substitute teaching yeah

I had a substitute class yesterday. It started with a fight outside the classroom and four kids blaming a small pakistani guy for starting it and bruising them badly. Inside the classroom two kids were throwing pens and markers at each other. I walked over to them and told them to stop it. Five seconds later I saw objects flying from one side of the classroom to the other. "You and you, come on out of the classroom with me". In the hallway I told them that I didn't want them in the classroom and they could spend some time with the principal. The guys refused and judging by the size of one of them, it would be very difficult to carry him downstairs to the administration.

The majority of the class were to be spent in the computer lab. I spent most of the time standing behind the guys in the last row, separating them when they started to play fight and interrupting when the insults became too bad. The big uncarriable kid didn't want to work and played computer games the entire time. He went on facebook, which is strightly prohibited, and I had no sanctions. Reprimands he has plenty of, so that threath isn't real. He didn't want to go to the principal, and couldn't lift him from his chair and drag him either. Eventually he closed down facebook and complained about being bored and school being like a prison.

"Most teachers would have freaked out and gotten real mad by now", one of the kids said. "She's pre.. Hey, are you pregnant?" I answered that no, I am not pregnant. Some of his friends gasped and asked why he would ask me such a question. The kid held his palms open and explained: "The one teacher who didn't get all upset and yelled at this class was pregnant". So I figure the kids believe that the only reason to stay calm when the class is a riot, is to have another creature living inside you. You know something is going to be a lot worse very soon. When I told Min later, he laughed and said: "I bet that kid is in for a surprise if he believes pregnant equals calm".

When the class was over I went to the inspector's office and had a debriefing. She told me that if I encounter a situation like that again, I should come get her or the principal and they can have the kids get out of the class. To me it feels like loosing face, having to get someone else to take control in the classroom. The inspector pointed out that it is not fair to the other students that two kids get all the attention. I agree, at least I am an experience richer