SUBS: Not the students' fault

It's a poor workman who blames his tools. It's a poor chemist who blames his chemicals. It's a poor substitute teacher who verbally attacks his students for his inability to maintain order in his classroom. Most students work hard. A few want to socialize. A few want to play games. A very few are truly disruptive.

We walk the rows and ask to see their work. Let them know when all their assigned work for class is done they may study or do assignments for other classes, read their own books, draw or sketch as long as they do not disrupt other students' work. Most who finish their assignment will study, read or sketch. Those few who are truly disruptive get sent to the principal's office - end of problem.

Substitute teachers: We are independent contractors at best, day laborers at worst and young people sitters all the time. We are not employees of the schools; we contract with them for a day of work as an outside business person. They don't fire us but they may decide not to rehire us for another day of work.

We subs show movies (science, history, "Shrek" in Spanish, Japanese, French). We supervise a teacher-prepared test, exam or exercises. Watch them do silent readings or direct their reading out loud in class. Observe while they work on continuing projects for previous days and try to honestly answer students' questions.

The high point of my subbing is when about once every two years a student comes up to me and tells me that I am the best sub he or she has ever had.

CECIL KELLY III

Coeur d'Alene