It was the season of Christmas, when I ventured into the wild realm of secondary school education as a substitute teacher.
Imagine: I, the academic chameleon, who had always bounced between eighth, ninth, and tenth grades, unknowingly stumbled upon the grand finale during my short stint in eighth, ninth, and tenth grade. Now let’s talk kids versus teenagers – a classic showdown. Children, with their undeniable charm, are like little rays of sunshine. But teenagers? Oh boy, they are a different breed – thin, towering, walking hormone bombs,in short- unpredictability on legs. They are navigating the rollercoaster of adolescence, the classic “I’m grown up now, talk to the hand” phase. Think about life development, sprinkle it with attitude, and voila! You have a room full of young rebels letting loose.
This teenage tsunami is more fun to write about afterwards, than in the moment when I was on my knees.
That fateful day marked either the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning of my stint teaching with that youth group – depending on your perspective. By the end of the day, I had raised my voice to the point of scaring myself, and my tears were flowing freely. The ninth graders had outsmarted me, and my calm facade crumbled. I didn’t cry in front of the teenagers, oh no! It was in front of the inspector – a desperate move after a day of chaotic classes and the craziest whirlwind of all-ninth grade. With a heavy heart, I threw in the towel and declared that being a substitute teacher for secondary school was not my cup of tea.
– I will stick with the kids up to 7th grade, I declared.
Do we see the same thing in the same room?
Later on that day, I had plans to meet a friend for dinner in the city. However, I was completely exhausted due to the events of the day. I felt like a failure and reminisced about how I had managed to work as an environmental worker in child welfare for so many years when my son was small. Maybe it’s a matter of maturity—recognizing and embracing our limitations when they tap us on the shoulder.
Later that night, after a lovely Indian meal, we sought solace at Café Fiasco, an untouched 1989 vintage haven in Oslo center. There I felt a sense of belonging, as if the café’s name, Fiasco, perfectly summed up my day. Amidst the weariness permeating my mind, I managed to encapsulate a moment – a visual snapshot that mirrored the chaos of my day (or at least how it played out in my head). The image on the wall screamed for creative interpretation. Entirely lost and inspired by it, I forgot the day’s events and started turning the image into a collaborative blog post.
“Envision a scenario where every reader engaging with this post adds five lines, seamlessly building upon the previous contributor’s narrative and comments, all while drawing inspiration from the image I’ve shared. This collaborative effort would intricately craft a tapestry, unraveling a multifaceted story viewed from diverse perspectives.”
If you put different people together in the same room, you will get many interpretations. Like this picture, where every glance will reveal a unique story. There is no judgment here; add five lines to this evolving story! Will you accept this challenge? I look forward to reading your five lines and seeing how we can turn our word cake into a story.
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“the teenage tsunami” . That’s the story of my professional life!
Much respect for you and your choice of profession.
Hahaha. My first teaching job was a 7/8 class. One day the principal asked me to cover the JK/SK class on my prep time. I couldn’t understand a word these children uttered, and everyone had a cold. I was totally out of my element. When the principal asked me how I made out afterward, and offered me a full-time contract teaching the class, I broke down in tears and quit on the spot. Teaching teenagers was the path for me.
Exactly, Hahaha, more fun to write about than standing there. By the sound of it, we both know what the other one has experienced🙄😵💫😅
My dream would have been becoming a secondary school English as foreign language teacher. Everyone told me it was a bad idea. Now I understand why ! Thank you for this enlightening post Parisa!
I really think it is different when you build relationships with them. As a substitute teacher, it takes a longer time.
I remember when I was at school and we had a temporary teacher we used to hide behind the coats and the jackets and we played cards! Now, as an adult I think it was a shame but as a teenager I had a lot of fun. I have such nice memories of my teens!
Lol! And that is exactly the thing. The youth, what they find funny is not as funny for grown-ups. And the power game starts in that age for real I guess.
My nightmare teaching scenario was with preschoolers- age 4. I had them for one hour, so I planned what I thought would be one hour’s worth of activities. But that only lasted 20 minutes…so for the remaining 40 minutes, the kids literally ran circles around the room and I could not stop them no matter what I did! 🤦🏼♂️😂
Thanks for introducing me to El Michaels Affair- cool sound!
And lastly- that picture is very interesting! Any story tied to that must be a good one!
Thanks for a fun post!
Lol. I am laughing at your story as well. OMG I can imagine that scenario. I could have handled those ages better than the ones I mentioned. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I’m happy that you liked the music as well.
I lasted for one day as a substitute teacher in middle school. I did enjoy teaching grades six and seven as a full-time teacher, though that age group does keep you on your toes! 😊
Lol. That is for sure. It does really keep one on the toes. I see that with some of the main teachers in those classes. The other day I asked one of the teachers in the 7th grade how it was going there and her answer made me laugh. This is what she said: -Some days it goes well, and I think AH 😊and other days goes to H* and I think OH😵💫… so yes on the toes.
I had a 36 year career in education; teacher, vice-principal and principal. I needed to find which age range of students to teach. It was the age range that I could get excited about learning who at the same time, energized me. That age group is one that ech person who aspires to be a teacher needs to discover.
Indeed and very true.
That is why I said that I am not suited for 8th, 9th and 10th grade. I am enjoying the 1st to 5th grades. Thanks for reading and sharing your experience.
I love the word “fiasco” – it’s so good! Oh, I’m sorry for your day but I’m so glad that it ended with a lovely idea and time with a friend!
Yeah, it was a DAY with another EXPERIENCE and like other experiences in life it turned into a memory and some learned lessons. And a sort of fun story to tell. Thanks for reading it.