May 10, 2005 was officially the 1st day I worked as a substitute teacher. It was at Washington Middle School.
I will talk more about that 1st day a little later. First, some background!
1) Before the 1st day
In high school, I was thinking about becoming a teacher. I was also thinking about becoming a judge, prosecutor, bus driver, a rap star, record label executive, and some other stuff! But I was NOT thinking about being a substitute teacher.
At UH-Manoa, I started off thinking "hmm, maybe I don't want to be a teacher, I'll just either be the next Master P (who wouldn't want to own a record label with the tank?) or the next Bill O'Reilly (no, I'm NOT that conservative, I just wanted to yell at people with the "wrong" opinions, LOL!) or the next Chuck D (no, I'm NOT that left-wing, I just liked the idea of using music to promote a cause) or the next Jesse Ventura (not the wrestling part, the "3rd party guy becomes governor" part)!
I just majored in sociology, thinking it was the most interesting topic, and hopefully some knowledge to back me up in case I become the next celebrity pundit!
Lot of grand plans, not much connections nor work ethic to back it up!
Then, one classmate who graduated a year ahead of me said right after graduation that he's become a substitute teacher. All you need is a bachelor's degree in ANY topic!
Substitute teacher? You can do it with any degree? You can take a day off whenever I feel like it?
Sounds like a good idea! I can test the waters to see if I want to be a full-time teacher, influence the next generation, and I can do this until I become the next whatevers!!!!
Right after I earned my bachelor's degree in December 2004, I applied to become a substitute teacher through the DOE!
Such a long bureaucratic process. You interview with a principal, then you sign up for the substitute teacher training course (6 week course at one of those adult community schools on one of those DOE campuses), then you fill out more paper work, and wait..........................and wait........................and wait.....................and wait for the background checks to be done.
So yeah, I graduated in December 2004, but had to wait until May 2005 to start working. The school year was almost over when I started!
2) The 1st day and then some
I was called last minute to work at Washington Middle School on May 10, 2005. The moment I walked into the class, my mind was thinking "what did I just get myself into" and "don't answer if anyone asked if today's my 1st day working".The 1st day wasn't that bad!
It was the few extra days when things got bad!
I wanted to be known as the cool teacher, but also not the "soft teacher"
That got tested real fast! Because I didn't want to be seen as "soft", I over-reacted (no I didn't hit anyone, I just yelled profanities and slammed a table .... another wrong move!)
Now I was THE Bad Guy! Kids exaggerate on what happened! The good intentions go down the drain!
The school was over in a month, so over summer vacation I worked as a group leader at Palama Settlement! I'll write more about that experience in a future blog post, most likely to be posted in the summer.
Then came the new school year 2005-2006 school year in which I worked at more schools, checked out different environments and figured that I worked even though I can work with many age groups, I liked one the best.
3) More adventures
During the DOE substitute teacher training course, I heard one classmate mentioned about working in the private schools. One of them mentioned Kelly Services, which provides substitute teachers for private schools. I was thinking "shall I apply with them?" until I saw a newspaper ad with a competing sub service called Hawaii Education Resource Services (HERS). Don't let the acronym fool you, it is open to both genders!
I started with HERS in November 2006 while still working with the DOE! It was mostly 1st-come, 1st-served, 1st one to call for a certain day, I take.
HERS worked mostly with preschools, though once in a while I did upper-levels too!
Things were going very smoothly around 2008, early 2009! I was getting a lot of sub teaching work to the point where I didn't really need another source of income.
Then the economy took a dive! While the national meltdown occurred in 2008, it didn't really hit Hawaii much until late 2009! Public schools took a hit, with the infamous Furlough Fridays, meaning no school on most Fridays, which meant less work opportunities for me :(
Private schools also took a hit! Families couldn't afford! A few even shut down (ie Holy Trinity, Word of Life)! Others laid off staff!
So I had less work opportunities as a sub teacher
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I noticed that schools had EAs (Educational Assistants), skill trainers, and a whole bunch of other acronym positions (ie PPT, PTT, etc) to work with struggling students. I applied for a few positions over the years.
Early 2010, when I was really feeling the effects of the economic slowdown, I saw an ad on Craig's List for PPTs (Para-Professional Tutors). I took a training course, then I was contacted by a VP from Niu Valley Middle School (NVMS). So from April 2010 to May 2011, I was working part-time at NVMS. Learn more at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-time-at-nvms.html
At the end of the school year, the students who need PPT services graduated and there wasn't enough new students to replace them. So I was laid off. Then my worst summer ever ...2011...........no work.......desperation, until I got hired as a PPT at Palolo Elementary School and Ala Moana Macy's at the same time. Both ended a few months later, which you can learn about at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/01/career-updates.html
and http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-battles-at-pes.html
Also towards the end of 2011, I was at the University of Phoenix master's program in education. That didn't last long, as I noted in http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/06/change-in-direction.html
In 2012, the economic meltdown faded and I was able to work a lot of days as a substitute teacher in the DOE.
