XP: Teacher advice please?

lilacck28

Today I had a very difficult day as a substitute teacher in a middle school English class. Very difficult. I wanted to cry, multiple times. Today I was also told that I am hired for the long term art sub at an elementary school. 

The middle school where I taught is the same district as the elementary schools where I will be teaching. They both have low- school rankings (two elementary schools, on school digger, one is ranked 0, the other 1. The middle school I just taught at was ranked 1), high diversity, low socio-economics. 

Basically, I had a lot of trouble with classroom management/ discipline, and I would LOVE some tips, resources, etc. that you guys have found helpful. 

I want teaching these kids art to go a LOT better than it did today! 

JCbride2015

lilacck28 said:

Today I had a very difficult day as a substitute teacher in a middle school English class. Very difficult. I wanted to cry, multiple times. Today I was also told that I am hired for the long term art sub at an elementary school. 

The middle school where I taught is the same district as the elementary schools where I will be teaching. They both have low- school rankings (two elementary schools, on school digger, one is ranked 0, the other 1. The middle school I just taught at was ranked 1), high diversity, low socio-economics. 

Basically, I had a lot of trouble with classroom management/ discipline, and I would LOVE some tips, resources, etc. that you guys have found helpful. 

I want teaching these kids art to go a LOT better than it did today! 

Eeesh.  Subbing can be rough.  I don't have time for a whole spiel right now, but generally classroom management is based on expectations, procedures, and consequences.  "The First Days of School" by Harry K. Wong is 10000% the best classroom management book that exists.  Buy it, read it, live and die by that thing, really.  Buy it today and read it over the weekend.

One quick tip I did in my English classroom that could work well in art was always starting my class with a warm-up procedure, like a journal.  Art journals could be really cool and then the kids always have something to start on the minute they walk in the door, and always know what to expect.

Keep them busy.  Busy kids are generally well-behaved kids (and they are probably learning better if they are busy and engaged).  Bored kids are misbehaving kids.

I can try to dig up some more specific stuff, but seriously, Harry K. Wong.  Read it.

lilacck28

thanks @JCbride2015 I'm going to try to find that book! 

I feel unprepared and very scared. I was (sort of?) trained to teach college art classes in my grad. program, but I have no k-12 pedagogical training whatsoever. My experience is: TAing for college classes, teaching grades k-8 on Saturdays and during the summer for art extracurricular programs (the kids want to be there), and now a total of 3 times substitute teaching. 

The first two times subbing went MUCH better than today. I even enjoyed it the second time-- I subbed for an art teacher at an elementary school, but that school seemed to have more resources, etc. than the first school I subbed at (also an elementary school, and in the same district). It was ranked "3" on school digger, compared the first school which was "1", and now the elementary schools where I have the position are ranked "0" and "1".  I don't know how much those rankings really mean --rankings in general are often flawed, and I know this.... but I did notice quite a difference before I even looked them up. The first two schools I subbed at (and the district in general) are ranked a bit better in the state than the one I subbed at today, and the one where I now have the long term sub position. In case you can't tell, I'm freaked out and over-googling right now. 

Basically,  I would like the next two and a half months as a long term sub to not turn me into a very frazzled, crazy person. 

500days

Does your school have a PBIS program? I would ask your principal and see if there is a universal program in the school that you can integrate in your classroom. If you set clear expectations and follow through with consequences, the kids will learn very quickly not to deviate from following directions. 

I work as a special ed teacher in a middle school and the kids come with a lot of energy, drama, smells, etc. I'm hoping the elementary job is much better for you! I know some elem. teachers that use noise apps (on their phone) that monitor noise level and sounds an alarm when the kids are too loud. I also know many teachers that use card systems (green, yellow, red) at student desks. Students on red have a consequence. They go back to green the next day. 

Once you have the same group of kids for a week or two, they will get to learn your expectations and you will get to know the students better in order to know which management strategies work best. Subbing is tough- you don't know the kids at all! If you are worried about managing students with undesirable behaviors or emotional disorders, ask for a list of the students with behavior plans or intervention plans. If they are on your roster you need to know their plan in order to implement it. 

ETA: Congrats on the job too! You must be very happy

lilacck28

thank you for the advice @500days ! I was pretty happy about getting it this morning, but then today happened and I got really scared! Kind of took away the happiness! 

WinstonsGirl

Ditto the book The First Days of School.  My Principal at my first position gave it to me and it's amazing.  

Kids want to know you care about them and they want to know your boundaries.  Get to know them.  Take 2 minutes at the beginning of class, or in the hall to ask them about their lives. Be at concerts, games, etc., though I know you're there for only a short time.  Relationships are key. 

