Sunday, April 20, 2014

Sub·sid·i·ar·y: "serving to assist or supplement; auxiliary; supplementary." / Shakespeare

http://myrocketbook.com/
I've purchased a few of the interactive DVD's and used with very good responsiveness from high school students -this should be a part of every high school teacher's tool box for effective teaching.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Sub·scribe: v. "to obtain a subscription to a magazine, newspaper, etc."

http://www.substituteteachermagazine.com/

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Sub·mit·tal PLEASE leave a clue for when it's "due"

Teachers will often leave lesson plans without clearly indicating when assignment(s) are due (and preferably the same hour). Without a clue for when it's due, most (not some or many) will predictably blow-off or defer work.  It has the effect of announcing "recess"!  Having served in hundreds of classes with thousands of students over the span of 10 years, I have never seen an exception to this mishap. Sure there are always a handful of conscientious students who will make-haste in accomplishing the assignment in class -even without a clear due time made known, but they are the exception.  Most, will interpret absent or delayed due time as an invitation to play and is often the case, they want to "play the sub" before a captive audience. A lack of forethought or advanced, strategic planning will almost inevitably present ready-made opportunities for misbehavior. With the ever-decreasing attention span of adolescents today, it is imperative for teachers to clearly review with all students their expectations for a guest teacher's anticipated arrival (think of it as your own personal vacation insurance/assurance -foster a trust with a good sub as part of your emotional refueling or margin-setting goals) BEFORE they evacuate the building.  And among expectations of utmost importance is a teacher's expected due times for submitting work.  Without that clear directive from the teacher, I sometimes am left with having to summarily impose "due" or expected submission of work (competed or not)  for the duration of the sub-assignment. I realize that such an assumption may be risky, but  without a clue for when work is due, the hazards of "advancing the educational process" become manifold -fought with behavioral landmines throughout an entire day of classes. None of us (teachers, administrator, subs and especially good students) want to distress and already stress-charged dynamic when a sub is in the classroom. I fully understand that skillfully dealing with misbehavior should be an anticipated part of the job (and honestly it can be done positively when we know that administrators have our backs).  However, if we can prevent even some disruptions by practicing the discipline of making clear due times within our plans, then we might well avoid some of the behavioral melt-downs that far too many of us have encountered.  The old adage is true, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".



Monday, September 17, 2012

Sub·simple Lesson Plans: Think "Script" not "Essay"

At an educators conference here in Phoenix, I heard  featured speaker, John Maxwell say, "Educators take what is simple and makes it complicated.  Communicators take what is complicated and makes it simple".  Response from the hundreds gathered that day was surprisingly affirming -applause, lots of demonstrative nods. Though it may have been a little difficult to hear, most of us knew that the insight from this world renown communicator rang stingingly true.  As a substitute teacher of nearly 10 years now (with hundreds of classroom assignment in public high schools), I have seen a broad array of, afterthought or sometime nonexistent lesson plans.  Often, in attempt to create a document that reflects an intellect commensurate with higher education training, a teacher will leave a lesson plan that more closely resembles a research paper or beautifully crafted, MLA-formatted essay.  Keep in mind, that there is a good chance this substitute has never stepped into your classroom before -never met your students and in many cases, is unfamiliar with attendance systems which can sometimes require the micromanagement of 3-to-4 separate entries.  Imagine you as a teacher, walking into another business-context, that you're unfamiliar with and then being required to micro-manage literally hundreds of expected duties in one day (parking, campus, restrooms, attendance, keys, fire-drills, etc, etc.) and then be expected to politely interact with hundreds of students (I had an assignment last week with over 200 students).  I know it sounds crazy, but this archaic subsystem that teachers think of as a "necessary evil" is not likely to change anytime soon.

Now, we don't want you to be fuzzy (which is more often than not the result of a lack of forethought or planning), nor do we want you to write unnecessary verbiage (I once saw a lesson plan that was 5 pages long --most of which was the repetition of what was written on the first page).  Just BE CLEAR.  The goal is not longevity or brevity, but CLARITY.  BE CLEAR.  And if you create a single page, "at-a-glance", script-like lesson plan (a plan that can also be a practical utensil/script throughout the day) you will be considered a hero by most subs and a "genius" by yours truly.  Also, don't write-up a lesson plan and then rewrite another version on the board (often the two conflict creating further fuzziness).  Do one or the other, but don't create two copies.  I once saw 4 separate lesson plan notes for one teacher and none of them agreed --insanity.  Keep it simple and the best way to do that is to plan strategically for sub-days on your off days -when creativity will be at it's peek.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Sub·caste Envy vs Thanks

     There is perhaps no better environment to observe what ungratefulness produces when left unattended then in the arena of public education in America today.  When thankfulness does appear (and it does, but not nearly enough), it is like the most pleasant aroma emanating from the blossom of a rare and exotic flower.  The roots of such envy run deep in public education today and can strangle the forethought potential of students by burying an attitude of gratitude. Envy begets entitlement, but gratitude fosters productivity and vision. Clinical Psychiatrist, Dr. Henry Cloud describes clearly just how the infestation of ungratefulness entangles itself like thorns and thistles within the human psyche -choking potential out of a child's future:
     "Children envy what another has, and what they have becomes no good at all.  And then they protest if they can't have that other thing.  They feel entitled to it.
     The opposite of envy and entitlement is gratitude.  Gratitude comes from the feeling of freely receiving things, not because we deserve them, but because someone has graced us with them.  We feel a thankfulness grounded in love, and we cherish what we have received.  There are not many things worse then being around an envious and entitled person; there are few things better than being around thankful and grateful people.
     The two states -envious and grateful -have little to do with what a person actually receives.  They have more to do with the character of the person.  If you give something to entitled, envious people, it profits your debt to them.  If you give to grateful people they feel overwhelmed with how fortunate they are and how good you are.  Parents [..and teachers :-)] need to help children work through their feelings of entitlement and envy and move to a position of gratitude."  -Boundaries with Kids, Cloud/Townsend
http://www.cloudtownsend.com/about/cloud.php

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sub·stance Knowledge is NOT power .... but it is POTENTIAL!

