Sad after subbing in the middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Right. You subbed for one day and you've doomed these kids to dead end minimum wage jobs. Can't you see you're part of the problem?

No, the problem is the elected politicians who don’t care about children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm a parent trying to help with the sub shortage. I actually have an 8th grader at the school and thought I had a general sense of what was going on there. Nope! I realize these are kids and it's not their fault. My observation is that some of these kids did were not willing to do any work or put in any effort. I'm not going to sugar coat what I observed.

OP I have multiple children that to the untrained eye, would look like they weren't willing to do work or put in effort. There is much more to their story. In fact, there is more to the story of every student you described in your OP. If you continue to sub, I suggest you:

suspend your judgment
recognize your limitations
keep a sense of humor

Thank you for subbing! Please consider taking this advice.

-Ex-teacher who started out as a sub, so I've been there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right. You subbed for one day and you've doomed these kids to dead end minimum wage jobs. Can't you see you're part of the problem?

No, the problem is the elected politicians who don’t care about children.

I'd love to hear what solution you think a politician can impose

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So interesting. Contrast this with the many threads in the college forum on how difficult it is to get into the good colleges these days. Even the top 50. Looks like the children in our society are going in two different directions at the same time. So just ask, which side do you want your kid to be on? This sub is just telling it like it is. But not saying the school district.

Exactly. Kids should know how to be decent, especially with a sub.

[Anonymous]

OP again. I am not going to name the school district. I think the pp who stated that education is headed in two directions is correct. We have the top kids who are getting smarter and smarter, doing high level work at a young age. Then we have the low kids who struggle to read or do basic multiplication. I do think that trade schools starting in 9th grade would be a good option for some of these kids.

For the PP who asked what it looks like when they can't read. It's very very slow reading, sounding out words like "visualize" and then having no reading comprehension. Some of these kids clearly need one on one help, but no one has time for that. It's sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So interesting. Contrast this with the many threads in the college forum on how difficult it is to get into the good colleges these days. Even the top 50. Looks like the children in our society are going in two different directions at the same time. So just ask, which side do you want your kid to be on? This sub is just telling it like it is. But not saying the school district.

Exactly. Kids should know how to be decent, especially with a sub.

BINGO!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
1. It's 8th grade.

2. You're a sub.

3. Of course they're not going to respect you or want to do a lick of work

4. And you're so stupid and unaware of the dynamic here, you can conclude they're all doomed after one day!!! Clearly, subbing for that age group is not for you

I don’t know how you raise your kids, but my 8th grader knows to treat both teachers and subs respectfully.

PP you replied to. My high schooler and middle schooler are very polite, thank you very much.

Regarding subs, I KNOW. I've witnessed it. Kids have a working relationship with their year-round or semester teachers. That relationship is more or less productive, but it is a relationship and usually it works for all parties.

With subs, particularly for that age group, all bets are off. These are grumpy adolescents, and usually their subs are incompetent. Not saying OP is incompetent! Again, this is from years of personal observation. So they see a sub coming in, and most of them, being grumpy adolescents, moan and groan, and some say extraordinarily rude things, to see how the sub reacts, and some have fun with pretending they can't read or can't do basic math, and it's all an immature expression of their many frustrations.

OP, it looks like you're new to this and didn't know how hard it was going to be, so I apologize for my "stupid" statement. Let's just say you were very naive. There are many reasons no one wants to sub, but one of them is that you usually get a frosty reception (all age groups - I once witnessed a 4th grade class reducing a sub to tears, but middle schoolers are the worst).

It’s difficult for me to imagine that someone who claims her MS and HS children are polite to subs writing the first statement, rather than posting something that actually might help OP be a better sub.

[Anonymous]

Is this a high percentage low income school?

[Anonymous]

That’s why the teachers flock to our school district.

[Anonymous]

Look, I taught at a rough high school straight out of college. Most students read at about the 4th grade level, so depending on where you subbed, I can believe it. Plus middle schoolers are a-holes in general, especially to subs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids act up for subs. This has always been the case.

Good to know we have no discipline or behavior issues in schools. I guess the day things go awry are only when subs are in the classroom? Sounds plausible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm a parent trying to help with the sub shortage. I actually have an 8th grader at the school and thought I had a general sense of what was going on there. Nope! I realize these are kids and it's not their fault. My observation is that some of these kids did were not willing to do any work or put in any effort. I'm not going to sugar coat what I observed.

Ask the Sub in your kid’s classes how s/he behaved with a sub.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm a parent trying to help with the sub shortage. I actually have an 8th grader at the school and thought I had a general sense of what was going on there. Nope! I realize these are kids and it's not their fault. My observation is that some of these kids did were not willing to do any work or put in any effort. I'm not going to sugar coat what I observed.

This is not common behavior in most schools. Unfortunately, when I subbed I noticed this type of behavior mostly in lower income communities. Both Middle and High School.

OP, I would be worried about my kid. Make sure you talk to him/her. How is your kid doing in school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm a parent trying to help with the sub shortage. I actually have an 8th grader at the school and thought I had a general sense of what was going on there. Nope! I realize these are kids and it's not their fault. My observation is that some of these kids did were not willing to do any work or put in any effort. I'm not going to sugar coat what I observed.

Ask the Sub in your kid’s classes how s/he behaved with a sub.

DP. You realize that plenty of kids, even “grouchy adolescents,” are fully capable of getting through a single class period without being rude to the adult in charge?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm a parent trying to help with the sub shortage. I actually have an 8th grader at the school and thought I had a general sense of what was going on there. Nope! I realize these are kids and it's not their fault. My observation is that some of these kids did were not willing to do any work or put in any effort. I'm not going to sugar coat what I observed.

Ask the Sub in your kid’s classes how s/he behaved with a sub.

DP. You realize that plenty of kids, even “grouchy adolescents,” are fully capable of getting through a single class period without being rude to the adult in charge?

DP I have seen many an inexperienced or substitute teacher perceive a child as rude without considering at all how they presented themselves. Its a hard relationship to balance, especially with middle schoolers. Even more so if you are new to it