Be clear with your expectations (be reasonable, but not too easy) and follow through.  Your first little while will be the kids testing to see how you react.  Never lose your cool (do that after at home), but ensure you do what you said you would.  For example, if you're giving 3 warnings and the asking a kids to leave, do it.  Everyone else will see that you mean what you say and they will respect you for it.  If you don't follow through, they start pushing to see what else they can get away with.  

Also, lots of kids enjoy art, even those who don't normally do well in classes.  Have a variety of different projects they can do over your time there and keep them busy.  Be clear as to why you're doing the assignment so they know what you're looking for.  Kids like to be hands on.  Good luck!!

FiancB

H recently went from HS to MS and it's been a little rough, but he's always been really excellent at managing a classroom. He's friendly and is good at engaging the kids but they also respect him and he doesn't go too far into buddy-buddy territory. I'm not sure what to advise without knowing more about how you are in the classroom- some of it is kids just being shits for the sub, I'm sure.

I do know H likes to dress up in a suit for things like the first day of school, parent/teacher conferences, etc. It commands respect. Sounds kind of crazy but it does seem to make a difference. 

julieanne912

I don't have a ton of advice, other than elementary is probably easier than middle school.  Middle schoolers are assholes.

CMGragain

julieanne912 said:

I don't have a ton of advice, other than elementary is probably easier than middle school.  Middle schoolers are assholes.

No, they are simply hormones pinging off the wall.  They want to be treated like adults, but they do not want the responsibility that goes with that.  Respect from their peers is the most important thing to them.  They don't care what YOU think of them.  Most of them are very insecure.

As an unknown, first time substitute, you will be subjected to all sorts of tests and challenges from them.  As a long term substitute, you will eventually be treated like any other teacher.  Once the students get to know you, they will feel comfortable, and only act out occasionally.

Most students enjoy art.  It is an easier assignment than required subjects like government.  (That was my personal worst assignment.)  Good luck!

princessbuttercup09

My advice is try to pull in fun literature that your kids can be excited about. The Interrupting Chicken is great when you're talking about rules and expectations. The artwork in it is pretty great to! My kids have missed a lot of art this month so I'm doing a few projects in my class.One project I'm doing with my students is using Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems. We will take black and white pictures I print out and the kids will paste in characters that they illustrate and cut out. The kids LOVE the books! My third graders ask me to read Mo all the time now!

IrishPirate60

See your students as full of potential, not problems.

AddieCake

Also ditto First Days of School. The most important/easiest way to establish classroom management is through routines and clear expectations. I laugh at my seniors every day because they come to my desk and ask to use the stapler. I don't need them to ask to use it. It's there for them, but they don't touch it because on day one, I made it clear that my desk is a no teenager zone and that they were not to look at my personal things as their personal things. Also, there are no surprises in my classroom (generally). We have a very structured way of doing things, and the kids know the routine and know exactly what is expected of them every day.

With subbing, that is much harder to do, obviously, but for your long-term position, you definitely need to establish what boundaries you can and have routines. 

Good luck!

MizLiz3

Along the same lines as PBIS, my school uses Responsive Classroom.  Definitely check with the principal or other teachers to see if there's a school-wide management program because then the kids are already used to it.

Also, agree with PP about making rules/expectations clear from day one and stick to them.  A routine always helps too, because kids know what to expect.

Good luck!

lilacck28

Thank you all, SO much! 

I just had a really great day teaching (the Saturday extracurricular class) and it reminded me why I love it... definitely put me in more of a positive mood than I was in yesterday! 

I was speaking with my boss/ mentor/ friend, and she suggested doing a "what are our classroom standards" type of group activity at the very beginning of class (like, write down "respect, safety, have fun" and whatever else the kids come up with then everyone signs it. So they feel like they have some control, and I have something to point to and say "hey, that's not following the standards that we all set up together" if someone starts throwing pencils or running around), even if there are already rules set up in the classroom. What do you guys thing about that? Good idea, or  too much a disruption of their pre-established routine? 

princessbuttercup09

@lilacck28 I did something similar with my class. I had four rules- Show Safety, Work Responsibly, Impress with Respect, and Meet High Expectations. First we talked about what those rules mean, and then I asked them how would  we show safety at school? I wrote down all of their ideas and we moved onto the W, I, and M. When we were done we turned it into a classroom behavior contract. I think one of my favorite parts of our contract is at the end we put "This is how we act in our school, even when no one is watching." We reviewed the contract and then we all signed it. I sent a copy home and we have it hanging up in our room.