Being a substitute teacher…

is a little harder than I thought it would be. I wasn’t expecting it to be easy but I didn’t realize that there would be some really good days and some really bad days. On Friday I had my first really bad day. I was in 3 different classrooms because they were having 3 grade level meetings for 3 of the grades. The first classroom I was in was fine, no problems what-so-ever. The next room…that’s where the problems began. The students were working on a problem solving packet and were working on 2 problems with a partner. When it came time to bring them back together to go over the problems, I just couldn’t do it. They didn’t want to listen to me. I had to have a student go to the office to get someone to come help me out. I thought that helped a little and at the time I think it did, but it didn’t last long. After lunch I was still with that class for a little longer. I tried to go over a quick review for a test they were taking, but again, the students were not listening to me, no matter what I did. So eventually I just said, “Ok, back to your desks. It’s time for the test.”

On to the next classroom…I was thinking positively that my last part of the day was going to go really well. Well, I was wrong. I brought the class back from their special and attempted to do a math lesson but the students weren’t listening. I know that some people may wonder if it wasn’t the class and that it was me that wasn’t able to control them, but that is not the case. And I know I’ve only been subbing for 3 weeks now, but before Friday, I have never been with a class that acted like those 2 classes did. I know that the reason they acted that way is simply because most of the time, students act up when they have a substitute. I don’t know why students do that, but it is just the way things are in life. When I get a full-time teaching job, I am going to do everything I can to get my students to behave for a substitute like they would for me.

So, here’s to hoping that this week goes much better for me than Friday did. Tomorrow I have a full day and then the rest of the week I just have half days. Have a great week everyone!!!

Seriously, who put this in students’ heads???

Source: lmaobruh.com via LaDonna on Pinterest

I’m glad that’s over with

I just got done taking an exam that my life depends on!! It was for my assessment class which is a class that I need to take and pass before I go into block in the fall. So…if I would fail the class, which would be a C- or less, then I would have to take it in the summer. The only problem is, as of right now there are only 14 spots left in the class offered in the summer. So if I can’t take it in the summer, I can’t take my first professional block in the fall. And if I can’t take that in the fall I can’t take my second professional block next Spring. And if I can’t take that next Spring, I can’t student teach in Fall 2012. And if I can’t student teach in Fall 2012, I can’t graduate in December 2012. December 2012 is the deadline for when every student under the old program for teaching certificates has to graduate by. So if I can’t graduate in December 2012, I’m going to have to take a bunch of new classes to get certified on the new program. And then I would have to spend a lot more money. So…you can see that there would be a domino effect happening there and it would be all because I failed one single class.
Here is how I feel…

But I’m going to try and stay positive about it. I’m going to pass the class. I am. I just know it. (ok, no I don’t know)

So anyway…there’s nothing else I can do for my grade in that class so now it’s just time to play the waiting game. Have a great night everyone!!!

Did I pick the wrong major?

I found an article on Yahoo’s main page titled Degrees That Get Job Offers. It lists 5 degrees that give college graduates a great chance to find a job after graduation. It makes me look at the list and think to myself, “Why didn’t I choose one of these degrees instead?” But if I look at each one individually, I then realize why I didn’t pick any of these 5 majors.

The first one is an accounting degree. This one is out of the picture for me because math isn’t my strongest subject. Being an education major, I only had to take 2 simple math classes. I failed the first one (I got a C- when you needed at least a C) and then retook that and got a C+. Then the second math class I got a B on. So I did better with the second one, but that doesn’t mean I want to change my major anytime soon.

The next one is a business degree. I just can’t see myself in a business career. I think that would be too hard and too boring for me.

The third is computer/information systems degree. Another career path that would be hard for me. I know computers, but just basic things. I don’t know anything about computer systems and stuff like that.

The fourth is an engineering degree. Again, this one would be way to difficult and boring for me. It just doesn’t interest me at all and I don’t think I would have even had the SAT scores if I wanted to go for this degree.

And last but not least, the fifth one is a health sciences degree. Along with math, science is another subject I don’t do so well in. Also, I couldn’t be a doctor or nurse because I can’t stand that much blood. I’ve thought before about how it would be interesting to work in the NICU, but then I remembered that I would have to take a bunch of science classes for that so that wouldn’t work for me.

So, a teaching degree may not be in the top 5 of the degrees that get job offers, but they are still in demand. Just think about it, teachers are always going to be needed as long as we’re alive on planet Earth. And there will always be ones who are retiring, therefore we will always need to hire new ones.