Mrs. Cook is what I wrote on the board when I subbed for the first time Thursday. It was little weird because I don't write "Mrs" very often. I taught 7th grade social studies.
When I first got into the classroom one of the neighboring teachers came in and showed me how to work the projector and everything. Apparently, overhead projectors are way outdated. Who knew?! Then she warned me that the last two classes were the hardest and that they can be hard to handle. Great. As if I already wasn't nervous enough.
The bell rang and I opened the door. The kids were just standing there not going inside. I told the first kid that he could go in. Then they all started filing in. That's when I realized that the kids line up and wait to be told they can come in. Good to know. However, these kids aren't in Elementary school anymore. The last time I had to line up for a class was in 4th grade I think, and that was only when we were being bad.
The kids had to watch a movie and take notes. The movie was a History Channel documentary about the Dog Fights of WWI. It was actually pretty good and interesting. I recommend watching it. The type of airplanes that the Germans used were named Fokker B-17 (I can't remember what the actually numbers were.) It was a reminder that I was in a Jr. High class when, the first couple times, that the narrator of the documentary said "Fokker," muffled snickering could be heard around the classroom...mostly from the boys.
1st Class - Went really well. The kids were good and stayed quiet during the movie.
2nd Class - One kid asked me if they could sit where they wanted. I told them that as long as they stayed quiet during the movie then they could, but if it got too loud then they would have to move back to their assigned seats. That's when I was told that I was, "The best sub ever!"
3rd Class - The first of the forewarned "bad" classes was actually pretty good. They had to be reminded to quiet down more than the previous classes. One kid did spray Axe on another kid. Ugh that stuff has a terrible smell. I remember boys doing that when I was in Jr. High. I guess some things never change. Even in different states.
4th Class - Last class of the day. It was the only thing that stood between them and a 3 day weekend. By the last 20 minutes of class (periods are 70 minutes each) they were ready to be done. They were sick of being there, bored of watching the movie, and during lunch they did some sort of candy thing so several of the kids were on a sugar high which didn't help the situation. I can't blame them I was ready to be done too. I mean after watching the same video 4 times in a row it gets a little...predictable. Alas, everything went just fine and they were actually one of the funnest classes of the day.
Questions I was asked throughout the day:
- Are you related to Dane Cook?
- Are you related to David Cook from American Idol?
- Can I lay down on the desk?
- Can I dance?
- Are you married?
And the two most popular questions of the day...
- Can I go to the bathroom?
- Can I go get a drink?
I enjoyed substitute teaching. I didn't need to be so nervous about it. However, I don't know if I could be a teacher. It is HARD work. I think next to being a parent, teachers have the hardest jobs. So kudos to all you teachers.
