So, clearly, I'm at one a month with my weblog. This is ridiculous. I have to do better. But what I'm not going to do is make every post about my bad blogging habits so moving on...
I have been substitute teaching these last few weeks and I have been reminded why I swore I would never teach again. I have done way more behavior management that teaching and because of my commitment to not yelling at children, I have softly and politely said "please sit down" more times in two weeks than I have in five years.
I get it. I remember me in middle school and I was a nightmare. I think back now to those teachers I had and feel so bad. Back then, I thought they were old as heck but I know that they were just young adults trying to do their job and every day they had to come to work and deal this little a-hole.
I think the major difference between me and the kids I'm managing right now is that I did my work. I was an A student who misbehaved. These are D students misbehaving and that's the scary part for me. But eventually, one straightens up or enters the prison system. But one can't get educate up. The inability to read and comprehend is a life long sentence that follows one everywhere they go.
And of course, the real culprits here are the parents, the ones you can't yell or suspend or not take privileges from. They are untouchable despite being the biggest enabler of the madness. I think one time some years ago, a school district in California was fining parents for student behavior. That clearly didn't catch on.
Mark Twain said something like school is where people are introduced to information and home is where they learn and I don't think people believe that anymore. I think people really think school is where the learning happens. But that's not true. For example, these students cuss like sailors and I know for a fact they didn't learn to cuss at school.
I think because I'm a lot older now and not as invested because I am a substitute, I just kind of operate in love and patience. At the end of the day, these are not my children and the fact that they are uneducated is not my problem. I come to work everyday joyful and appreciative of the fact that I have employment and I leave that way.
And I say "please sit down" with the softest voice I can muster.