First Time
Yesterday I was called, for the first time, to go be a substitute teacher.
Regular readers know that I signed up for this about a month ago. And though for the first few days I waited for the call each morning, lately I've kinda forgotten about it. Then yesterday, part-way through cup-of-coffee-number-one, I got the call.
I wasn't an actual sub-teacher yesterday, instead I filled in for a teacher's assistant, so I roamed between four different classes, helping out with exercises and tests. This was a very good way to start, 'cause I've been a little intimidated about being dropped into being the leader of a room for a whole day. Here I was able to help out, see the regular teachers in action, and ease into the whole thing.
Helping the kids with their math problem, spelling exercises, and writing assignments, was a lot of fun, and surprisingly satisfying. It really felt like I was doing an important thing.
Toward the end of the day, the regular teacher left me in charge of the room for 45 mins, and although it was a little bit hairy for awhile (the moment she left, the energy in the room changed, and I had to learn quickly how to keep the lid on. It's not real easy, and I still have a lot the learn about this aspect), I eventually started to learn what tone to use, and what limits to insist upon. I think if it had gone longer it would have gotten even better.
All-in-all, I really enjoyed the "teaching" part, the "crowd-control" part, not so much. But I'm looking forward to the next time they call me.
Posted by jackhodgson at January 21, 2005 11:31 AM