disillusioned

It is likely for many of you first year teachers that you are in a phase of disillusionment. This typically happens for first year teachers after a couple months of school and can last for quite a while. You may have been observed and evaluated by an administrator, which can add a lot of stress to an already stressful job, leading to uncertainty in your competence as a teacher. The reality of the commitment to teaching isn't always clear before you start teaching, and during the disillusionment phase, teachers can sometimes question their decision to become a teacher. You might have been sick once or twice (or more!) which compounds feelings of dissatisfaction. The needs of students feel urgent but classroom management issues might be getting in the way of accomplishing what you want to academically with your students.

What you need to know is that you are not alone. It might not help to know that others feel this way, but they do! I did big time in my first year of teaching, and still feel this way at times. It does go away, especially if you have a supportive network of folks to talk about this with - either at your school or friends from your preparation program, or friends who don't know teaching but know you and can provide some boosts to your self-esteem. But this feeling of disillusionment can be a very difficult challenge to get through in your first year of teaching. It is a very real and frustrating phase.

Winter break will provide you an opportunity to reflect and reset. You need some time to build yourself back up. Take lots of time for fun, and set some realistic goals for the spring, both professionally and personally.

I'm off next week, but will be back posting in 2012. Happy holidays, dear readers, and a warm, healthy, happy new year!

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References: http://newteachercenter.org/blog/phases-first-year-teaching

planning for (and being) a substitute

Tis the season for nasty colds and stomach bugs. And that means sub plans. Second semester of my first year of teaching, I was teaching 7th grade Spanish I part time in a middle school. To make ends meet, I did a lot of subbing in the school. When teachers in the building had appointments or meetings and needed to miss an hour or two, I'd fill in. When I showed up for my first day on the job, the secretary asked if I would be willing to sub for F&CS (I wasn't sure what that was, as Family and Consumer Science was Home Ec back in my day), and being the willing and excited new teacher, I said absolutely.

It was the first day of the 6th graders' cooking unit. They were to make baked apples. Apparently, the group had gone over the recipe for several days, watched a demonstration, and today they were to do it themselves. So, I went over the recipe one more time and let them loose. When I look over at one group's table, I see a 6th grader, holding the apple IN HIS HAND, using the serrated knife to cut it. After yelling "Freeze!!" and providing some reteaching of how to cut an apple (on a cutting board!), there were few other mishaps. No one lost a finger, but I think I lost a few years of my life in the scare it gave me.

This was, perhaps, not the wisest lesson activity to leave for a substitute. In my year of subbing for everything from 8th grade algebra, to 6th grade PE, to band, to tech ed, I learned a lot about myself as a teacher, as well as some helpful dos and don'ts when leaving sub plans. Here's some advice for planning for and being an effective substitute.

You probably had to create a substitute folder at the start of the school year to give to the secretary for those emergency situations when you're gone and it is unplanned. And likely what is in it is no longer helpful. Now is a great time to review the folder you made at the beginning of the year.

Some key forms/info to have readily available (on top of your desk and labeled or attached to lesson plans is best):

• seating charts
• key contacts (main office, attendance, nurse, as well as the nearby teachers)
• evacuation plans for fire drills, lockdown procedures, tornado plans 
• a master list of the weekly pull-out schedule (i.e. which students leave when and where do they go?)

One thing that can really help you out if you need to leave sub plans is have a set, typed description of the routines for the room. All that hard work you've done to have a predictable routine for the students? That will pay off big time when you have a sub. Some day you have a few minutes to spare (ha!), sit down and type out those routines in detail. Then keep this file handy to attach to any specific sub plans.

Speaking of lesson plans, think about what will be reasonable for someone else to accomplish. You might think twice before leaving a complicated lab or baking project, but keep kids working on the content of the class. When kids are bored, they are more likely to be antsy.

Another helpful thing to do is assign a substitute helper in your class. Maybe it's a rotating job for your students, but this can be really helpful in ensuring that the day goes smoothly. Have kids take over the attendance, lunch count, etc and then that can just continue when you're gone.

And one other thing - have pens, pencils, bandaids, hall/nurse passes, and paper clips readily accessible. I got in the habit of always carrying these things with me when I would sub, because it was amazing how often I'd go into a classroom and couldn't find a single thing to write with! 

For those of you that are doing the substitute teaching, here are a few additional resources:

There is a professional organization for substitute teachers: The National Substitute Teachers Alliance. I don't know a lot about the organization, but if you are currently or plan to sub it might be worth looking into. You can also find more resources to help substitute teachers here.

EducationWorld has some helpful articles. There's one with some general substitute teaching advice, several mini-lesson plan ideas, and some suggestions for games.

As a sub in the building, it can go a long way to introduce yourself to the teachers in classrooms near you. If you make a good impression, they are likely to request you as a sub. And it can help you out if you get into a bind with something throughout the day. Eat lunch in the lounge and meet the other teachers. This is a great opportunity to network. Stop in and introduce yourself to the principal. If interested in the school as a place of potential employment, see if there are opportunities to volunteer, teach after-school classes, or other ways to get involved. Go to PTA meetings. Do whatever you can to show that you are interested in the school community.

Classroom teachers know that there are issues every day. So don't feel compelled to write at the bottom of the sub plan, "Everything was great! No problems!!" Teachers want to be able to follow up on what happened when they are gone, so leaving them with a detailed note about what was accomplished, who was helpful, who needed extra redirection, and what didn't get done. Teachers will really appreciate the extra time.

A final plea from teachers leaving their room to a sub: do the best you can to follow the plans. We all know that some days despite best efforts, things just aren't going to happen they way you planned. But it is frustrating to come back from being gone to find out that the students watched "Shrek" and "Cars" and didn't accomplish anything in the careful sub plans that were left. This doesn't mean that if the day is a disaster that you should just keep plugging away. Part of being a good teacher and sub is being flexible. But when teachers leave plans, they are hoping that a solid effort will go into following them.

What other advice do you have for planning for or being a substitute teacher?

your turn

As I'm planning for the posts for the next few months, I'd love to be responsive to what you, dear readers, are concerned about and interested in learning about. For the most part, I've been going on what I hear from the new teachers that I work with and what I know about new teacher concerns. But I know you have ideas about what you need and are interested in learning more about.

So, this week, I want to hear from you. Post a comment with your ideas for future posts. I will work on answering them within the next few months.