I agree with JW

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Home : 2003 : October : 18

I agree with JW
By Dan

I agree with JW. I was a regular teacher for many years. I taught some middle school and high school, but most of my career was spent with 4th through 6th graders.

For the most part, high school students are very self-sufficient.
Give them the assignments, possibly chat with them a little, and you'll have a great day. I agree with the comment about 9th graders. They can sometimes be tough, but my advice is this: Stay calm, and never let them see you sweat! Sometimes high school teachers
(usually English or Social Studies) will ask me to read through a story or a chapter with the students, and

this isn't difficult at all. As far as foreign language is concerned, you won't be expected to know anything, but if you do, it will be a bonus. Yesterday I subbed for high school Spanish. The kids asked if I was a Spanish teacher, and I confessed that I took Spanish for four years in high school, but I had forgotten a lot. The students had a written assignment to translate from Spanish to English, and one boy decided to see if I still "had it". I accepted his challenge, and even though I couldn't remember some of the words, we both had a good laugh and I won his respect.

As far as middle school is concerned, these kids can be impossible to predict. Some middle school classes are wonderful. If the regular teacher has good class control and gives you good plans (a big if), you'll have a great day. You'll wonder why you ever hesitated to sub in a middle school. On the other hand, as JW said, some eighth grade classes can be very tough. Just let them know that you expect them to behave, and even if things get a little rowdy, stay calm! Again, don't let them see you sweat! If you feel comfortable with fifth graders--who can be rather challenging at times--I bet you'll do fine in middle school.

Good luck!