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Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Substitute Aftermath Mysteries

10 real questions (to which I will never have an answer) I have asked myself after coming back from having a sub:


"How did those bingo chips get under the bass metallophone?" - especially since they weren't playing bingo...

"Where did they get those extra strips of green and purple duct tape that magically appeared on the music stand rack?" - it's the same duct tape I use to mark my floors and writing supplies but none seems to be missing...

"How did the dry erase marker cap end up on the floor outside the art room?" - the marker was still in its place on the far side of my classroom and there were no dry erase markers used in the lesson... and yes, it's the one from my marker, the art room doesn't have any like these....

"Why is there a microphone stuck inside the monkey puppet?" - the microphone was in the back of my storage closet when I left.

"Why are there Starburst candy wrappers all over the floor?" - enough said.

"How did that kid's recorder end up inside the xylophone?" - I mean really.

"Why is my piano bench missing a leg?" - yep, I walked in and the piano bench was sitting in its normal spot but with one corner on the floor instead of a leg...

"Who snapped all of those pencils in half?" - at least they put all of the pieces neatly back into the correct caddies afterwards...

"Where did all of these extra pencils come from?" - ...and these sweatshirts, hair clips, books...

"Why are all the triangle beaters inside the bongos?" - and why are the bongos on my desk instead of on the shelf with the other instruments?

**Note: I'm not trying to bash any of my substitute teachers here- I hope we can all laugh together about the struggles of having someone else using "your space" when they don't know all of the systems and procedures you have in place! If you want some solutions to minimize these struggles, you can read about how I set up my sub plan materials in this post. But yes, I still find bingo chips inside my metallophones.

What are your most puzzling substitute aftermath mysteries?

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8 comments :

  1. I'm going back to work after a 6-week maternity leave tomorrow. I have no idea what I am going to find!

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    1. How did it go?!?!? Oh my goodness, I totally know the feeling. Coming back from maternity leave is almost like starting a new job! I hope things weren't too crazy your first day back and that you enjoyed seeing your students again! :)

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    2. It wasn't too bad. There were a few random unsolved mysteries...the worst was probably, "Why have my 3rd graders not done anything that was in my lesson plans while I was gone?" Getting a good long-term music sub is HARD!

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    3. So true! If nothing major was broken and nobody got hurt, I'd call that a win ;) Glad to hear things weren't too bad when you came back- hope the transition back to work has been a good one :)

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  2. So so funny! I am lucky to have a music teacher's husband as my sub and I never have these things happen.

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  3. Why are there pencils inside the bass drum?...when only primary classes were in the room all day, and they can barely reach the bass drum, or the counter where the pencils are...LOL!

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    1. What is up with people putting stuff inside instruments? Seriously? Hahaha it's ridiculous!

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