New to substitute teaching - A long overdue update

[Chicken Pot Pie]

(ETA by Darat):An update to this thread: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=46162

I truly enjoyed my first year of subbing. I managed to brush up on a lot of Math, which seems to be what I did in Middle School rather than 4th - 6th grade. We have excellent computer resources for busy work sites, and I was able to introduce juggling to lots of the kiddos. I even flew for them! I seldom went a day without being called or booked well in advance. It was an awesome experience.

Fast forward to the past school year. I was invited to take the full-time in-school suspension job - with full benefits. I cringed at having to be the "heavy", but one must work, eh? Most of the time things went well. We have cubicles to wrap around desks to "isolate" them and help keep them on task. Early in the year the kids only came occasionally, so often I just did a lot of searching for materials.

After the winter break, things became busier, with some classes as small as one or two, up to the max I had of 16! However, I ended up with 4 full-timers from mid-March on to the end of the year. That's when things got "challenging". I had also taken a weekend job doing security guard work - also not a job compatible with my temperament. I tried so hard to do my best at both, and ended up with a blood pressure of 150/108 and pulse rate of 127! With a little help from the doc, I made it through the last two weeks of school. I had nightmares of one student's family chasing me in a blue truck with the child's name on the windshield! I became easily startled, constantly crying, totally not wanting to get out of bed, put on make up and gained nearly 30 pounds as I nervously ate at my desk all day. Not good coping skills, I know.

I've had to give up the weekend job, even though I expected my emotional state to improve with the end of school. It didn't happen, and I've become a basket case. My meds have been tweaked by my doc, but we agreed it was time to see the Psychiatrist to get to the bottom of my feelings of depression, worthlessness, paranoia and near agoraphobia. I'm NOT suicidal, but just overwhelmed at how quickly I fell apart. I'm trying not to self-diagnose, but I'm reading about mental health issues so I can be assured I'm not going to be given any woo advice or pats on the back to "just snap out of it". I now fully understand some of the replies I got in '05 on classroom management, from the "pardon one, etc." post, to "The Lesson".

On a happy note, I brought in some junk mail one day that expressed that I was a "winner" for something. My name was on it in huge letters, so I cut that part off to use as my door's nameplate, lol. But, one of the kids said his mom got one of those mailers as well, and She was a "winner" too! I happily used that as a lesson in critical thinking! Whoda' thunk it?

As far as I know, I'm already rehired for the same position, starting July 29th, I believe. I suppose I'll do what the good doc tells me and take it from there, but if a job change is needed, then so be it. Even with the wacky last 6 weeks, I can still say I love the job. I think I just need more ejumacation, lol, on working with troubled kids. Thanks for letting me ramble, and I'd love any feedback from anyone, sane or not, on this.

Chicken Pot Pie

[Chicken Pot Pie]

Thanks to Darat for helping me fix this post. Readong the old thread will give you a bit of background, but the new questions are what I wanted to cover here. Thanks for being a supportive group!

Chicken Pot Pie

[Kevin_Lowe]

That's one of the down-sides of compulsory education. Somebody has to take on the role of prison guard when students don't want to be there and/or cannot safely be kept in the general population.

From what you went through that's not a job for a decent human being. Then again, maybe it would be even worse to give the role to someone who enjoyed it.

[Chicken Pot Pie]

That's one of the down-sides of compulsory education. Somebody has to take on the role of prison guard when students don't want to be there and/or cannot safely be kept in the general population.

From what you went through that's not a job for a decent human being. Then again, maybe it would be even worse to give the role to someone who enjoyed it.

The whole idea of in-school suspension is to keep the kids "in attendance", thereby getting the state $$ for them.

My son works in a different county and mentioned their ISS teacher is a 6'4" bear of a man, and the students usually only cross him one time. My son said that of anything he could do see me doing at a school, disciplinarian was not one of them - with all due respect. Heck, I'm a children's entertainer - an August Clown!

I'm creative, and at least I received some recognition of my handling of a few situations. I actually used Lamaze breathing/relaxation techniques to calm one meltdown before any "help" arrived. I guess it's truly a love/hate relationship I have with this position. I hope next year is better.

