Nov 14 2011

30 Percent.

by KCMO Chief

30% of the absences are filled at my elementary school. Meaning 3 out of 10 teacher absences are actually filled with a sub. This means 7 out of 10 absences are filled with… regular teachers. One too many subs have declared that they will not return to our school.

My already over capacity classroom of 32 students will have an additional 2 to 15 students on days when a teacher misses work. My administration has tried to limit the amount of extra students in my classroom since I am a first year teacher, but I still receive students weekly.

Today I had fourth grade students. Tomorrow, one of the other third grade teachers will be absent.

Creating a classroom culture is a very difficult thing, but maintaining your classroom culture when you have students in and out of your room all the time is even more overwhelming.

 

Categories: Teach For America · 7 Comments

7 Responses

1. els

   Yikes. That’s all I can say to that.

   on November 14, 2011 at 11:35 pm · Reply
2. Caroline

   Wow. Wow wow wow, I cannot even imagine that.

   on November 15, 2011 at 1:41 am · Reply
3. Cal

   I’m very sorry for the crap you have to deal with.

   on November 14, 2011 at 8:49 pm · Reply
4. Wess

   I can’t decide what’s worse–putting the kids into the other teachers’ classes, or just leaving the kids in the room without a substitute.

   … although I’m in a high school, so I guess it’s different.

   on November 14, 2011 at 9:44 pm · Reply
5. Wess

   Nope, it would be unbelievably CRAZY to have kids switching around like that. Besides, left to their own devices, my kids just sleep or talk to each other.

   on November 14, 2011 at 9:48 pm · Reply
   • KCMO Chief

     Ah, I am not looking forward to tomorrow. My MTLD told us that we need to “plan for the unexpected” because when these kids come into our class they have zero work.

     I am all up for leaving them in a classroom and just locking the door. They beat the crap out of each other when I am standing there anyway…

     on November 14, 2011 at 10:57 pm · Reply
6. CJK

   That is absurd. No one should have to put up with that–teachers or students. It is like Alice in Wonderland gone Bad.

   Try to stay focused on the ones who are regularly yours and know you will be making a difference just by the fact that you have not given up on them.

   on November 14, 2011 at 11:12 pm · Reply