I've learned many things since I began substitute teaching in August. For one thing, I've come to a 95% positive impression that primary and secondary teaching is NOT the profession for me. Administrations seem to not back up teachers enough, students have too much attitude and drama for me to handle (regardless of the age), and the few schools where I do enjoy subbing are really competitive for teachers to get into. But I'm glad I've learned that now instead of five years from now.
Overall though, substituting is not bad. While it's not my dream job, it does provide an interesting forum to study human behavior and society.Here are a few little nuggets I've gleaned from my experiences.
Often times the one saying, "You need to calm down" or "You're getting too worked up over this" or something similar is usually the one most worked up and yelling.
Students will repeat whatever views they hear at home, particularly those related to politics. Because my last name is Bush, whenever I introduce myself politics is inevitably brought up with students in middle and high school. One day the students pieced together that I was not a Republican and one of the black kids in the class cheered, "Yay! She's a Democrat! That means she likes black people!" While I did laugh I also reminded him that Republicans also like black people. On the flip side, when kids say that all Democrats are stupid and lazy I usually ask them not to hold me as the poster child for the Democratic party; to which they usually sit with a confused/stunned look on their face.
I have also learned that kid are not afraid to ask any question that pops into their heads. I've been asked all kinds of questions such as, "Are you pregnant?" , "Are you married to Reggie Bush" (a daily question), "Are you the new kid in the class?" "Do you hate me?" There have been other ones, but those are the ones that stick out the most.
Finally, my theory has been proven correct; people are getting crazier with the names they give their kids. Here are a few of the gems I've come across:
Missunique
Ya'trick
D'Lish
Martini
Nemesis
Aquanetta
Awesome
Blaise (pronounced Blaze)
Satchel
Fang
Legend
Jonafa
Fragrance
Princess
Aviary
Reminisce
Heifer
Until next time, keep on keeping on and please keep an ear out for crazy names. Remembering them will always bring a smile to your face.
1 comment:
oh my goodness, those names are ridiculous!!
after i taught at a high school for a year, i realized it wasn't for me either and for most of your same reasons! i think teachers need to be paid more and people need to appreciate them more!!
and p.s. i love your header pictures, you two make such a cute and fun looking couple!
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