I used to teach 8th graders and they can be brutal. One opening and they will eat you alive. You have to lay down the law FIRST THING and be really strict. I would not make it personal--my rule was no negative comments about anyone in the room. If one was made, I would stop the person. And I would keep stopping them until they realized it was an inflexible rule. Of course with one class situations, it's really hard.

I've only been working at this middle school for a few days, but all the 7th grade classes I've had have been rambunctious but sweet, and my 8th grade classes have made me want to lock myself in the closet. What happens to them between those two grades?

I fully understand that substitutes have always been given a hard time, and that it's not entirely personal, but I can't help but think that I am just not cut out for this job! Oh well; it's Friday.

Hormones, baby.

Speaking of Rio, I just yesterday figured out who Bob Saget is/was!

Did anybody else see Pelosi on TV yesterday?

I did. The thing I heard her say that I've not heard elsewhere, and that I think would be a good campaign point for most if not all Democrats, is that, in the first eight months of 2010, more private-sector jobs were created than were created in the entire eight years of George W Bush's administration.

That is sort of misleading, IMO, but a good talking point I suppose.

I remember one time we had a substitue for our english class in HS. The assignment was to quietly read a Scandinavian absurdist play, but we convinced her that is was to be read aloud and we assigned parts and read them as hammed-up as possible. Our teacher was not amused on her return.

Halloween Cat in Banana Split Costume Eats a Banana

I used to teach 8th graders and they can be brutal. One opening and they will eat you alive. You have to lay down the law FIRST THING and be really strict. I would not make it personal--my rule was no negative comments about anyone in the room. If one was made, I would stop the person. And I would keep stopping them until they realized it was an inflexible rule. Of course with one class situations, it's really hard.

Cannot agree with this enough. I teach 8th grade now and you have to be FIRM with them or they will take over. Subs in middle school have it rough. Before I taught, I subbed and stopped taking middle school jobs. I stuck with high school. Now, I've been teaching middle school for 4 years (can y'all believe it???) and I have found I like it much more than I ever thought I would.

Speaking of Rio, I just yesterday figured out who Bob Saget is/was!

I think I initially thought it was actually Bob Saget. Then maybe I figured out who he is/was based on some comment. And now I have forgotten.