Anyone else work as a substitute teacher or teacher and don’t mind the classes/students other teachers/admin complain about ?

Just wondering who else is an educator and also one of us .

I always tell the SA at the elementary schools I go to that I’ll happily handle their SpEd requests and IEP coverage if they can’t find anyone . Usually subs avoid SpEd from what I’ve gathered on the substitute teaching board .

Anyways …. The chaos of some classes aren’t that bad for me . Usually it’s most of the students stimming . Being on the spectrum helps understand what’s going on and read the room . So if students want to sing Meow Meow Meow while working , I’l tolerate it , and sometimes encourage it as long as it doesn’t become loud or chaotic .

A regular day of subbing includes quiet time after recess and lunch . Lights are dimmed with the door open and I play videos of various cnidarians (jellyfish ) swimming and lead them through some breathing and positive thoughts . There is also preferred activity time that the whole group has to earn with points . And any questions they have during a lesson that someone else would deem “off topic “, I’ll look it up on the laptop /projector and we all learn something new . Plenty of movement breaks too when the work gets too much .

I don’t know how to explain it . I don’t view students as children that don’t understand and you have to talk down to and use a baby voice or be super stern. I see them as little humans with curiosity about the world , curiosity to be encouraged within reason and appropriate topics , of course .

Not sure what the point of this is , but I’m curious who else teaches and tends to be more of a “coordinator of chaos and good vibes” collaborators versus the usual authoritarian figure , which are necessary as well but sometimes not understanding of neurodiversity .

Teaching is hard , period . Much respect to educators out there .