July 18, 2025 • 12 mins
What happens when a teacher accustomed to older students suddenly faces a classroom of elementary schoolers? Everything changes. From the surprising power dynamics to the unexpected emotional responses, teaching younger children demands an entirely different approach.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Greg (00:00):
It is July 18, 2025.
This is Substitute Teacher'sLounge.
Your host, greg Collins.
Today it's still summerSummer's always hard enough to
pick topics to talk about, but Iwatched a movie this week.
It was called Blackboard Jungle.
It was made in the 60s.
(00:21):
It was about a veryout-of-control classroom.
It stars Glenn Ford as theteacher and, to show you how old
this movie is, it's actuallygot Sidney Poitier as a student
and Jamie Farr from MASH as astudent, and he didn't even go
by that name back then.
So it made me think.
(00:42):
One of the comments was betweenteachers at the end of the movie
.
So you know, if you've had asuccessful school year, the
teachers learn as much as thestudents.
So I got to thinking about that.
If there was every year, Ishould learn some things.
It was this year because it wasmy first year of elementary
school and we're going to talkabout that right now.
(01:04):
Substitute Teacher's Loud.
All right, all right.
I hope you're going to enjoythis today as much as I am.
I know I'm going to have funrecording it.
It's really not going to be awhole lot of new stuff.
(01:26):
It's going to be more anaccumulation of things that I've
mentioned for the last eightmonths that I wanted to have
right here, concise in one areaand you could really subtitle it
things I learned last year inelementary school that made me
change the way I do things.
(01:48):
So that's what we're going tobe talking about today.
We talked about that movie.
Blackboard Jungle was a wildbunch of high school students
you could say that about Grease,but there's nothing like
Blackboard Jungle.
Watch it sometime.
I mean, it was the kind ofclassroom atmosphere that I
probably would have quit.
(02:10):
I would have said I'm notcoming back to that school
anymore.
There was some physicalviolence going on, but, as
always, there was a lesson to belearned from the movie.
It was really good.
I'm an old man.
In the summer I get boredsometimes and I start throwing
in or turning on I should say,turner Classic movies, and oh,
(02:34):
there's some good movies onthere that I don't necessarily
enjoy them all.
I say that about old music too.
Them all.
I say that about old music too.
I don't necessarily love themusic, but I love watching and
listening to see what wasconsidered entertainment back
then.
So I'm old and I'm fascinatedby stuff like that.
(02:55):
All right, let's talk first ofall about don't promise anything
in elementary school I wouldn'tpromise anything to students
anywhere.
Sometimes you'll get carriedaway and you'll say all right,
kids, if you do this, we'll dothis.
I remember it's a church campstory.
(03:16):
I got so tired of the kidstalking in their room at night
and not stopping and I said allright, here's what we'll do.
If you will be quiet for halfan hour, we will go outside and
cause a ruckus.
Well, I was sincere, I wasgoing to take them out, but it
(03:39):
just so happened that they wentto sleep in that half an hour
and I didn't have to worry aboutit.
And I remember the college agecounselors that were in the at
the time I was well, that waspretty smart of him to do that
and I'm not sure how smart I was, but it worked In your
classroom.
I wouldn't promise anything that, especially elementary schools.
(04:00):
Elementary school students willhold you to everything you say
and they will not forget.
You can go back two years afteryou taught them and and they'll
say mr collins used to owe mesome candy from when we were in
the third grade.
So don't promise anythingunless it's absolutely necessary
(04:24):
, because the kids will remindyou of that bad language not a
whole lot of bad language inelementary school.
But at the same time it kind ofmakes me squirm a little bit
more when I hear kids that young, even if they're in the
playground saying something, andthey'll look up when they say
(04:46):
it.
They know they shouldn't havesaid it, and they'll look up at
me and they might say sorrybefore I even say anything.
I was in a middle schoolsetting one time where I
actually was uncomfortable withwhat one of the students said
and I contacted the principal aprincipal I greatly admire and I
(05:07):
guess they decided just to letit go, because you got to
remember, language is verysubjective.
There's some things that willoffend me, that don't offend you
all that kind of stuff.
You got to be aware of that andas you handle it in the future.
Speaking of handling things, Imade a kid cry once in
elementary school and let metell you what it was, for they
(05:31):
know that I don't get loud andif I get loud something is going
on.
Well, I'll just tell the storyexactly the way it happened.
