Day in the Life: Elementary Library Sub (#2)

Hello! Welcome to the second installment of this series. Although only in my fourth week, I feel much more prudent in my interactions with children than I did before. Originally filled with self-doubt and disparagement, they are now more authoritative and confident. I have determination in my lesson plans that come from experience, advice from veteran teachers and librarians, and from just relaxing a bit. The students also seem to be having a great time, which is truly a main purpose of being a substitute, I feel.

Perhaps the most useful development thus far comes from the students-they’re actually starting to respect me as a teacher! This was and still is one of the toughest obstacles to jump through for me. I’m 4′ 11″, so a good portion of the students in 4th and 5th grade are as tall as or taller than me. I am also the daughter of another long-term substitute in the building who has the distinct advantage of having been here an additional year. That means that most of the kids know who he is-which is great! My dad is a wonderful teacher and the kids love being around him. However, I had a 3rd grader ask me, “So are you an adult?” with a completely serious face. Yes, child, I am an adult and also your librarian, so I need you to listen to me. Alas, the kids seem to sense that I got my foot in the door, and they’re listening much better now.

While my confidence has skyrocketed, I am still fairly terrified of being asked to sub for an actual classroom. While infrequent, I may be asked to step up if the district is unable to supply another sub. It’s not unreasonable-I am, after all, a sub. However, it’s not what I wanted to do when I signed up for the library-specific job. But that doesn’t mean I won’t do it! When I’m not teaching in the library, I’ve been spending considerable time reorganizing books and setups, checking books in or out, creating themed book lists, preparing for upcoming classes, and figuring out how to make the library a safe and inviting environment. I want to be able to invite individuals and classes to the library for additional checkouts and self-reading time, but won’t be able to follow through with this if I end up frequently pulled away.

So far I have not been asked to do any excessive amounts of subbing; my principal knows my wishes and does what she can to keep me in the library. However, teachers get sick. I’m currently sick with my first “I’m not used to being around kids and cooties” cold of the year, so I get it. I know that I will sometimes be asked to sub, and that of course I’ll do it. I just wish I had the credentials to be an official librarian to focus solely on that.

*The first lost-and-then-found-absolutely-demolished book of the year!*

Regardless, the job has been great! I know now that it’s not what I want in a career, but it certainly isn’t a bad option for now. I had one more panic attack last week after a kid became violent and I felt ill-equipped to handle him and the thirty plus students at the same time. I didn’t cry until after the class left, and I feel like that’s reasonable. On the other hand I dread Wednesdays due to the class load and the behavioral obstacles of specific classes, but today was surprisingly great.

I’ll start giving more specifics about what we do in class soon, but there’s really not too much to discuss. Since class periods are only thirty minutes, most of the last couple weeks have been spent reading stories, coloring, or learning how to checkout in a timely manner. But we do get some time for fun activities! This week the kids are writing or drawing their own three part story (beginning, middle, end) while they wait their turns to checkout. Most of them seem to genuinely enjoy it, and that makes me very happy.

Check back in for more updates! Thanks for following along with this journey.