to me by subscribing to the newsletter listed just to right. If you like, you may also leave a comment including your name and a short message of what interests you in substitute teaching.

Now lets get started.

BLOG OVERVIEW

For the upcoming year we will take an in-depth approach to the field of substitute teaching. As a first timer, the challenges and stresses of my journey will be held under complete scrutiny. We will dissect and discuss the methods and the strategies used. The primary goal of this blog is to find what works and what doesn't work in secondary substitute teaching.

ABOUT ME

A mid-20s unemployed college-educated certified teacher. I have big hopes and probably don't know any better. I am a substitute teacher in the public secondary schools.

BLOG EXPECTATIONS

1. Goals: Several times a week I will share my experiences of being a substitute in the trenches. The primary purpose is sharing what it means to be an effective sub.
2. Participation: Are you experienced in the field of substitute teaching? Please share your thoughts and opinions. Email me with stories to share. Lets talk and all learn from each other.
3. Respect: Be nice to me. I mean come on, I am already being chastised and taunted by high school kids on a daily basis.
4. Attendance: Expect 3-4 posts per week. Pop-posts may come unannounced at any time.
5. No Gum.

BREAKDOWN OF BLOG CONTENT

• 30% Advice and tips
• 20% Daily challenges and experiences
• 50% Stream of consciousness venting and name-calling

Thank you for joining me at The Substitute Experieince! Lets make this a successful and learning filled year for all of us!

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I invite you to contribute by sending in questions, personal stories, thoughts, and articles about substitute teaching. Thanks for stopping by.