Rich Henderson's Diary
The First 180 Days

Rich's Diary: Teachable Moments

Week 30

Which would you like to hear first, the good news or the bad news? If you're like me, you take the bad news first; that way, you have the good news to look forward to. So, first the bad news: Recently, my students' behaved very badly. The good news? I think they learned a lesson from their actions.

The unlucky recipient of my students' unpleasant conduct was a hard-working substitute teacher. Substitute teaching is a difficult job. I know; I did it for several months during my internship. As a substitute, you never know what the day is going to bring. You enter a classroom and review the teacher's plans, hoping you'll know something about the material to be taught that day. The only two things you know for sure are that the class has established routines, rules, and consequences and that, throughout the day, many students will challenge those routines, rules, and consequences. Such challenges seem to be part of an unwritten student code.

Recently, I attended a workshop while a substitute teacher covered my class. The note I received from the substitute the following day shocked me. Many of my students had behaved in ways that were absolutely unacceptable. They switched nameplates, changed seats, ignored directions, and talked incessantly. I was not pleased. I knew that two things had to happen quickly. First, I needed to have a long discussion with my class about what had happened. Second, I needed to assign consequences for their actions.

The conversation with my students was quite an eye-opener. They told me everything they had done -- including some things the substitute teacher had omitted from his note! They told me that they felt they "could take advantage of a substitute teacher." Although I was surprised by their actions, I was also pleased that they were honest enough to admit their wrongdoings. We discussed respect and empathy and how their actions had affected their classmates as well as the substitute teacher.

All actions, however, have consequences, and I felt that my students' behavior also warranted a letter home to their parents. I decided it would be much better if each student wrote his or her own letter, so I assigned the letters as homework. Each student had to explain what he or she had done or not done on the day the substitute was here. The letters had to be signed by their parents and returned to me the next day. In addition, each student had to write a letter of apology to the substitute teacher. The students completed both assignments without complaint.

There are many teachable moments. Some are simply more pleasant than others. This was one of those moments -- one I hope my students learned from.

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Rich Henderson
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