trying to play the substitute

Written on 12:32 PM by gracefully discovering:

I remember being in school and my whole class would try to get over on the sub...by telling him/her what the teacher would let us do- even though we knew our teacher would never let us do that. We would break all kinds of rules and go to the bathroom, etc....bc hey, we had a sub and it was more like a free day. After all, the sub typically didn't work at our school and really didn't know the rules anyway.
But this year at YES Prep Southeast, money is a little tight...so all the subs are in house...and we all know the deal. Teachers and staff subbing for each other all the time. Anyway, this morning I was called and asked to sub a 5th period Junior U.S History class. Okay, no biggie...I say yes (not like we have much of a choice if you have a free period...it's the expectation)
Anyway- the teacher leaves the lesson plan...which says, work on these sections in your book, and it's due tomorrow in class. Well more than half of the class didn't have their books....(they claim he never asks them to bring it to class)...so then I allow them to go to their lockers and get the books....and still some of them don't have their books because they left them at home (very interesting).
So then, me being the nice person I am...tell them that they can work while talking softly...but if they get too loud or off task then I will have to shut it down and it will be quiet work time. I'm thinking, these are very mature 11th graders, they can get their work done while chit chatting every now and then with their friends. WRONG! Some of them are writing....most of them are not. So I shut it down...no talking..just do your work.
Then...a few students attempt to convince me that their teacher allows them to listen to their Ipods while working. Now this may be true for a Friday or a study hall time...but it's not happening today on my watch!
Now there always has to be a group that tries you...so a table of 4 boys talk the entire time...even though I am sitting right in front of them. I ask them several times to stop talking...I even separate them...still they keep talking. Enough is enough...take out your demerit cards ( I say to them) and these wise guys tried to play me by giving me their demerit cards from last quarter...REALLY???? Am I that slow, they actually thought that would work on me. I started to give them a detention for being smart behinds...but I let it ride...bc after all it was funny that they thought it would work!
Some things never change....life just goes in circles! I'm sure we would have tried to pull something like that at North Atlanta High back in the day!