It was a third grade class andthey were working on some stuff
down on the rug and two boyswere talking.
They weren't mad at each other,but one of them just decided to
(05:51):
get up and fart in the kid'sface and say that's what I think
about you.
And I fussed at him and myvoice went up and since he
wasn't used to my voice beingthat loud, he cried.
Man, I made him cry.
Now he learned from that and Iwill say this I see this student
it seems I see him more thanmost students that I've
(06:15):
encountered and he always goesout of his way to speak to me
and come up and hug me and wave.
I even saw him at a ballparkone time and he ran down to me
just to say hello.
So you never know what a littlediscipline means over things
like that.
A funny story, and I've usedthis on my right.
(06:37):
Now I'm coaching an eight to11-year-old volleyball team.
It's a youth trainingdevelopmental is what we call it
volleyball team and every nowand then you'll have to work the
table for the two other teamsthat are playing and I'll ask
for line judges and two of thegirls that I wish had shown a
little bit more responsibility,because they do about everything
(07:00):
else.
They put their finger on theirnose and said not it.
I've had that happen in theclassroom.
When it happens in theclassroom.
Those are the two kids I choose, the first two that put their
finger on their nose and not it.
Well, guess what they're it?
And I'm going to make them dothe project.
So I told them all right, girls, these two other girls
(07:22):
volunteered to do it, but I'mgoing to make you do it the next
game.
And they just smiled and didn'tknow whether I was serious and
they're important to the team.
And I said or I can put you onthe bench.
They didn't think I was seriousand then they realized I was.
So they didn't enjoy it and Ijoked with them some.
I hope they didn't take meseriously because I would kind
(07:43):
of say that was your call andall those kinds of things.
So the not it, it stuff is over.
I took care of that.
One thing I've changed there arestudents and you have to be
careful, especially starting out.
There are students that likeyou to explain things to them,
or just students.
You need to tell to be quiet,that you you to explain things
to them, or just students youneed to tell to be quiet, that
(08:04):
you have to get close to them.
Well, you know, we hear so muchabout not getting in people's
personal space.
Well, unfortunately, middleschool students especially use
that to their advantage and whenthey're not working and you get
within two feet of them,they're going to use the excuse
you're in my personal space.
(08:24):
They never even heard apersonal space two years ago,
but because they've heard ofthat phrase now, they will use
that against you.
So I learned from that in thatI try not to get closer to a
student than two feet.
If in fact it's a disciplinesituation, you're not doing your
work.
(08:44):
If they need help, I might haveto get a little bit closer and
you know there's some students,like I said, that will just come
up and hug you when you'vehelped them.
I had a couple of my volleyballplayers come up and hug me.
Our season ended this week so acouple of them came up and
hugged me.
Some of them they're just tooold for that and I understood
(09:05):
that.
But be aware of students'personal space.
I learned that more so thisyear.
I'll call this next comment.
I learned to praise regardless.
Don't lie to the student Ifthey just missed every question
on a test, don't say you did agood job, or I wouldn't even say
(09:28):
.
I might say something like didyou try your best and see how
that goes.
But kids need that praise.
If you can't praise them on aproject they just finished or a
assignment they just handed in,find another way to praise them.
That pumps them up.
It was amazing to me,especially in elementary school.
(09:51):
Just saying a few nice thingsis all the student needs Now.
Maybe they don't do perfectlyon their next assignment, but I
think they'll try harder.
They'll help you more in theclassroom If you just choose to
ask things in a non-threateningway and praise regardless.
(10:14):
That's really important to them.
Regardless.
That's really important to them.
The last thing that I had tochange and it's probably the
most important thing, and I knowI've talked about this a lot is
I had to be careful about thestories I share because,
especially in elementary school,if you share a story about a
dog or a vacation or somethingthat happened to you outside,
(10:38):
every kid in that classroomwants to share a story.
So I try now to choose personalstories that are quick, that I
can call on two students.
Maybe I'll tell them that Isaid I'm going to pick two
students.
They can share their storiesand move on.
I have been guilty of in thepast sharing too many stories in
the classroom and we not getsome things done.
(11:01):
I actually had one of the moreconscientious third graders this
year I probably had shared twostories and she actually said Mr
Collins, do you think we shouldget back to work now?
And bless her heart, man.
She humbled me in a hurry andshe was right.
So you have to be careful aboutsharing too many stories,
(11:24):
especially with elementaryschools, because before you know
it, your time is over and theydidn't get accomplished what
they were supposed to.