HERS didn't recover much from the economic meltdown. So yeah, I finally contacted their competitor Kelly Services and got hired to work with their private schools from Fall 2012. Whereas HERS mostly worked with preschools, Kelly Services worked with elementary/middle/high schools. They mostly worked with the smaller private schools (ie MidPac, Maryknoll, Damien, St Francis, Star of the Sea, Saint Patrick's................and more) and charter schools (ie. Waialae Elementary).
For the private agencies (ie. HERS, Kelly Services), their training and background checks happen much faster than the DOE's. You get to start work faster :)
Working with private schools was an adjustment mostly because as a public school grad, I never experienced religious ceremonies at a school campus before. Those religious ceremonies included like morning prayer assemblies, Mass, speeches from preachers, etc. I remember one private school teacher who went to the same public high school I graduated from, mentioned that yes, she did experience some culture shock in working in schools with religious ceremonies. However, we respect that those ceremonies have special meanings to the students & staff there and we go along with it the best we can!
I can also imagine the culture shock a private school student would feel if he/she would transfer to a public school. He/she must feel alienated by the lack of morning prayer assemblies, Mass and other ceremonies that might've given his/her school life meaning at the private school.
But those who think sending your kids to private schools mean they won't get bullied? Sorry to burst your bubble, but private school students can be just as shallow and rude as the public school students! They may be more rich and more academically inclined, but they are NOT immune to the sins of the public school students. And they listen to the same raunchy music as the public school students! It's kinda funny hearing rich private school students pretending to be from Compton, East Oakland or the 9th Ward (New Orleans)!
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2013, I started my time as a graduate student at UH-Manoa's Library and Information Science (LIS) program. I still work as a sub teacher, mostly with DOE and sometimes with Kelly Services.
4) Life lessons learned
Being that I started being a substitute teacher a decade ago, that means I was 24 years old back then!
I was only a few years removed from being a high school student. In your early 20's, you haven't fully recovered from adolescence!
But as I have mentioned in previous blogs (ie "What is an Adult?"), when I entered the substitute teaching profession, I had to mature very fast. For example
from "What is an Adult"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-is-adult.html
What is an adult?
That was the first question that was asked in my substitute teacher training course.
Now that might sound like a stupid question.
But the whole point was that we were NOT to act like the students under our command.
We are no longer one of the kids. We shouldn't even think of trying to "fit in" with the kids.
After all, we are the adults!
from "What is an Adult? Part 2"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/09/what-is-adult-part-2.html
For me, when I became a substitute teacher, I had to unlearn some bad habits. I had to distance myself from inappropriate jokes that once entertained me. I had to learn other ways to deal with stressful situations other than the "flight or fight" impulses that most of us relied on as teenagers. I had to reduce my use of profanities. I had to be super-careful in dealing with the opposite gender.
from "10 years since getting my Bachelor's Degree"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2014/12/10-years-since-getting-my-bachelors.html
Whereas I could get away with some edgy humor as an undergraduate, a lot of that went out the window as I became a substitute teacher. I was now supposed to be a role model! To add to the pressure, there isn't much job security as a substitute teacher, so you need to really work on being a great Role Model if you're a substitute teacher.
Yes, starting a job with SERIOUS role model responsibilities in my 20's is a HUGE adjustment!
Those who remembered me a substitute teacher 10 years ago could visit my class now and notice a major change in my maturity!
No longer do I think much of "fitting in" with my students, especially since the age difference between me and the students have grown! I'm not in class to be their "friend", I am in the class to be The Adult, The Leader, The Role Model! I am in class to keep order!
While some people say I smile a lot, I come to the class with a serious purpose, and I Demand the students respect that serious purpose!
I do NOT have side conversations in class, unless it's the last few minutes of class and only if the class is well behaved!
I do NOT answer personal questions in class!
I do NOT discuss things that have NOTHING to do with the lesson plan!
Students who ask "where you from" or "do you like this song" or "do you like this movie" are told to "Focus on today's lesson!" I'm not there to be their buddy!
I do NOT answer personal questions in class!
I do NOT discuss things that have NOTHING to do with the lesson plan!
Students who ask "where you from" or "do you like this song" or "do you like this movie" are told to "Focus on today's lesson!" I'm not there to be their buddy!
Because I didn't want to be seen as "soft", I did over-reacted (ie slam tables, told a student to STFU) 10 years ago! I haven't done it since then!
Sometimes, I will raise my voice, especially if the students are talking when I'm talking to the whole class, interrupting me or if the class is getting too rowdy!
Sometimes, I will raise my voice, especially if the students are talking when I'm talking to the whole class, interrupting me or if the class is getting too rowdy!
However, just like the aikido sensei told us "I will only yell for two reasons: safety and respect"
Meaning he would only yell if the students are being unsafe and disrespectful!
I don't yell if the student is not understanding the lesson! I try to show maximum compassion in those situations! My job is to help, not bully!
My job is to give constructive criticisms, NOT destructive criticisms!
My job is to uplift people, NOT demean people!
Of course, in the "heat of the battle", it is easy to take non-compliance personally! Sometimes non-compliance is just straight-up defiance! However, sometimes the student just doesn't understand! There's a few times where the non-compliance had nothing to do with defiance and everything to do with not understanding! A few of those times I over-reacted! That is one of my main regrets!
