A Substitutes Rant

Not long ago I subbed for a first grade class and had an annoying conversation with the teacher I subbed for. Now, so far I've really liked all the teachers and especially the principal there, but this one I wanted to smack. Maybe I'm overreacting. You be the judge. I get there in the morning and she had quite detailed notes. I like this. I hate going in with vague weird notes that you have to basically guess what they want done, and you end up asking the kids "well is this how you normally do it?" which is always a mistake because it results in 28 kids yelling different things. Which results in me snapping "well I'm not Mrs Manes so we're gonna do it this way today!" This probably has them (and me) wondering why I asked in the first place. I like notes that explain exactly what they want you to do, including helpful hints, things she does to get them to behave better, warnings of things they'll probably try to say, etc. This way I'm more prepared and can better instruct a class full of kids who are pushing me as far as they can push. Anyway, this teacher has detailed notes, and I'm happy. All morning, everything went well. Kids did what they were supposed to do, little to no problems, getting things done. They come back after lunch, and they're crazy. Really crazy. Like the teachers, "you better be good for the sub or else" warning had officially worn off. They were loud, disrespectful, and rude. Now, before you give me the whole "well that's just how kids are for subs" speech, let me say, it isn't. They will do what you let them get away with. I don't let them get away with much, and I rarely have big problems. By the end of the afternoon I was tired, frazzled, and annoyed. I always write a little note about how they did for the teacher. I explain any problems, tell her who was absent or late, and let her know if she should be proud of them. Most teachers offer their kids a little treat if they get a good note back. This teacher, Mrs Manes, had informed me that they were to get popcorn during their movie if they got a good note, but only if they deserved it. They did not deserve the popcorn. I let the teacher know this. I told her that while her students were lively and intelligent, I could tell they did not behave as well as they normally did. The next day, I come back to the same school (and had a wonder class) and I run into Mrs Manes in the hall after dropping my kids off for lunch. We say hello. I tell her I was her sub yesterday. She doesn't say anything and I notice she is giving me a bit of an attitude. Nothing major.. a clipped smile, not that into small talk, etc. I figure she's probably just having a bad day. I decide to say, "I just wanted to let you know, you really have a great group of kids. Very bright. But I just had the hardest time getting them to pay attention to the lessons!"
She gives me a look of ice. I kid you not, a look of ice. Then, in a clipped tone, she says, "Well, I'm one of the loudest teachers at the school, so yeah, they probably learned that from me."
Um, NO. I'm immediately annoyed. As if I cannot tell the difference between enthusiasm/loudness and being rude/distracting. I wait a minute, thinking she might go on and say that she had a talk with them, or that she understood, or anything that would ease the tension that had built up as a result of her snappy line. I could just tell it would do no good to argue that, no, they weren't just being loud and enthusiastic, they were being brats. So I just sort of changed the subject, asking her about the lunch pick up process. When I am a regular teacher, if I have a sub that even bothers to write a lengthy, thoughtful note back to me, I will be grateful. Most subs do the minimum of what's required, snap at the kids all day, and leave without so much as a "your kids suck". I, on the other hand, follow notes exactly, try to get the kids to have a good time, and write a long note back explaining how they did, what I had trouble with, and often include a funny little story about something a kid said. Hello? I'm obviously a wonder sub, and the idea that this annoying lady thought I was being too harsh was enough to make me want to give her a good smack on her pointed face. So how's that?