(and why I won’t likely return to high school)
Most of time, I substitute teach in the elementary grades. It’s the age range I used to teach full-time. It’s my comfort zone, if that can even exist in subbing.
But I decided to dip a toe outside my cocoon of safety. I signed up for one day of covering a high school Family and Consumer Science class. Here is what I learned in those tranformative hours:
What did I sign up for?
My post earlier this week details the painful realization of my working conditions. First, I discovered that the class wasn’t Family and Consumer Science. It was Culinary 1 (which fits within the category, but I still felt a bit bamboozled). I had specifically added the job because of the description of Family and Consumer Science, which I’m certified to teach.
But I had accepted that I would be leading the Culinary 1 classes for the day…except another hiccup made itself known, quite rudely.
There was also the absence of lesson plans. Not a scrap was left to clue me in except a lightly littered desk. I had to think quick and resort to some desperate measures in order to get through the day.
I still wonder what my opinion on high school subbing would be if it weren’t for this issue souring my memories.
Lessons learned while substitute teaching for high school
I should note that I’ve subbed one other time in high school, and these lessons learned from my recent experience match what I observed the first time. These were only my experiences and may not be yours, or even the majority of experiences, but there were lessons learned that maybe you can relate to.
Lesson #1: High schoolers will try to leave the room
In every period, I had one or two students requesting to run this or that errand around the school. Finish a test in Mr. So-and-so’s class. Go to the resource center to get help on an essay.
These requests had gotten pretty elaborate. I never know if it’s legitimate.
To my relief, I came up with a workable strategy for this. I would tell the student I’d call the specific teacher in question and verify that they had permission to visit, to fulfill the errand. If the student could not get this permission, they’d need to stay put.
I called quite a few teachers that day and got confirmations from them. In one case, I found out there was a substitute in the room, so that student had to stay.
The tactic proved to be effective. No lost or roaming teenagers on my watch.
Lesson #2: The students will claim they’ve completed the work
This phenomenon occurred in every period I taught. I’d introduce the assignment, and the students would inform me that they’ve already completed it.
It’s happened both times I’ve subbed, in separate schools.
I had a hard time defending the assignment this time, however. I wasn’t left any lesson plans. But there was an easel on which a reading assignment was written. They were to read the textbook chapter and answer the subsequent questions.
I had no idea if that was old or current. The students could’ve done the assignment on Monday, for example (it was Thursday), and I wouldn’t know.
In cases like these, I tell students that they need to make sure they have that work done, that their teacher is expecting it complete (ooh, kind of scary!). Then if they’ve turned that work in, they can move on to other activities.
It remains one of life’s greatest mysteries: Are they lying to me about being done with the assignment?
Lesson #3: High school students are generally good at working independently
I say this comparing it to subbing in elementary classrooms.
I actually look forward to a packet of worksheets in the sub plans when it’s left for older students. They seem to manage this stuff well, or at least they have a conception of how the quiet, independent work time occurs.
If you’ve ever tried to get Kindergarten or first-grade students to complete independent work at their seats, you probably know: you’re roving on a whole different planet in a whole different galaxy. At least it’s great exercise rapidly ping ponging between the students in attempts to assist and redirect and prevent glue sticks from being eaten.
So I was actually pleasantly surprised when the students worked somewhat quietly on my on-the-fly assignment, which included a word search about eggs I had unearthed from the piles on a classroom counter.
Lesson #4: Phones are a whole battle. Choose whether you’ll engage
I shared a few minutes of cameraderie with fellow substitutes when I arrived to school that day. We waited in a half-seated circle in the front office to check in and get our keys. I nervously admitted that this was basically my first time subbing in high school, though I sub elementary all the time.
One gentleman in a button-down shirt with a pen hanging on his front pocket assured me that the day would be so much easier than with little ones. A few others nodded in agreement, and I felt relief wash over me.
Feeling connected to this group of special professionals, I broached a hot-button issue. I dropped my voice to an almost-whisper, conspiratoriallly. “What do we do about phones?”
The question was met with a few shakes of heads, shrugging of shoulders– which seemed to indicate that the problem was very much unsolved.
As keys and rosters were dispersed, I glanced back at this band of fellow brethren for the last time. Though we would each be entering our separate fields, I’d think of them and our shared concerns often.
In my classroom, I tried to scout out any hints at policies. The school rules taped to walls suggested a no-tolerance policy for the devices. If students had them out, they were to be confiscated.