Thanks for your comments, Kevin. BTW, is that sketch a self-portrait? Just curious. I face paint, dabble in sketching, etc. myself.

Chicken Pot Pie

[Kevin_Lowe]

I hope next year is better for you too. We need good teachers, but we need them healthy and sane.

The sketch is scan of a portrait drawn by my girlfriend, who used to be a commercial artist. My own drawing skills are very limited.

[Senex]

Chicken Pot Pie,

I understand exactly what you have gone through. I've been a substitute teacher at every level, an intern, student teacher and teacher at the middle school level. I've worked in inner city schools. Many times when I was an intern I was in charge of the in-house suspension room. The most students I ever had to watch was eight. I can not conceive of watching sixteen behavior challenged students whose regular teachers have tossed them out for behavior problems and have to watch them in a small room for 6.5 hours without anything to entertain them with but worksheets and questions at the end of the chapter, especially at the end of the year.

That is an impossible position to be in. School administrators love to turn a blind eye to a faculty member suffering who doesn't complain because it saves the school's budget. I understand you have a terribly difficult job. Personally, I would look for another job because that one is stressful and unrewarding.

Best of luck.

[Chicken Pot Pie]

Chicken Pot Pie,

I understand exactly what you have gone through.
...
That is an impossible position to be in. School administrators love to turn a blind eye to a faculty member suffering who doesn't complain because it saves the school's budget. I understand you have a terribly difficult job. Personally, I would look for another job because that one is stressful and unrewarding.

Best of luck.

Senex,

I think you hit the nail on the head.

I practically had to beg to get a break most days. I never had the time to finish my Bachelor's degree, so I had no professional education classes. And, yes, I was suffering.

The job comes with health insurance, so that is why I need to try to keep it. Maybe they will have come up with some character education lessons I can try with them. But, I agree, I may need to just find something else.

Thank you so much for your empathy.

Chicken Pot Pie

[Senex]

Senex,

I think you hit the nail on the head.

I practically had to beg to get a break most days. I never had the time to finish my Bachelor's degree, so I had no professional education classes. And, yes, I was suffering.

The job comes with health insurance, so that is why I need to try to keep it. Maybe they will have come up with some character education lessons I can try with them. But, I agree, I may need to just find something else.

Thank you so much for your empathy.

Chicken Pot Pie

All of us who had that job have empathy. Have you considered asking them to pay for some of your professional education classes at night? You are on the faculty and are trying to improve your educational position. If you can use them like they are using you it might make the day go faster. It can't hurt to ask.

[Chicken Pot Pie]

All of us who had that job have empathy. Have you considered asking them to pay for some of your professional education classes at night? You are on the faculty and are trying to improve your educational position. If you can use them like they are using you it might make the day go faster. It can't hurt to ask.

I will surely ask about that. I'm working on getting out of default on my student loans, and only have a few more months to go before I may be eligible for some financial aid. I like the way you think!

[Alt+F4]

I practically had to beg to get a break most days.

I gather you work in a union free school. As for your student loan if you work full time in a federal Title 1 school you might be able to have your loan forgiven in exchange for 2 or 3 years teaching there.

[Chicken Pot Pie]

I gather you work in a union free school. As for your student loan if you work full time in a federal Title 1 school you might be able to have your loan forgiven in exchange for 2 or 3 years teaching there.

I hold an emergency certificate to substitute teach. I have 104 hours with an Associate of General Studies degree. I had been working on Music Ed, K-12. I filled my general core requirements and most of my music requirements. I didn't have any Education related classes.

Our school is a union school, but my position is not. I'm not subbing, but I'm working under the Site Based Decision Making committee. As it is a full-time position, I do get health benefits, which eats up half of my $61-a-day pay. If I were certified I would be eligible for debt forgiveness, but as classified, I don't believe I qualify for that.

It's that "so close but yet so far" position I'm in as far as this position goes. I feel that because it's a crappy position that it actually has job security!

Thanks, Alt+F4.