# Ask the Middle School Teacher

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-middle-school-teacher/370696>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 29, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-middle-school-teacher/370696 "2006-08-29T17:51:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-middle-school-teacher/370696/61 "2006-09-06T16:09:59Z")

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[QUOTE=RancidYakButterTeaParty]  
Thank you sir. I love the middle school kids. Can’t pinpoint why exactly, but it probably has something do due with my own experience in middle school. I can relate to these kids well.  
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Yeah maybe you can get the steered in the right direction, I remember 6th grade was when certain kids really started busting loose. My 6th grade class made one teacher cry quite a few times, it was her first year teaching. Poor lady, I’m not sure if she was cut out for teaching.

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**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-middle-school-teacher/370696/62 "2006-09-06T17:44:52Z")

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[QUOTE=Incubus]  
**RancidYakButterTeaParty** , what kind of expectations do you have for substitute teachers? Being one myself, I really like teachers that go the extra mile making sure a sub is prepared- leaving a message on the sub hotline about any special details, and lesson plans. I’ve seen a wide range of extremes- ranging from pages of instructions I attempted to meticulously follow, to nothing at all, and having the principal just shrug at me and say ‘wing it’ :dubious:

One way I measure a teacher’s dedication is how determined they are that I follow the instructions. I have had teachers who were out with pneumonia call the classroom, asking me if everything was ok. Personally, as a sub, I would rather cover for a teacher with high standards, and work my butt off trying to follow their plans, then a teacher with such a low expectation for subs that they just leave a video and submit me to having to watch the same 50 minutes of ‘Aladdin’ 5 times in a row 😛  
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How close are you to Ohio? I would love to always get a sub like you, but that just isn’t going to happen. I had one person tell me after my first year that she wouldn’t sub for me anymore because my lessons were too hard.  
I have never left a video for a sub. I always prepare my class ahead of time, so that in the even that I’m not there, they will already know what to do. My kids know what to do, even in the event that I wouldn’t be able to leave plans (which has never happenend).

If I know who the sub is and know I’m going to be out, I will try to contact them and discuss my plans with them. If I don’t know the sub. then I expect my class to follow through with the guidelines that they have been given.

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