Decisions, decisions...

Recently, I substitute taught at Junction City Middle School for sixth grade social studies and eighth grade math. I have always heard that teachers have to make a ridiculous number of decisions in one day, so I decided about halfway through the day to keep track of all the decisions I had to make that day. Keep in mind that this was one full day of teaching (no plan period taken) for a substitute, so I generally did not have to make decisions that affected more than one class period generally. So, here's the official list. Sometimes I included my decision. :) I'm not saying they were all correct decisions, but that's what I went with!

--Do I take the extra job presented to me once I got here?
--What do I buy with my $1.35? (I didn't bring lunch, just a breakfast snack.)
--How do I find the kids for Cat Time who didn't check in (since they went to other classes today)?
--Do I allow kids to go to the restroom? (Even though the teacher asked me not to?) (No.)
--How exactly do kids play this game? (The instructions were slightly vague...)
--"Do we have to turn this in?" (Yes.)
--"We lost our die for the game." Where did it go? How can they play without one?
--Should I take the paper football or return it and have them put it away? (Trash it.)
--Do I allow the rowdy boys to continue rolling their die on the floor? (No way.)
--Do I make the kid play the game if he would rather just complete the math worksheet? (As long as you finish the math, I don't care.)
--How closely should I watch the kids and enforce the rules? (They're making progress on the worksheets... guess as long as they're relatively calm I'll leave them alone.
((END OF CAT TIME))
--How quiet do I make the kids be before we walk to the library?
--Should I make the kids stop walking until they can be quiet on the walk to the library?
--Should I let this girl go to her locker before going to the library? (Even though I told kids during passing period to bring their books?)
--Should I pull the giggling girl who kept "dropping" her books on the walk aside and chat with her about appropriate behavior?
--How much time should we spend in the library? (Has the past 10 minutes that the teacher said to stay long enough?)
--How many kids should sit at each table in the library for them to keep quiet? (Three.)
--What book do I suggest to this boy? (Some Chris Crutcher.)
--How will I tell kids they need to be quiet for the rest of the period and read? (Mean? Kind? Remind them about their behavior grade.)
--How do I reward kids for being silent the whole reading time? (Two minutes of talking.)
--Should I let a girl leave to take an RC test? (No.)
((END OF CORE 1))
--repeat several of the above questions
--Should I separate Tamica and Jacy? (Not yet.)
--Should I let Jacy get out of the line to get a drink for her "hiccups"? (I guess.)
--How much extra time should I let Adrian stay in the library?
--How do I get this class to be quiet? (Kind of mean.)
--Was Tamica just up out of her chair? What was she doing?
--There she was again! Do I get up and say something? (Hopefully meaningful eye contact was enough.)
--She's crawling on the floor to pass a note to Jacy! Eye contact all the way... Was that enough to stop her?
--Do I dock Tamica and Jacy both for behavior points?
--How do I approach them while the rest of the class talks the last two minutes? (Ask them why I might be docking their behavior points today--they know.)
((MOVE TO 8TH GRADE MATH))
--How strict should I be with the 8th grade?
--How do I learn their names with no rosters?!
--What do I have them do with their time if they have no worksheet from yesterday to finish?
--Should I let them work in groups?
--Do I get someone to go find Reshawn from the restroom? (He's been gone nine minutes... oh there he is.)
--How closely should I watch them? If they're talking and working, do I let them?
--These girls are definitely not talking and working, who should I have move? (Ask them for a volunteer.)
((END OF 8th GRADE CORE 1)
--When do I walk these kids to lunch?
--Do I need to go get them from lunch? (I don't have any idea when... they'll walk themselves back.)
--Should I let these kids work in groups?
--Do I 'let it go' or discipline that? (There were several of these decisions...)
--Do I comment on that joke I just overheard about "cutting myself over boys"?
--Do I let them continue to work in groups? (Chris and Austyn are way off task and talking so loud...)
--What do I do with this new 7th grader in 8th grade math? (Just give him the worksheet and let him work through it with another student.)
--Do I take the balloons or just make them put them away? (Throw them away, boys.)
--Why is that boy holding that girl and her desk hostage? Should I make him stop?
--Do I let this kid interrupt class across the hall to use the pencil sharpener? (This one's not working?)
--Should I have my student tell someone the boys' bathroom is a mess with toilet paper?
--What do I do now that I've seen balloons the second time? (Take them and ask them for all the balloons they have--these kids will probably give them to me.)
--Does this 7th grader really need to leave 20 minutes early from this hour?
((END OF 8th GRADE CORE 2)
--What do I do with this kid that's playing games on the calculator? (Make him do his work without.)
--Can these kids handle group work?
--What do I do with the kids who have other kids' papers? (There were several!)
--Is that kid trying to blow up a balloon? Should I take it?
--How many kids do I let go to the library when their work is finished? (Two.)
--Should I give them a pass to their locker for extra work? (If they really want to use their time to do more homework, then definitely.)
--Can I leave this class to go to the restroom now?
--How much help should I give this kid on this problem?
--Should I go ahead and send another kid to the library? (It's 5 minutes past the 10 minute limit I gave the others... No, just wait.)
--Should I let this student who hasn't been working go to the restroom? (There were LOTS of these requests.)
--Should I make them all sit down and be quiet until the end of class or not worry about it? (They've been awful and are all out of their chairs.)
--What do I do with this calculator with the awful picture drawn on it? (The kid who gave it to me definitely did not draw it...)
((END OF 8th GRADE CORE 3))
--What do I do with Chris' apology for his behavior earlier? (Take note of it... but keep his name on the 'misbehaved' list.)
--Should I leave this class to go to the restroom? (Ah! There's a hall monitor I can ask to watch them!)
--Should I allow a group of 5 to work? (I'll give it a 5-minute test run.)
--What noise level should I allow since they're actually working?
--Should I let this group of girls work in the hallway? (They're complaining that the boys are bothering them... They'll get over it.)
--Do I punish the kids eating candy who were tattletold on by others? (I hate tattletelling...so no.)
--Do I interfere with the "fighting" and flirting boys and girls?
--Do I reprimand that girl for climbing over her chair?
--Do I let them work in the hallway now? (Still no.)
--How long should I tell these two girls to be in the library?
--What do I do with my last 25 minutes here since I'm done with my homework?
--Do 7th graders really leave two minutes earlier than 8th grade?

There you have it: 75 questions. And then... HOME. :) It was a long day, but I did get paid for the extra hour I worked instead of taking a plan.