Back in the classroom - sort of
Monday, March 9, 2020 at 10:18AM 
One of the things I've been doing to fill my post-retirement days is some substitute teaching. I have a current teaching license, there is a company here that organizes subbing allowing one to select jobs online, and I have a thick hide. Or at least I thought I did.
After subbing at a number of different buildings, at several levels, and for a variety of types of teachers (classroom, music, special education, adult ESL), I've come to some realizations:
Today's classroom is a different place than the one I left in 1991. I have to admit that the children I encountered were (ahem) a challenge to work with. I always expected every class that I taught back in the day to have a couple kids who challenged the rules, craved attention, and could not sit still. Those one or two kids of the 1980s have become what feels like 75% of the class. Yeah, I know it is probably a substitute thing, but in the classes I co-taught, the regular teacher did not have much success in maintaining discipline. It's not that I was actively defied, but simply ignored.
I like working with adults. On a more positive note, I truly enjoyed time spent teaching English Language Learners (beginning class). I am not sure I actually taught anyone anything, but I loved the interactions, the willingness to try the activities, and the mutual cooperation of the students in a class with wide ranging ages, languages, and cultures. And they didn't ask for bathroom/locker/nurses passes every two minutes.
Teachers are totally undervalued. I came home exhausted each time I subbed, and quickly learned that about a half day was all I could handle - physically and mentally. While a regular teacher develops routines and learns ways of dealing with challenging students, the regular teacher also has the work of lesson planning, grading, reporting, and a dozen other tasks not expected of subs. As I liked to say, "i'm not used to working this hard - I'm an administrator."
I need to improve my handwriting. As I was working with the ESL students writing on the whiteboard, I noticed that I used both small and capital letters within single words, wrote very quickly, and scribbled letters that were far too small to be read from the back of the room. (I also spoke far too fast, I realized.) Next time I sub, I will try to remember to write and speak more legibly.
I don't know if I taught anyone, anything during my hours as a sub. How much of substitute teaching is simply being a placeholder, a babysitter, a legally required licensed professional in the classroom? i am ashamed to admit that I don't know if any student - adult or child - came away any better for my being there. I felt some bonds formed between me and a few special education students and the satisfaction of knowing some of my ESL learners "got" the concepts they were working on. But mostly, I was a warm body - not the hoped for result of this experiment.
I wish I had spent more time in the classroom as an administrator. Probably the biggest take-away from my initial subbing experiences is that every district administrator, every legislator, every education journalist, and every parent should be required to teach in the classroom at least five times a year. Theory and reality in education are two very different animals - and seemingly grow more different each year. I reflect on some policies and programs I initiated in my years as a technology director and how they might have been different if I had actually worked in the classrooms and not just walked through the halls peeking in classrooms and waving at teachers. This one will haunt me.
At heart, I still feel I am a teacher. I would like to find a new place in education that gives me a direct teaching role. But I don't think subbing is it. I will do more volunteering as a reading/math coach. I am looking into TEFL certification. I will focus on helping adult learners or individual kids in some capacity.
Even if I did not teach my students over the last couple months much of anything, they taught me some valuable lessons.
Reader Comments (4)
I could go on for a while about this, as I am doing the same thing. I only sub at the school from which I retired. So I know most of the teachers, and I pick and choose carefully. Also, (in high school) I don’t think the teachers or the admin expect you to teach them anything. You are basically a babysitter, and they are happy if you can just keep things under control. (Unless, of course, you are a long term sub.) I have had my challenging classes, but I tell myself I can handle anything for 50 minutes! Good luck!
Hi Annette,
Thanks for the comment. I agree that being a babysitter is the expectation of most subs. Just not sure that is what I want be! I am finding some buildings are much better to work at than others, too. I'll adjust.
All the best,
Doug
You can sub for me anytime - let me know when you are in the Houston area!
Dear Doug Johnson, It is true with all the teachers who hold long experience in teaching that as years go by, we meet a new batch, a new generation with new ideologies and expectations. The new generation gives more value to App-based Technological enriched methods over traditional classroom-based contact learning.