So that's it.
That's some things I learned inmy year of elementary school
that will help me become abetter teacher.
It is July 18, 2025.
This is Substitute Teacher'sLounge.
Your host, greg Collins.
Today it's still summerSummer's always hard enough to
pick topics to talk about, but Iwatched a movie this week.
It was called Blackboard Jungle.
It was made in the 60s.
(00:21):
It was about a veryout-of-control classroom.
It stars Glenn Ford as theteacher and, to show you how old
this movie is, it's actuallygot Sidney Poitier as a student
and Jamie Farr from MASH as astudent, and he didn't even go
by that name back then.
So it made me think.
(00:42):
One of the comments was betweenteachers at the end of the movie
.
So you know, if you've had asuccessful school year, the
teachers learn as much as thestudents.
So I got to thinking about that.
If there was every year, Ishould learn some things.
It was this year because it wasmy first year of elementary
school and we're going to talkabout that right now.
(01:04):
Substitute Teacher's Loud.
All right, all right.
I hope you're going to enjoythis today as much as I am.
I know I'm going to have funrecording it.
It's really not going to be awhole lot of new stuff.
(01:26):
It's going to be more anaccumulation of things that I've
mentioned for the last eightmonths that I wanted to have
right here, concise in one areaand you could really subtitle it
things I learned last year inelementary school that made me
change the way I do things.
(01:48):
So that's what we're going tobe talking about today.
We talked about that movie.
Blackboard Jungle was a wildbunch of high school students
you could say that about Grease,but there's nothing like
Blackboard Jungle.
Watch it sometime.
I mean, it was the kind ofclassroom atmosphere that I
probably would have quit.
(02:10):
I would have said I'm notcoming back to that school
anymore.
There was some physicalviolence going on, but, as
always, there was a lesson to belearned from the movie.
It was really good.
I'm an old man.
In the summer I get boredsometimes and I start throwing
in or turning on I should say,turner Classic movies, and oh,
(02:34):
there's some good movies onthere that I don't necessarily
enjoy them all.
I say that about old music too.
Them all.
I say that about old music too.
I don't necessarily love themusic, but I love watching and
listening to see what wasconsidered entertainment back
then.
So I'm old and I'm fascinatedby stuff like that.
(02:55):
All right, let's talk first ofall about don't promise anything
in elementary school I wouldn'tpromise anything to students
anywhere.
Sometimes you'll get carriedaway and you'll say all right,
kids, if you do this, we'll dothis.
I remember it's a church campstory.
(03:16):
I got so tired of the kidstalking in their room at night
and not stopping and I said allright, here's what we'll do.
If you will be quiet for halfan hour, we will go outside and
cause a ruckus.
Well, I was sincere, I wasgoing to take them out, but it
(03:39):
just so happened that they wentto sleep in that half an hour
and I didn't have to worry aboutit.
And I remember the college agecounselors that were in the at
the time I was well, that waspretty smart of him to do that
and I'm not sure how smart I was, but it worked In your
classroom.
I wouldn't promise anything that, especially elementary schools.
(04:00):
Elementary school students willhold you to everything you say
and they will not forget.
You can go back two years afteryou taught them and and they'll
say mr collins used to owe mesome candy from when we were in
the third grade.
So don't promise anythingunless it's absolutely necessary
(04:24):
, because the kids will remindyou of that bad language not a
whole lot of bad language inelementary school.
But at the same time it kind ofmakes me squirm a little bit
more when I hear kids that young, even if they're in the
playground saying something, andthey'll look up when they say
(04:46):
it.
They know they shouldn't havesaid it, and they'll look up at
me and they might say sorrybefore I even say anything.
I was in a middle schoolsetting one time where I
actually was uncomfortable withwhat one of the students said
and I contacted the principal aprincipal I greatly admire and I
(05:07):
guess they decided just to letit go, because you got to
remember, language is verysubjective.
There's some things that willoffend me, that don't offend you
all that kind of stuff.
You got to be aware of that andas you handle it in the future.
Speaking of handling things, Imade a kid cry once in
elementary school and let metell you what it was, for they
(05:31):
know that I don't get loud andif I get loud something is going
on.
Well, I'll just tell the storyexactly the way it happened.
It was a third grade class andthey were working on some stuff
down on the rug and two boyswere talking.
They weren't mad at each other,but one of them just decided to
(05:51):
get up and fart in the kid'sface and say that's what I think
about you.
