Another day subbing

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Last Monday and Tuesday, it was too cold to go to school. It has been over 50 degrees since Sunday. Weird. It has nothing to do with subbing today, but I just have to mention it.

So, I was off to a different middle school today but still teaching the same class – 7th grade math. This school has bells that start and end class. That works better for me. The first class was very small. Yay. Small is always more manageable. Yay. I like to start with a bit of an activity (I have probably mentioned it many times). I take attendance and then announce they can with the fabulous prize of walking tooooo the office AND back if they get the-totally-random-question-that-they-cannot-know-the-answer-to right. They have to raise their hand and get called on, because if I hear the right answer but don’t know who said it, it doesn’t count. Most people play. Most people want to have their turn over and over and over until they get it right. The question is always some random fact about me, because when I tried obscure trivia people would look it up and it wasn’t fun. I choose a question that will have a quick turnaround vs one that might take a few minutes depending on what the day’s schedule needs. Short assignment? Long question because I have them engaged and not done too soon and being restless. Serious work coming up? What did I have for breakfast? There aren’t that many reasonable answers.

They always remember the question from the last time, and usually come in yelling the answer- You’ve been to all 50 states, you have zero pets, you went to 14 theme parks one year! They are then surprised when I don’t ask the same question. Makes me laugh, every time. After the winner leaves for the big walk to the office, I vamp – usually asking them about their experiences related to the question. We talk a bit as group, because it is very rare that they are not engaged as a group. I don’t like to start the lesson before the winner comes back, because they shouldn’t miss the intro.

When I am successful in subbing, it isn’t because I am a wizard at teaching; it’s because I am funny or strangely enthusiastic or just so incredibly motivating. If I have them listening to me – chatting together – totally making them feel like we are NOT doing math (and maybe we never will). I like to tell stories that make me look foolish, because middle schoolers LOVE that. They love when they have been more successful at something than me. I try to get them all to like me in the first 3-5 minutes. I usually wrap up the intro part of the day by telling them I am super mean, and I make scary hands at them. They protest (NO! NO! You are super nice) and I insist, super mean. Then I tell them what we are going to do. I’m going to talk (because I love to talk) and I promise I will do my very best to make this totally understandable for them – because I LOVE it and I can do that. I tell them how long the talking will last, but it will probably be longer because I will tell them a story about the time I saw a tarantula in the wild (Tell it!! No, you have to wait until it just comes up naturally, because it does come up naturally all the time.) (It has never come up). And we start. I’m a little apologetic that we have to work, but we do, so that is that.

A lot of quiet girls are just staring at me with big eyes and smiles and I LOVE IT. A lot of rowdy boys have already been called out (Red Hat Guy – why are you talking when I am so interesting? Guy in the back on your Chromebook – do you want me to come back and see what you are doing or do you just want to close it? You make such good choices. I will come and take it if I see it again, because I am super mean (cue scary hands) – and I do just walk and take and leave it in front, if necessary. Did I tell you? Am I unfair? Okay, it’s on my desk at the end of class. The rowdy girls I usually bring in close – Cool earring girl can you help me? Pink sweatshirt would you ask the guy behind you to talk a bit more quietly, he’s interrupting my being off-topic). And a million other things.

Today, I had an ace up my sleeve. Competition. This teacher has his subs give the classes a score out of 15 (three sections of five). High score gets treats tomorrow. I am TRULY rooting for every class to get 15, because I think it makes me look good – and it is a game for me. If I do it right, everyone wins. I will and do pit them against each other.

The first class was cocky. They told me they always win. They are a super small class, which probably helps. I figure it will go well, just because they are a good class.

They were not particularly good. We got through the lesson, most of them did the assignment quite quickly, and then they talked. Mmm. That wasn’t the deal. The deal was talk after everyone was done. There was nothing awful, but there were some wanderers and lots of talkers and no on shhhhh-ed when I shhhhh-ed. I was very much hoping they would not win.

The next class came in a bit bouncy, but I asked to start and it went silent. Nice. I did my stand-up schtick while the attendance-r was gone. We did the lesson. It was a video, which now that I had seen it, I stopped several times to clarify something, then made a joke. I showed them a little trick to make things go faster in the assignment (it’s not homework! It’s an assignment I want you to finish in class. I will HELP you. I might just tell you all the answers if you are trying (I won’t). The teacher’s message on the smart board was silent work on something else when you finish – stay in your seat. I told them that last hour was NOT great and it was theirs to win. They said they never win because they aren’t a great class (NOOOO!) I said they were totally at a 15 before work time AND if they managed to stay quiet while they worked (because EVERYONE deserves a quiet place to work – they really usually agree with that), we would have straight up free time when everyone was done. AND they could be because it was a short assignment. SILENTLY, they started. Five or six kids left to finish yesterday’s test in the library. It remained silent. Some hands with good questions. A few super quiet questions to neighbors for math help, with super quiet answers. A kid went to the bathroom, after bringing his filled-out bathroom pass for me to sign. I keep the door locked, because that is the world, and he knocked to get back in. Another kid hopped up and opened the door. “Thanks, Jonah.” “No problem, Nate. I got you.” A kid failing at sharpening a pencil (the sharpeners are crap) got an assist with a whispered, “I think I got this one figured out – lemme try for you,” then a successful sharpen. I had not taken into account the test takers who had left the room. As soon as we got almost to everyone being done, they trickled back in and started the assignment. Oh no! We were NOT going to get free time. I quietly apologized that it wasn’t going to happen and NO ONE complained. They whispered, “Everyone deserves a quiet place to do their work.” It was silent until time to pack up.

There were more really, really great, kind interactions whispered around the room. The point of the thing is that they were working hard to get their prize and be quiet, but they were also being kind and thoughtful as they did it. I was gobsmacked. I was loving every second of it. I gave them a 15+ and wrote in capital letters I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS CLASS. ALL THE GOOD THINGS!!!!!

I cannot remember a better class. I have had people do the work, but a whole class period full of kindness is unprecedented. The next two classes were good – fine- 12/15 and 13/15. Last time I was here, sixth hour was NOT good. I clashed with some students and the office had to be called and it was ew. I started with that and said I totally believed in them that together we could turn it around and win (ties win) and I really wanted to surprise their teacher with a win from 6th hour. They were IN! My most difficult student from last time announced she was going to the office – that she and everyone else would be more successful if she left.

Talk about gobsmacked.

Inside, I was dancing and thinking YES YES YES GO! Outside, I encouraged her to stay – assured her we would do fine today! She said, Nope, she was going. And she did. I called the office to tell them, and they thought it was reallllly weird. I said they could send her back while thinking KEEP HER. LET HER BE SUCCESSFUL. They decided to keep her. Yesss!

They were NOT extra perfect like third hour, but they were a solid 15. They were trying so hard. Someone dropped a PENCIL and rushed to apologize for the noise!! They were so pumped to get a 15 and so was I.

I think the biggest part of my disastrous day yesterday was that I couldn’t start. With no definitive bell to start things off, and their unwillingness to sit down, I couldn’t get their attention or interest. They didn’t listen to the directions and didn’t understand the assignment. That made it hard. When stuff is hard, they don’t even want to try. Not wanting to even try makes for chaos. Yesterday was chaos. Today was bliss.

**Today’s potd was taken with permission by the artist as he silently entertained himself after finishing the assignment.