No one complained

Sometimes we don't have enough subs.

That always sucks.

And because of my role in professional development, I have two plans.

Which means I often cover classes.

I wish I was in one of those districts that pay for such work.

I'm not.

But I don't really mind.

Sometimes it's even fun.

Because I am a teacher in the building, I almost never have any behavior issues.

On the other hand, I don't always quite know what to do.

Unexpected absences are difficult to manage.

I know, I've failed spectacularly at supplying adequately last minute plans more than once.

Then again, sometimes the kids step up and surprise me.

This story is an example of such a day.


I was covering for a science teacher who had an unanticipated, last-minute absence.

When I arrived at his door, most of the class was already waiting.

About half were freshmen I have in my ELA classes.

That is always nice.

They know my expectations and generally keep everyone else in line.

Unfortunately, the desk was a mess with no plans in sight.

The kids said they were taking a quiz.

There were like 5 different quizzes on the desk.

At first, I handed out what was on top.

Quickly, the kids determined they had already taken that one.

With no prompting, a student collected them up again.

Then two of my freshmen, unasked, took over.

One pulled out their previous quizzes for the unit and checked the headings.

The other began searching through the piles of copies.

After a bit of discussion, they agreed on what quiz they were seeking.

Both continued searching together.

Within five minutes, they located the appropriate copies.

They showed me how the headings matched and concurred that the quiz they were supposed to take had 20 questions.

I just nodded.

I mean, what do I know?

They distributed the newly located correct quiz to the class.

One of them immediately left for the testing center.

This is Jason again.

He is very concerned about his grades and highly motivated to take advantage of the supports that help him.

As soon as he had ensured everyone had a quiz, he took off.

Everyone else settled down and immediately got to work.

At first, I was confused because several kids had their Chromebooks out.

Until I glanced at the screens and realized they were entering their answers into a Google Form.

It was a pleasant surprise.

A whole class of kids worked on a quiz with no prompting.

When the quiz wasn't readily available, the kids problem solved.

And no one complained or got mad.

Usually, the kids are thrilled to get out of a quiz.

Instead, the opposite happened.

Definitely a good thing.