And I fussed at him and myvoice went up and since he
wasn't used to my voice beingthat loud, he cried.
Man, I made him cry.
Now he learned from that and Iwill say this I see this student
it seems I see him more thanmost students that I've
(06:15):
encountered and he always goesout of his way to speak to me
and come up and hug me and wave.
I even saw him at a ballparkone time and he ran down to me
just to say hello.
So you never know what a littlediscipline means over things
like that.
A funny story, and I've usedthis on my right.
(06:37):
Now I'm coaching an eight to11-year-old volleyball team.
It's a youth trainingdevelopmental is what we call it
volleyball team and every nowand then you'll have to work the
table for the two other teamsthat are playing and I'll ask
for line judges and two of thegirls that I wish had shown a
little bit more responsibility,because they do about everything
(07:00):
else.
They put their finger on theirnose and said not it.
I've had that happen in theclassroom.
When it happens in theclassroom.
Those are the two kids I choose, the first two that put their
finger on their nose and not it.
Well, guess what they're it?
And I'm going to make them dothe project.
So I told them all right, girls, these two other girls
(07:22):
volunteered to do it, but I'mgoing to make you do it the next
game.
And they just smiled and didn'tknow whether I was serious and
they're important to the team.
And I said or I can put you onthe bench.
They didn't think I was seriousand then they realized I was.
So they didn't enjoy it and Ijoked with them some.
I hope they didn't take meseriously because I would kind
(07:43):
of say that was your call andall those kinds of things.
So the not it, it stuff is over.
I took care of that.
One thing I've changed there arestudents and you have to be
careful, especially starting out.
There are students that likeyou to explain things to them,
or just students.
You need to tell to be quiet,that you you to explain things
to them, or just students youneed to tell to be quiet, that
(08:04):
you have to get close to them.
Well, you know, we hear so muchabout not getting in people's
personal space.
Well, unfortunately, middleschool students especially use
that to their advantage and whenthey're not working and you get
within two feet of them,they're going to use the excuse
you're in my personal space.
(08:24):
They never even heard apersonal space two years ago,
but because they've heard ofthat phrase now, they will use
that against you.
So I learned from that in thatI try not to get closer to a
student than two feet.
If in fact it's a disciplinesituation, you're not doing your
work.
(08:44):
If they need help, I might haveto get a little bit closer and
you know there's some students,like I said, that will just come
up and hug you when you'vehelped them.
I had a couple of my volleyballplayers come up and hug me.
Our season ended this week so acouple of them came up and
hugged me.
Some of them they're just tooold for that and I understood
(09:05):
that.
But be aware of students'personal space.
I learned that more so thisyear.
I'll call this next comment.
I learned to praise regardless.
Don't lie to the student Ifthey just missed every question
on a test, don't say you did agood job, or I wouldn't even say
(09:28):
.
I might say something like didyou try your best and see how
that goes.
But kids need that praise.
If you can't praise them on aproject they just finished or a
assignment they just handed in,find another way to praise them.
That pumps them up.
It was amazing to me,especially in elementary school.
(09:51):
Just saying a few nice thingsis all the student needs Now.
Maybe they don't do perfectlyon their next assignment, but I
think they'll try harder.
They'll help you more in theclassroom If you just choose to
ask things in a non-threateningway and praise regardless.
(10:14):
That's really important to them.
Regardless.
That's really important to them.
The last thing that I had tochange and it's probably the
most important thing, and I knowI've talked about this a lot is
I had to be careful about thestories I share because,
especially in elementary school,if you share a story about a
dog or a vacation or somethingthat happened to you outside,
(10:38):
every kid in that classroomwants to share a story.
So I try now to choose personalstories that are quick, that I
can call on two students.
Maybe I'll tell them that Isaid I'm going to pick two
students.
They can share their storiesand move on.
I have been guilty of in thepast sharing too many stories in
the classroom and we not getsome things done.
(11:01):
I actually had one of the moreconscientious third graders this
year I probably had shared twostories and she actually said Mr
Collins, do you think we shouldget back to work now?
And bless her heart, man.
She humbled me in a hurry andshe was right.
So you have to be careful aboutsharing too many stories,
(11:24):
especially with elementaryschools, because before you know
it, your time is over and theydidn't get accomplished what
they were supposed to.
So that's it.
That's some things I learned inmy year of elementary school
that will help me become abetter teacher.
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