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education."   -Martin Luther King, Jr.

The father of empiricism is misrepresented when his words, "knowledge is power", is overused as a motivational rally tool in twenty-first century classrooms.  Sir Francis Bacon understood, perhaps better than anyone, that knowledge alone is never the "end game" of life-long learning.  Indeed the application of knowledge, with an emphasis on "method", was and is at the core of Bacon's philosophy. 

Some of the most successful people I've ever met were not necessarily the most knowledgeable and I'm sure we've all known walking encyclopedia egg-head types who manage to accomplish absolutely nothing with all that knowledge! Yet we hear and see this modern day mantra echoed throughout the halls of public education today -ad nauseam!  Educational sages of history warned of the dangers (and futility) of such pedantic quests for knowledge (e.g., "illusion of knowledge" by Kant or the refrain, "a chasing of the wind" by King Solomon, Ecclesiastes, considered by biblical scholars to be the wisest man who ever lived outside the person of Christ).  Learning should ideally take place with the expectant vision (with an eye to the future) of wisdom's bounty in view -that vision should capture the imagination of students and inspire them to become not only what they are capable of becoming, but attaining more then they could dream.  Knowledge is the foundation or the starting point -that, we know, is essential.  One can have knowledge without wisdom, but one cannot possess wisdom without knowledge.  Wisdom is the skillful, productive and perhaps even artistic application of knowledge to everyday life.  Despite it's alluring seduction of "power" many of us can attest to the pains of life that the empty promises of "knowing" can bring (e.g., having a graduate degree will not, ensure success).  However, the promise that knowledge often does deliver on is the pay-off of increased probability for potential and hence greater opportunities for the future.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Sub·lim·i·ty Extra Credit Linked to Behavior

I've been subbing public high schools on-and-off about eight years.  I can honestly say that the best experiences I've had as a substitute has been in classrooms where teachers welded a strong link between extra credit and behavior with guest teachers.  Conversely, the worst tour of duties have been in classrooms where substitute teachers are an "afterthought" and convenient "scapegoat" when shortsighted  lesson plans invariably fall disasterously short of desired outcomes -not to mention the behavioral mayhem that predictably ensues!  Teachers who practice the discipline of advance, strategic planning enjoy their days off  -guilt free! They employ a little forethought by frequently blow-tourching the value of civility and manners with students by padding their gpa as a performance reward.  Students are challenged with a reputation to live up to.  Nowhere is the value of relational health better measured, then how students behave when their classroom leader is absent and a stranger,in the form of a substitute, is charged with advancing the learning process.  You show me a class that respects and works with a substitute and I'll show you a class that is led by a great teacher who understands the wisdom of proactive thinking -and linking! :)

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Sub·fix TOP TEN ADVANTAGES OF PROCURING A TRUSTED SUB

1. AFFORDS YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECHARGE EMOTIONALLY

2. INJECTS TIME MARGINS YEILDING GREATER PHYSICAL STAMINA

3. HELPS HONOR THE PRIORITY OF HOME / FAMILY

4. RETURN GRADED PAPERS BEFORE UNRETURNED PILES REACH CEILING

5. MODELS TO STUDENTS YOUR BELIEF IN TEAMWORK

6. A TRUSTED SUB CAN BE A CLASSROOM MOLE PROVIDING VALUABLE INSIGHT

7. POSITIVE BEHAVIOR REINFORCE WHILE VERIFYING NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR

8. STUDENTS OCCASIONALLY NEED A BREAK - EVEN FROM THE BEST TEACHERS

9. STRATEGIC USE OF THE SUB-SYSTEM HELPS AVOID A NEED OF THE SUB-SYSTEM

10. EVERYONE BENEFITS FROM YOUR ADVANCED, PROACTIVE STRATEGIC PLANNING

THE GREATEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE YOUR STUDENTS IS A HEALTHY, FULLY ENERGIZED YOU!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Sub•sume def. -to consider or include as part of a bigger picture.

Sub⋅ver⋅sive

“Tending to subvert or advocating subversion, esp. in an attempt to overthrow or cause the destruction of an established or legally constituted [authority] …traitorous, treacherous, seditious, destructive.” – dictionary.com
While this definition might sound “heavy”, if we were all honest and the truth were known, I’m certain that some of us could come up with more colorful words to describe mischievous behavior in the classroom while just trying to survive another day as a sub.  And though it might be hard to believe, I might have been (on more than one occasion) one of those rebels who probably caused more than his share of panic attacks to unsuspecting teachers (and no doubt, a few subsJ).
We all know how such people-intensive roles require so much emotional energy –particularly if we’re unfamiliar with surroundings, students and expectations.  But the next time you’re tempted to just acquiesce to a classroom coups d'état, try doing what I sometimes do to help me focus on advancing a lesson plan.  Quickly look for students who are behaving (usually the majority) and begin to praise/affirm them out loud.  Sometimes this doesn’t work for a host of reasons – perhaps the subversives are too far gone in their takeover or the actions are just too serious to ignore.  But most of the time, if you can detect an uprising early, by concentrating on students who are doing well – it can often provide a great utility to redirect the trouble students – not to mention help reinforce the value of positive affirmation.