cover teaching

Here in Hannover I have started my career as a cover teacher at the International School of Hannover Region. I like the word "cover", it sounds a lot better than "substitute".  Here is how cover teaching works:

I check my email before bed to see if there are any messages about cover teaching for the next day. Usually that's not the case, but I am optimistic. Then about 7:30, or sometimes 7:45, the phone might ring.  And sometimes  the question is "can you come in to cover first lesson?" First lesson starts at 8:35. Then there is a mad dash to finish breakfast, shower, decide what to wear, pack up my German homework or my book to read, throw a lunch together and get on the bike. Deciding what to wear has a lot to do with riding to school - I learned the hard way (rrrrip) that most skirts don't work unless they are loose enough for me to swing a leg over the top of the bike.

When I get there I pick up my schedule and the teacher's instructions on what the kids should do in class. This requires entering the staff lounge. The staff lounge has pink leather couches and smells like old coffee. It's usually warm and cozy, but I try not to spend too much time in there because that would mean listening to all the teacher gossip.

Inevitably I will end up covering for 10th grade chemistry, or 9th grade algebra, or some other subject that I know very little about. When the kids ask me questions as they do their work I have clever phrases to say, like, "does the chapter in your textbook help you figure it out?" or "have you had to do a problem like that before?".  That way I can pretend for a while that I actually know more than the kids do. But once they start asking me questions about square roots and periodic tables, I say things like, "are the answers in the back of the book?" and "did anyone find the answer for number 4?", or if all else fails, "why don't you circle that one and move on to the next question. You can ask the teacher when he/she is back". There was one day last week when I had Spanish and English classes. It was the best cover teaching day ever - I actually knew the answers didn't have to fake it.

If I substitute taught in the U.S., there would probably be some fighting, some swearing, some kids trying to make me cry.... but here the worst that happens is the kids talk too much or say whiny things like "he's touching me".  That's good. I can handle whining but I don't think I'd be any good at breaking up a fight.

There is a limit to how much cover teaching I can do. In Germany, an employer can pay an employee 400 euros per month without having to pay any taxes. 400 euro jobs are pretty common in stores and bakeries and restaurants, and also at the International School apparently. It's great not to pay taxes but it also means that I can only cover about 22 lessons every month. So calling it a "career" might be an exaggeration.

Soon there will be more work to do, because in May the 12th graders will take their IB (international baccalaureate) exams. That's when they are tested on everything they have ever learned in certain subjects. What it means for me is invigilation. When I first heard that word I thought it has something to do with a bodily function, or maybe a medical procedure. What it actually mean s in British English is supervising the exam, passing out paper if needed, and making sure no one cheats. . In the U.S. we would call it proctoring an exam, which also sounds like something gross that might happen at a doctor's office. Invigilation will give me plenty of time to come up with new  blog ideas.

Until then, I will listen for the phone to ring around 7:30, and think up some outfits that involve wearing pants.