A US History Teacher and a Special Ed Teacher (plus a BONUS rant!)

Today was exciting.
I excepted a job posting to teach high school US History.  When I arrived at the school this morning, I found out that, despite what the job posting said, I was only getting a half day's work (and pay).
Something similar to this happened a month so ago in this same district.  I had planned on registering a very firm complaint about this at the end of the assignment.  Before that could happen, though, I was asked if I could fill in the rest of the day for another teacher, who's sub had not shown up.  I was told that if I accepted I would be paid for two half days, rather than one half day.
I probably should have complained anyway, on principle, but by the end of the day I just wanted out of the building.

The second half of the day was spent with a special education class.  I had a lunch period separating the two parts of my day, and I ate in the special ed room so that I could go over the lesson plans.  The remaining two class periods of the day were rather vague.  They simply talked about taking the kids to the library, with no mention of what they were supposed to do.
Near the end of lunch another teacher came in, asking if I knew about the trip to the library.  I told him that I had seen it mentioned, but no specifics were given.  At this point he explained that my class was meeting up with two other special ed classes, and they were all taking a public bus across town to the public library.
The trip was really very easy.  I was told that the teachers usually just spread out around the building and read, trying to set a "good example" for the students, who pretty much just screw around the whole time.
We returned to school with about 25 minutes left in the day.  The kids were wound up pretty high, and I was not left with any material to fit the situation.  I told them to "sit and read quietly."  Most did, the rest sat and talked, thinking I couldn't hear them.

Okay, so, here's my question to all you other subs out there...
If you accepted an assignment online which was posted as being an entire day (at a full-day's pay), and when you arrived you were told that the assignment was only a half day... would you be upset?  Would you feel cheated?  Am I being melodramatic?

Personally, I won't accept partial day assignments unless it is the day of, and there are no full-day assignments available.  I feel like the district is cheating me - a "bait and switch" sort of deal.
As I said, I had a similar problem with this district a while back.  I didn't write about it, and I probably never will.  I usually try to keep the material here positive and funny (or at least light-hearted).
Suffice it to say, I was under the impression that the district understood why posting jobs incorrectly (in regard to the pay scale) was not in their best interest.

A 7th Grade Special Ed Math Teacher

Most of my day today was spent as a band teacher, but it was pretty boring.

During sixth period I subbed in a 7th grade math class.  The school wasn't able to get enough subs to cover all the missing teachers today, so I got to fill in during what would have been a prep period.

As I was rushing to look over the lesson plans for that hour, I noticed a girl standing in the doorway, glaring at me.  The following conversation happened as I looked up at her.

Girl: You!  I hate you! (said with some actual venom in her voice)

Mr. C.: ....oh? Have we met...?

Girl: You got me expelled from [other school]!  That's why I had to transfer here!

Mr. C.: Oh, wow.  That does seem like something I should remember.

Girl:  You got me expelled because I threw a marker at you!  It was last year, in sixth grade!

Mr. C.: I'm sorry, I really don't remember that... are you going to throw markers at me again today?

Girl: (said with a scoff) Only if you get me mad.

Mr. C.: I guess I'll try not to do that.

She did not speak to me again the rest of the class period.  She just sat and quietly worked on her math worksheets; glaring daggers at me anytime I'd walk by.

Eventually I did remember her.  The marker thing had just been the tipping point, when I finally called down to the principal's office and asked for her to be removed.

I had no idea she had been expelled, as I had made a point never to go back to that teacher's classroom.

A Resource Room Teacher

I was a resource room teacher today, with one period of middle school gym class.

Just before lunch, the school had a special assembly to address bullying.  They brought in a motivational speaker to talk to the kids about the subject.
I really hope the kids were motivated, because I wasn't impressed.  The man seemed to ramble on pointlessly, and then weakly tie in the rambling to how it feels to be bullied.
Also, in the middle of it all he had two students "race" to empty tubes of toothpaste... then didn't connect the activity to anything that he was saying.
After the man's "presentation," small groups of students read off different power point presentations (word for word) that defined cyber bullying and described how gossip can lead to bullying.

On a different note, I haven't updated this blog in a while... I've got a sort of mental back-log of stuff I've seen since my last post.  Maybe this weekend I will have a chance to post a couple more updates.

A High School Special Education Teacher

A group of about 15 Freshmen sat in near total silence for all of a 75 minute study hall.  I never through I'd complain about kids behaving, but I nearly went stir-crazy.

A Gym/Special Ed Teacher (Days 3 & 4)

I've had a mini long-term subbing job this past week.

The past two days my 7th grade gym class has played a variation of capture the flag.  I wouldn't have made them play it today, except they BEGGED that we play it again.  Part of the game's mechanics involved large (3'x5') padded mats on the floor, which served as "safe zones."  Because they were padded, kids liked to dive onto them head first.  This resulted in a LOT of head-to-head collisions.  Luckily there were no serious injuries.

Most of the classes I had were high school resource rooms.  Today was the last day before winter break, and no one was giving home work.  The kids pretty much just played games on the computer while I read.

I spent the day telling countering "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Winter Solstice."
The kids were confused.

A Gym/Special Ed Teacher (Day 2)

We played kick ball in 7th grade gym class today.  It wasn't even "regular," boring kick ball, it was 5-base kick ball.  We also used a GIANT rubber ball.  It was all those kids could do to get it airborne.  Two of the girls were really tiny, and I had to suppress a laugh whenever they ran at the ball and caught it, nearly knocking them over in the process.

The following conversation took place in one of the special ed classes (actually, it is more of a resource room, a quiet, calmer place for some kids to come work on stuff for other classes).

Student:  What's 30/40?
Mr. C: Oh, come on.  You can do that one in your head.  It's three-fourths, or .75
Student:  Sure, you can do it.  You know there's a reason we're in this room...
Mr. C: ..... *shakes head*
(Time passes)
Student: Oh! 30 starts with a 3 and 40 starts with a 4!  That IS easy!
Mr. C: Yup.

A Gym/Special Ed Teacher

Seventh graders are weird.  I played dodge ball with a class today, and after a girl got out, rather than run off to the side, she decided to spin in helicopter circles across the gym.

One boy told me that he has a metal plate in his head, and that it hurts when he sticks magnets to it.  I told him to stop sticking magnets to his head.  He agreed that it would be a good idea.
He then went on to tell me that the reason the plate is there, is because he got his head caught in one of those bouncy playground toys that sit atop a giant spring.  Later a teacher told me that this isn't true, and that the kid likes to make up stories.

An Elementary Special Education Teacher

I subbed today in an elementary special ed room, specifically a resource room.

It was an easy day, over all, but it wouldn't have been without some amazing parapros.  I never would have thought that a 5 year old could be so violent.

A Floating Special Education Teacher

I covered meetings today for the Special Education teachers.

I was originally scheduled for 8 half hour blocks at a time, and after each block I would move to a different classroom.  Three of the half hour blocks fell during the teachers' prep hours.  This, combined with the two hour lunch break I was scheduled meant that I had three and a half hours off in the middle of the day.  Paid.
I almost feel bad about it, except I DID stop into the office to see if they needed me for anything else during that time; they didn't.

A Resource Room Teacher

I subbed today for a resource room teacher.

It bugs me when people, other teachers especially, define students (or anyone) by their disabilities.  For example...
Mr. C.: Johnny?  I don't know who that is...
Teacher: Oh, he's... you know... the wheelchair...
Mr. C.: ...I see...