November 29th, 12

Yesterday I had two jobs, at two different elementary school. In the morning I was in a half day kindergarten class and in the afternoon in a 5th grade classroom. Huge difference of age and abilities, as you can imagine!

Although I have been subbing for two months already it was my first time in a kindergarten class. I was nervous before I got there, not knowing how it would turn out to be. I've always been intimidated by kindergarten because of the children's age and inexperience. I truly admire kindergarten heroes for their ability to work with and organize children so young and that are (some of them) for the first time in an organized institution, with a complex set of rules, procedures and a fixed (and long) schedule. I don't know if I could do it. I probably could, but I find it very difficult and slow. I am more of a fast paced person and I enjoy working with older kids, that are a little more independent and can think and act on their own.

It turned out that I was being nervous without reason, my kindergarten group of 20 was made up only of sweet kids, very quiet and obedient. Not only did I not have any problems with them, but I have actually enjoyed my time with them a lot.

The story was different in the afternoon, with the 5th graders. This time I was not nervous and I was expecting quite an easy afternoon (especially after I saw the lesson plans and the teacher assured me - several times - that she has amazing kids and that I will have no problems with them). They were very talkative and at times silly, especially when they had to work with partners. They were pretty good during individual work and read aloud.
I want to talk about this discrepancy that I do not understand between what the teacher told me to expect and what I actually got. Was it me? Did I do something wrong? If YES, what? Was the teachers expectation unrealistic? How come?

First of all I have to say that I had had this class before, once, when I substituted for the PE teacher in the same school. That particular day this group was my first and by far the most unruly that I had that day. I blamed it then on them being the first group of the day (I wasn't familiarized well enough with the lesson plan) and on my not giving them the instructions that they needed before we started.
Yesterday, when I was in front of the same classroom the students saw me together with their teacher, discussing the plan. They heard her telling them to support me and to help me. She even picked two helpers among the students and introduced them to me. Has this "introduction" to the class had anything to do with the way the afternoon went? I think it is possible. The teacher might have given them the impression that I need help, that I am not good enough to handle things by myself . Or it might be that I did not introduce myself properly and I did not talk at all about my expectations. But again, this situation was brought about by the weird situation in which I found myself, being in the room with the teacher while they were getting ready for lunch, being introduced by her in a hurry etc. How do you act in situations like this? How do you make things better for yourself? How do you approach a class when you substitute for half a day, in the afternoon? And finally: how do you handle misbehavior issues and frustrating interuptions when they do appear?

Let me try a few answers:
To begin with, I think the introductions is really really important. It is that first impression that counts a lot for the rest of the time you are going to spend with that group of students. So as a substitute I need to make sure that I get that right every time. I usually introduce myself by saying a few things about me, my strange name, its origin, my accent and its origin. Then I tell them what my expectations are and it is usually something very general, like respecting the same rules that they usually respect in their classroom, being respectful, helpful, participative etc. I talk about the plan of the day, always mentioning that it has been prepared by their teacher and I mke it clear that the day will not look exactly like it does when their teacher is there because I am a different person and I might do certain things differently.
I try to use the same classroom management techniques that the teacher uses in that classroom (if the teacher has left notes about it). Otherwise I use a lot of positive reinforcement. I always have some type of rewards on me but I rarely use it. I do a lot of praising, instead. Also, I make sure that I teach the students the signal that I use when I want their attention. It usually is CLASS, CLASS, CLASS (answer YES, YES, YES and silence). Students of all ages like it and it works very well. These are the corner stones of what I do every day in another classroom. I wonder what I might be missing and what I could do better.

The question that I need to answer in a more satisfying way than I do now is the last one: how do I handle misbehavior/interruptions when they appear? Yesterday, because the disruptions and the silliness took place during partner work I broke out partnerships and/or moved people around.
What else can I do?
One of the things I can always do and should have done better yesterday was positive reinforcement. Other options:
-Set clear goals when you talk (individually) to the students that are being disruptive. Explain in simple words and short sentences what they have to do, in how much time and what the consequence is going to be if they don't.
-Give choices: it is either this or that.
-Count backwards to the moment when the behavior is going to switch.

One idea that I encountered in my reading and that I liked a lot was that the consequences we should use with the students should always be related to what the student did wrong. For example if the student had the priviledge to work with a partner, outside the classroom and he/she misbehaved the consequence will be that the student is no longer allowed to work with a partner outside the classroom. He will be working by himself, in the classroom, under the close supervision of the teacher. So I have to keep my "eyes" open for consequences of this type, that are not meant to punish, but to fix a problem, to "reward" the student according to his behavior.

Another thing that might have had good results yesterday is having a short and private discussion with each student that was acting out. I could even use a system of conference tickets with the substitute teacher. If I start handing them out other students might feel compelled to behave.

I could have also used some type of table group points system. At the end I would have rewarded the table group with the most points - some type of material reward (although I did not have anything worthy of a fifth grader) or something like 10 minutes free choice time, 5 minutes early release, mention in note to the teacher etc.  

In conclusion there are many things that I could have done and that I can do in similar situations. This free writing/reflecting experience helped me a lot and gave me hope that I can find answers to all my questions if only I dedicate them a little time.