At
this point in my pre-student teaching I am actually starting to feel pretty
good about my experience thus far! I just finished up teaching my week-long
unit, and I finally feel like I am establishing relationships with students and
they are seeing me as a co-teacher instead of just someone that comes in to
help.
Besides
teaching my unit, I have had several opportunities to take over as the main teacher
for the class. There have been several times when the class has had substitutes
that I will take over for the class because I know the classroom, students and
expectations. I think it’s really beneficial for the students to have someone
there that can maintain the sense of structure they are used to with their
regular teacher.
HOWEVER…..
Substitute teachers REALLY frustrate me. I’m not sure what
the process is for becoming a substitute teacher, but from the examples I’ve
seen, I can’t imagine that it too difficult of a process. Most of the time,
when substitutes see me walk into the classroom and see the students interact
with me, they immediately think they get the hour off and that I will take over
the class for them.
Seriously. I’ve had some of them say “So, you’re usually
here right? And you’re going to take over the class, right?”
Uhhhh…..okay?????????????
Something I really struggle with during these days is
classroom management with my kids. By the time I get to the classroom, the
damage is usually already done and students are already walking all over the substitute,
switching seats, pretending not to speak English, etc. One strategy I’ve learned
to use is to maintain the classroom management techniques the students are used
to. My MT has implemented several of them such as a quiet signal, warnings,
etc.
Dave Foley’s article “6 Classroom Management Tips Every Teacher
Can Use” offers several other tips for classroom management such as taking
charge of the classroom by waiting “start
teaching until all eyes are on you and everyone is in their seat” (Foley).
However, one tip he includes that would not work for my classroom is to allow
students to sit in their own seats. My MT and I have created a strategic
seating chart that we feel is best conducive to their learning. Allowing
students to choose their own seats would throw the flow of our classroom off
and cause a lot of unnecessary disruptions.
Another thing I struggle with is the content of lessons that
substitutes are intended to teach. It is really difficult for me to sit back and watch a substitute teach content that we have been working with for several days and have the students not be as engaged with it as I have seen them be during other class periods because the substitute do not know the students and do not know how to engage them.
If students are working on assignments, I try to always have them work in pairs as this is how they complete assignments with their regular teacher and tend to do well with collaboration. Students in my classroom thrive on being able to talk and share their opinions, so I try to incorporate that into their independent work as much as possible by sitting down and having discussions with them and their partner about the assignments. Another thing I try to incorporate is movement, which is listed as one of the 7 ways to engage students in Stacy Hurst's "Seven Ways to Increase Student Engagement in the Classroom."
While the substitute teachers cause a lot of unwarranted stress and anxiety in my pre-student teaching experience, I feel like it has given me opportunities to expand my classroom management, create stronger relationships with students, and taught me to prepare for anything.
Articles cited:
http://www.nea.org/tools/51721.htm
http://www.readinghorizons.com/blog/seven-ways-to-increase-student-engagement-in-the-classroom
