Sad after subbing in the middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Insubordinate. And churlish.

LOL DP here but this is my favorite line EVER. I SAY IT ALL THE TIME.

[Anonymous]

Many kids that age are jerks. OP, count yourself lucky that yours is not. I have one that is the lovely kid that teachers a d parents are always asking over. And one that is basically a huge jerk right now. Every morning I tell him to be kind and respectful, and I suspect he is still probably rude and churlish. I’m trying, really. I’m hoping he grows out of it by the time that awful mustache is fully grown in. Otherwise I’m going to have to look into boarding school.
I think being a middle school sub is probably one of the creative punishments in hell.

[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.

Anything to cast the blame away from where it actually belongs: parenting.

[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.

Sounds like a dismal middle school environment for teachers and good students alike. Do you wish you had out your children in a parochial school for 5-8th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I subbed for 8th grade yesterday. It made me sad. So many kids on track to "dead end" lives. Some can't read. some aren't willing to do any work at all, just sit on their phones all class period. Many are extremely defiant. One girl announced to the class I was racist because of "the way I looked at her". Kids loudly announcing they "hate all subs". So many of these kids seem to be headed to a life on minimum wage jobs. They don't seem to understand that this is their chance to create a good future. Of course there were some really great kids too, but overall I feel sad.

Then shouldn't we make sure minimum wage is a livable wage?

Also, shouldn't we make sure that kids are screened early for reading disabilities?

Half of MCPS needs remedial math and English after Hs graduation. It’s not a disability problem, it’s a lack of parenting and under achiever kid problem. But hey, lots of welfare and stimulus to support their lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many schools are just poverty mills, turning out poorly educated, unprepared kids. The kids don't realize they are screwed before they even 'graduate'.

Many are real good at telling everyone canned BS like they want to be a doctor.

[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.

My kid is at a highly rated high school, and he tells me horror stories about the way the kids treat the teachers in his AP classes! Kids are awful, and the teachers get entirely burned out and cynical in just a few years. One of his teachers is completely checked out, and he teaches an AP class! It's appalling, and the pandemic made it worse. I don't have an answer, and yes, it's very, very sad. The kids in my child's track aren't headed to dead-end jobs, but they aren't aiming high either. The education system in our country is a terrible mess, all teaching to the test, memorization and regurgitate, no wonder kids get disillusioned quickly and become cynical and act out at the teachers. The pandemic made it much, much worse. We need a complete reset on education in this country, especially now that the insane right has emerged, feeding on their distorted information sources, living in an alternate universe where DT is the displaced POTUS. Sad, indeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hear you. I test kids in elementary schools and it’s one on one mostly and kids are younger but I feel similar. Kids are mostly nice but my heart breaks for them. A 5th grader saying they have never seen a wild animal. Another 5th grader unable to retell the basic text with visual clues. It’s not a language issue. Some kids’ brains are just never engaged and trained, plus genetics sometimes too.

Sounds like neglect and zero age appropriate interactions at home, in English or any fluent language. I have heard the Spanish they and their caretakers speak; it isn’t pretty and it ain’t a dialect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They may need someone to believe in them. Someone who will not determined after a glimpse at one day of their, that they are doomed to failure. Someone who understands life has been extra challenging the past few years. Someone to encourage and guide them to keep trying.

They need high standards, uniforms, discipline, accountability, and a sense of community.

Exactly what parochial schools and seton schools are able to do with inner city children.

I don’t think large county public school districts can get any less academic or below grade level than they are. The admin really caters to the bottom half and the bottom half keeps dragging the curriculum and teaching and classroom behavior down.

Bring back honors track in 4th grade onward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And yet amazingly, despite being disrespectful to a sub who asked me to stop sleeping on my desk in 8th grade (I didn't feel well and told her to go away and leave me alone), I managed to wind up with a job that pays more than minimum wage.


And here you are as an adult still thinking this was an okay way to handle it.

Show me where I said that. Oh wait, right, I didn't. My point is that being difficult to a substitute teacher is not an indication that someone will wind up in a minimum wage job, which is what the OP is alleging.

Are you fixating or aspergers or something?

[Anonymous]

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

This.

[Anonymous]

OP, I hear you and agree with you. On one hand you have kids who will go on to be high performers and will struggle to get into good schools, on the other hand you will have kids who are struggling with basic literacy in middle school.

But, it is not something that is happening only right now. This is the reality of USA since the last 15 years that I have seen first hand due to my own involvement with public schools. The future of these children is grim and dark.

What should you do? Nothing. You are a babysitter. You hope that these children are safe, fed and healthy in school and under your watch...and beyond that you cannot help them. The society is in decline. I am so sorry that you witnessed this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sus that you’re blaming the kids. They’re children. It’s adults that have failed them.

Their “parent(s)” failed them, by instilling no values, work ethic, morals, manners, or goals.

Well, the parents only had kids because they were having sex. You think the parents were educated? Or want anything for their children that requires hardwork? These are people who are used to free handouts. In anycase they are not aiming for higher education. These parents are also tired and not capable of being in the 21st century. For the students - teach them some trade and personal finance and they will actually have a chance to make something of their life. They do not need Algebra. FFS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for being a sub, OP! Seriously.

+1000000

Can you tell us where you subbed? I have an 8th grader, and so many kids misbehave. I blame the schools though! They allow it, and they haven’t educated the kids so when they hit 8th grade, they are behind and filled with attitude & defense mechanisms.

+1 OP, you are awesome for subbing. We need more subs.

I remember when I was in MS/HS some of the kids were terrible, especially to the subs. Not much different to today, though. My DD (MS, who is pretty sensitive) tells me how horrible some kids are to the teachers, and subs.

But, yea, they learn from their parents. Look at how some of the parents behaved towards students who were testifying about school boundary, mask mandates. They bully the kids who end up crying.
The adults are a$$holes, and they are producing the next generation of a$$holes.

+1,000,000 They level of entitlement, rudeness and low level of anger management in this country is ASTOUNDING. I never felt this way growing up or my early adult years, but now it is awful. People are just terrible! I guess kids included as these are the kids of these foul adults we see here pn DCUM, in our communities and beyond.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sus that you’re blaming the kids. They’re children. It’s adults that have failed them.

Their “parent(s)” failed them, by instilling no values, work ethic, morals, manners, or goals.

Well, the parents only had kids because they were having sex. You think the parents were educated? Or want anything for their children that requires hardwork? These are people who are used to free handouts. In anycase they are not aiming for higher education. These parents are also tired and not capable of being in the 21st century. For the students - teach them some trade and personal finance and they will actually have a chance to make something of their life. They do not need Algebra. FFS

No. My husband and I planned our family and are BOTH raising responsible and highly successful and polite children. I would never expect to hear of my children being disrespectful in school, and I have a 9th grader and K child. Both are absolutely loved by all of their teachers.