An Art Teacher (Long Term 2)

I read my middle school students the riot act about the mess.  The past couple days they have done a surprisingly good job of cleaning the room at the end of the period.  

I've spent this week sorting out and organizing all of the piles of student work around the room.  I have given back at least 2-3 projects per class period. I'm also starting to wrap my head around the organizational system. 

My next big task is going to be the main storage room.  There are a lot of items that I just don't understand.  

An Art Teacher (Long Term 1)

Well, it's official.  They gave me keys and everything.  For at least the next six weeks I will be the art teacher at a small, semi-rural middle/high school.  As things become routine, I imagine my blog posts will diminish in frequency.
The teacher I'm subbing for called me last night, and we spent nearly an hour on the phone going over her classes, and talking about the weeks to come.  I mentioned some of my biggest concerns in my previous post.  She was able to clear up a lot of them, though I'm really not looking forward to putting the gnomes in the kiln at some point.  I had to move them today, and put them in a safer storage area (than on the main counter in the room)  Several of them fell apart when I picked them up - oops.

My middle school students are working on a project that needs a lot of construction paper.  I got out a large selection, but several times I allowed kids to go into the storage room to get other colors.  Towards the end of the day, when I had a real chance to go back and check out the room, I found that it was trashed.  I guess I learned a lesson.

A Secondary Art Teacher

I walked into school today expecting the usual boring art class lesson plans of: "The kids should continue working on their projects, they know what they're doing."
Instead, when I walked into the office I was greeted by the principal with, "oh, Mr. C, what are you doing for the next two months?"

Long story short, I may have an unexpected long-term job coming up.  Right now I'm scheduled tomorrow (Friday) through all of next week.  Past that, things are still up in the air.
I spent some time tonight talking to an art teacher friend of mine, getting some advice and also reading up on state visual art content expectations.  I'm certified in social studies and English... I can't draw my way out of a paper bag.

With all that being said, the high school students just finished sculpting lawn gnomes out of clay.  They were sitting on a shelf in the room, and some of the kids did a really good job on them.  The gnomes still need to be fired and then painted.  I have no idea how to work a kiln.

A Third Grade Teacher

It has been a while since I've covered a single elementary class.

Today's 3rd graders managed to be excessively loud AND reasonably productive, all at the same time.

Early in the day, after I had explained to the kids that I was leaving their teacher a note, and that it already contained several references to their excessive volume, one kid managed to sneak me a slip of paper while my back was turned.  It contained a "World's Best Teacher" award, and it was signed, "The Kid in the Black Gap Shirt."
I thought that was pretty insightful, seeing as if he had signed his name, I wouldn't have known who it was from.
Also, this was only two hours into class, I think they award may have been a bit premature.

I got to cover a recess.  At one point, while watching the kids on the snow hill, one girl got to the top and screamed, "NO ONE CAN JUDGE WOMEN!"  I have no idea why she said this, but it was met with cheers from the other girls on the snow hill.

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 Senior English Teacher (Day 2) and a Gym Teacher

I was the same English teacher as I was on Monday.  This would have been day three, except there was a snow day yesterday.  I don't think I will be subbing for her again tomorrow.  I am in the same building, though, covering meetings.  I'm pretty sure that if that teacher is gone again, my assignment will be changed.

I covered for a gym teacher the last hour of the day.  He had the kids playing an interesting variant of dodgeball. They call the game, "Medic Ball."  It plays out just like dodgeball, except if you get hit, you have to sit down.  One player is designated as the "medic," and gets to carry around a little scooter that can be used as a shield.  The medic can't pick up or use balls, but his job is to run the scooter to anyone sitting down, and pull them back to the team's wall, at which point the person is back in the game.  You can win by either getting an entire team to sit down, OR by hitting the medic.

A Senior English Teacher

I covered today for a senior English/journalism teacher that I've subbed for a handful of times in the past.

This time, there was a student teacher, and this was her second week in the classroom.  She was obviously flustered, since her Master Teacher had been gone Thursday and Friday of last week, in addition to today.
I guess the teacher is really sick, because I'm in the class again the next two days, and possibly even a third.

I feel a little sorry for the student teachers from the local colleges.  They are not allowed to sub for their Master Teacher, which means they get a "baby sitter" instead.  When I did my student teaching, it was required that I register as a sub with the local ISD, so that I didn't need a babysitter.  I even got paid for most of the days my Master Teacher was out of the classroom.