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My son’s teacher has missed several school days this fall because she was attending professional development conferences. My son says that when there’s a substitute teacher in class, nothing gets done because the kids just fool around. I can understand when the teacher is sick, but don’t these professional days take away from student’s learning?

Professional development days are required for teachers by many school districts; they are necessary to keep up with the latest educational research and teaching methods. Some professional development does take place after school, on weekends, and during the summer months. But if the conferences occur during the school day, there’s no alternative to a substitute teacher in the classroom. Rather than having a substitute introduce new material, teachers may ask the substitute to cover review material or play educational games with the kids while they are out of the classroom. It’s not a perfect system, but professional development time keeps teachers current with the latest educational research and techniques.

If a substitute isn’t performing as he/she should be, someone needs to inform the classroom teacher or school administration. There are good substitutes and bad ones, so it might be helpful if you were to notify the school if a substitute teacher working in your district is wasting the students’ time. Remember, substitute teachers perform a necessary and difficult function; without them, most schools couldn’t make it through a typical day.

I conducted a quick poll and found that most of my colleagues would much rather be in the classroom with their students. But most also agreed that if they needed a substitute, they’d want one who would follow their plans for the day and not allow a class to waste valuable time.

So if you help the school understand which substitutes are reliable and which are not, you’ll be doing everyone a favor.

Sometimes I think my daughter isn’t listening carefully to the teacher at school. She’s unsure about the specifics of assignments and often doesn’t know when certain events are taking place at school. Should I have her hearing tested?

You can ask that the school give your daughter a hearing screening at any time if you are concerned that she has a hearing deficit. Write a note to her classroom teacher about the situation or call the school nurse directly to discuss the matter.

Listening and speaking are often part of the language arts curriculum along with reading and writing. Students are expected to be able to listen carefully to all of the instructions during a school day.

However, it’s more than likely that your daughter doesn’t have a hearing problem. Good listening seems to be a lost art. You may want to discuss with your daughter what it takes to be a good listener. Sitting still, looking at the teacher, taking notes if necessary, will all help your daughter to recall the information she has to remember. Your daughter should have a notebook for class notes, and an assignment pad with a calendar so she can write down important events that will be happening at school in the future.

She should be learning to ignore everyday distractions that may come up, including her own wandering thoughts which are not only unrelated to, but also may be distracting her from the subject that the teacher is discussing. Listening takes a lot of self control on the listener’s part; conscious practice will help your daughter improve her listening skills.

Send questions to: Answers from the Teacher, P.O. Box 54, South Egremont, MA 01258. Questions may also be e-mailed to answersfromtheteacher@adelphia.net.

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