Only a few times did I say "you got ears?" or "can you read" as sarcastic questions? While I asked those less than 10 times over the 10 years, that is still way too much! That is one of my main regrets!
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Also, being a sub teacher gives a perspective of how difficult it is to stop bullying! For one, students of a certain age still haven't learned to censor themselves. Kids don't have a filter. Kids are NOT politically correct people! Whatever they think, they say! It takes a lot of self-discipline for them to move away from that!
Also, a lot of times, a student blurt out something or make a stupid joke and the other students over-react with hurtful things. Guess what, I was one of those students who made stupid inappropriate jokes and it took me a while to understand why my classmates over-reacted to those jokes. I wrote on the issue at the blog post "Myself 2 decades ago"
My brother warned me straight up, that this would also get me in trouble as I get older.
He told me that the way I acted was "more likely to get people laughing AT me, INSTEAD of laughing with me."
(skipped paragraphs)
For one thing, I started middle school with same crazy sense of humor, saying inappropriate things as I did back in elementary school. WRONG MOVE!
Little did I understand the same humor that worked in elementary school did NOT work in middle school. All it did was earn a few enemies.
Also, sometimes, a student does or says something when the teacher isn't looking or listening! The other student responds when the teacher is looking and listening! Who gets the blame? The student who responds! It's like sports where a player foul an opponents when the referees aren't looking, so that when the victimized opponent retaliates, the victimized opponent gets punished not the athlete who committed the first foul!
Noticing this pattern made more understanding of why I got into trouble when I was a kid! It takes somebody acting like you to get you to figure out what is wrong with you!
Noticing this pattern made more understanding of why I got into trouble when I was a kid! It takes somebody acting like you to get you to figure out what is wrong with you!
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Also, being a teacher, you impulsively take the side of another teacher if he/she has a conflict with a student. Just like the police officer automatically assume another police officer has done no wrong when a civilian complains. For example, there is this video where a student rants in front of the whole class about how the teacher is not doing a good job teaching.
My first reactions to this video was 1) I want to knock this student out and 2) wow, that teacher reacted so calmly to all this!
Because as a teacher, as soon as one student rebel, your mindest "you better squash this rebellion NOW before you lose control of the class, otherwise, there will be chaos in this class"
Now, as that student has been interviewed by reporters, I start to understand his side of the story instead of just automatically defend that teacher.
However, I will say to that student that if he had concerns about how that teacher is teaching that class, he will get a better response if he talks (not rant) to the teacher AFTERSCHOOL when the other students aren't around! That way, the teacher is now focused on the student's concerns rather than worrying about a student rebellion causing classroom chaos!
Going back to the topic of police, cops are trained more on using force rather than verbally defusing a tense situation! Teachers don't have a choice, they have to focus on verbally defusing a tense situation, especially since teachers aren't given pistols, mace, tasers, batons or even physical self-defense training to back them up! All the teacher can rely on is his/her mind, wits, and communication skills. Yes, they can call for help, but help isn't always immediately available! Now imagine that in a high school setting when you're dealing with students bigger than you!
And the administration may not always feel sorry for you, instead they will ask "what did you do about it?"
And the administration may not always feel sorry for you, instead they will ask "what did you do about it?"
In other words, doing this job requires mental toughness. It doesn't build overnight, it takes time,
The job also requires maturity and confidence. It doesn't build overnight, it takes time.
This was why I was so impatient when a former classmate expected me to have the same opinions and attitude that I did in high school, as well as express the same insecurities as we did in high school. It's time to move on already!
But then again, I do need to be more understanding of adults who don't work at a job like mines. They never have to face the daily pressures of being The Role Model!
This pressure isn't just on school grounds!
It is EVERYWHERE the students see you! In Public! On the bus! Crossing a street! In a Store! At a Park! EVERYWHERE! Yes, the pressure to present yourself as a role model is 24-7!
That even extends online! While I don't contact my students online, they can (and do) look my name online! Yes, the pressure to present yourself as a role model is 24-7!
Students don't respect hypocrites. Why should they?
Students don't respect hypocrites. Why should they?
5) The future
While I enjoy substitute teachers, it doesn't come with sick leave or vacation pay! That makes summer very unenjoyable! Which is why I'm an LIS student now. I will soon finish my time as an LIS student at the end of this year, and I plan to work in the library system afterwards.
When that happens, I will NOT miss the payless summers NOR having to supervise obnoxious students all day!.
However, I will always miss the great memories of the great students I have worked with all those years.
I will miss working with the smart students who make me optimistic about our future!.
I will miss working with the struggling students who really try their hardest to learn!.
I will miss the children who make surprise artwork for me during free time!.
I will miss supervising the younger children during recess!.
I will miss the naptimes for the younger children!.
I will miss the older students too! I will miss working with the student who are one year (or a few months) away from graduating high school and are about to enter adulthood.
I will miss having access to the very people who can keep me updated on the latest trends.
I will miss being a part of the special memories, special ceremonies and other special things about their school days they will cherish for a lifetime.
I will miss a lot of things!
I may not be a substitute teacher a decade from now, but I will always appreciate the adventure it has given me!