Because I was equipped with no information, including information on disciplinary actions, I wasn’t about to try to implement this. I had no detention slips, no ISS paperwork, no demerits or tickets with little frowny faces on them.
What if I told a student to hand over their phone? They could just refuse. Then nothing else would happen.
The phone battle was not one I chose to engage in. I told the classes phones were not to be out at the beginning of the period, but if the devices appeared, and students were quietly sitting at their seats not disrupting others, I didn’t do anything to prevent it.
This whole experience brings me to the next lesson–
Lesson #5: Policies are only as good as the means of enforcement
The school’s phone policy had fallen flat because they hadn’t equipped me with any tools to enforce the rule. What was I going to do? Wrestle a device from some kid’s hands and subsequently get a spot on the evening news? Write DETENTION convincingly on notebook paper and thrust it at the student authoritatively?
The school had very high expectations, according to the posted list of rules.
But without a way to enforce the rules, they don’t stand up well. Teens can sniff out castles made of cardboard.
This is actually the biggest reason I won’t be subbing in a high school any time soon– the feeling of powerlessness. I was aware that most of my words had no backing in the way of consequences.
I was ready with a plan if a major behavior problem erupted– things like fighting, physical violence, walking out, etc. One of the scraps of paper on the teacher desk had extension numbers for the behavior specialists, so I was banking on this information if I needed it. Luckily, I did not.
Lesson #6: High schoolers can be motivated with candy
In my preparation for this role, I texted an SOS to a high school teacher friend for any survival tips. She told me that candy can be a great motivator.
Maybe subbing for high school isn’t that different from subbing for elementary, I thought.
Candy. I felt foolish offering it. But you know what? It worked for a lot of students.
I bought two packages of Andes mints (not enough) and some bags of M&Ms. I actually put a great deal of thought into the candy purchase. Andes mints seemed sophisticated, mature. I remember scheming to procure extra mints at Olive Garden when I was in high school, so maybe these students would have similar tastes.
The chocolate mints were dispersed for students working quietly at their seats. I made sure to hand over this incentive within the first five to ten minutes after the directions to give immediacy to the reward and solidify that I meant what I said. Do the work.
Some students rejected the candies, but most of them responded positively to the little delicious rectangles wrapped in silver.
Lesson #7: High schoolers don’t relish the helper role
This lesson was a sharp contrast from my experience teaching elementary kids. My K-5 students love helping– they have a compulsive need to help, it seems.
My first year teaching first grade, I dropped my Expo marker when writing something on the board and watched the horror unfold that was half my class springing from their desks and forming a mosh pit in order to be the Chosen One to return the marker.
So I was in for a surprise when I asked the high school students for help in basic ways and got no response.
Need to pass out papers? Do it yourself or hands stacks to the front row and have them pass it on backward. Need basic room upkeep and tidying? Don’t count on these folks for assistance. Get some squats in for the day picking up shredded paper and dull pencils.
These teens no longer find thrills in titles such as “line leader,” “door holder” and “teacher helper.”
(I will note that I was pleasantly surprised by a single student that day, however, who helped me return a dozen or so laptops to the cart without being asked. Great kid.)
Lesson #8: High school students enjoy novelty and goofiness like the rest of us humans
My off-the-cuff plan for each period became a simple: Complete the assignment on the board, then do the egg word search or work on material for other classes.
With no information on how to teach this class, I was basically facilitating a study hall.
To add a little pizzazz, I contrived a brief game that I introduced the last five minutes of every period.
I’d crack open my Magnolia Table cookbook (which I brought with me from home, expecting enthusiastic Family and Consumer Science students) and read the ingredients of popular recipes. Students were to guess the dish based on the ingredients.
This turned out amusing for some, especially when I sweetened the correct guesses with candy rewards.
It was a small thing, but a piece of novelty and enlivenment in a bland sea of boring tasks. This lesson taught me that high schoolers are not, in fact, “too cool” for occasional excitements such as these.
Overall thoughts and lessons from subbing in high school
My district pays us the same rate no matter which classroom we’re in, so I might as well stick to the ones I’m comfortable with.
I might’ve been a fan of teaching high school if I’d have been equipped with proper lesson plans, but I’ll never know. I can see why teachers with good support may prefer it over the elementary grades. The high school schedule is definitely a better deal than the barely-any-breaks constant shuffling and chaperoning of the K-5 grades. Grading seems much worse in high school, but subs mostly don’t need to worry about that.
It was an experience for the books. Substitutes– can you relate? Or are your experiences totally different? I’d love to hear from you.
