A Simple Logic Puzzle

[melannen]

You are standing at the front of a classroom.
Also in the classroom are 17 middle-schoolers and 24 desks.
In your possession, you have a seating chart with 22 names on it.
Less than 33% of the students are in their assigned seats.

Your goals, in order of priority:
1. Figure out which five students are absent;
2. Match students with names, so you can write them referrals to the principal's office;
3. Determine which students are in their assigned seats, so you know who does not need a referral.

The rules:
1. Each student has in their possession at least one book or paper with their correct name on it, although it might not always be visible.
2. Students who call out each other's names in excitement will use the correct names.
3. If they figure out what you are doing, many of them will switch papers and start to call each other by the wrong names.
4. If you ask them outright, they will figure out what you are doing and lie.
5. If you look away from the class for more than 3 seconds, at least 3 students will have changed seats.
6. You must look away from the class for at least 3 seconds in order to record any data.
7. Students who begin in their assigned seats will remain in their assigned seats, and tell the truth about their own names, but they will refuse to snitch on their classmates.
8. You have exactly 90 minutes. Also, you're supposed to teach them a vocabulary lesson, and prevent them from acheiving their primary goal (killing, maiming, and/or emotionally traumatizing each other.) You have no tools other than paper, pencils, and force of personality. GO!

...if anyone has the answer key for this, please share. Please. (I managed about 80% complete on this *once* today, but that was only by cheating by having another sub in the classroom with me.) If I had a compiler for one of the languages I know, I'd be *so* tempted to program a sim to practice on...

Comments

[melsmarsh.livejournal.com]

Get a Polaroid and a blank seating chart as well as the proper one. Take photo of the class and start filling in the blank seating chart when you can. Take notes of who did what (by use of the blank seating chart and polaroid.) Leave it for the regular teacher to assign referrals. This will allow you to keep a record of who is there WITHOUT having to write down names.

Also, since all schools give out student IDs, that should be able to help you with some of the kids if they have them and if you want to do it the hard way.

[melannen.livejournal.com]

Those are very excellent strategies! Unfortunately, by "you have no tools other than paper, pencils, and force of personality" I meant to imply things along the lines of "any technology *at least as* advanced as a slide rule will be immediately mobbed, confiscated, and dissassembled for parts by the students" and "you are not allowed to photograph students without an idividual signed release form from every parent, in case of religious or privacy objections."

I have, occasionally, resorted to rough sketches, but that really requires too much time looking away from the class.

The student ID cards are a nice idea, but good luck in getting the kids to show them to you without patting them down against the wall. Which, by the way, you can't do, because you aren't allowed to touch them, under any circumstances, for liability reasons. Asking for IDs *might* help for determining which kids are in the right seats, except that a) everyone would immediately laugh you out of town, and b) even the good kids probably don't bother to carry theirs, since they are never, ever used for *anything* once they are issued.

I do, generally, leave it for the regular teacher to assign referrals. (In fact I've yet to actually write one.) In a class that's bad enough to deserve them, trying to fill them out is way too disruptive - the other sub was the one trying to use them. The thing is, they're basically the *only* form of punishment available to a sub other than "wait until your daddy regular teacher gets home!" and we all know how effective that is. Also, they at least get the little bastards out of the room...

[melsmarsh.livejournal.com]

I didn't see the comment about no technology. The only other thing possible is "Ok, everyone gets a referral" or "everyone gets an unexcused absence" unless people start ratting each other out.

Really? Your students aren't required to carry the IDs? When I was in school we were required to carry our IDs unless we had another government issued state ID and even then we were supposed to have school IDs too for stuff like this.

Another thing for the referrals at least, have a Dean or something come down to your class. In all likelihood if these are bad kids, the Dean will know their names anyway.

One more idea, give everyone a pop quiz and say that it is for a grade. That will get more accurate names than anything.

[melannen.livejournal.com]

They may be technically required, but nobody ever does, and you couldn't really require it because half the kids would still 'lose' them the first day, and then what? You'd still have to let them in, it's state law. *shrug* They do have official 'agenda' books which they're supposed to have at all times, because it's the only thing that's supposed to work as a hall/bathroom pass. But nobody enforces that either; within a week of the policy starting, it became clear that all they had to say was "I forgot it" and everybody would let them get by with any random signed scrap of paper. And the student IDs are supposed to also be the school library card, but the librarians always just take names instead because it's not worth the hassle of dealing with the irate parents calling to ask why their kid couldn't check out books like his friends did.

[melsmarsh.livejournal.com]

Ah, we rarely "lost" our IDs since then the parents would have to pay for a redo. Lose your ID enough times and your parents get a little ticked. :)

Good luck!

[stellar-dust.livejournal.com]

.. you apply to the job I emailed you about, so you can have an alternate source of income for a few months! ;D

[melannen.livejournal.com]

okay, okay, okay. okay, okay.

[stellar-dust.livejournal.com]

GOOD! :D

[webbapettigrew.livejournal.com]

All they did was switch seats, use different names and act like boneheads? Christ, you got off easy!

Usually when a new sub comes in, the kids will sneak out of class, one by one, when her back is turned. They'll throw things at her when she turns around and when she asks who did it, absolutely nobody gives it away. Then, let's not forget the fun game of "Spot the kid who's barking like a dog and hiding it very well." That one's always good for a few yucks. Hiding the grade book is another classic.

Were it me, I wouldn't care if their name was Jim Bob. Just teach the lesson, give them the assignments with the caveat that it needs to be turned in at the end of class and if the names aren't right, let the regular teacher deal with it. As far as the absences, did the kids come from homeroom? If so, the office already knows who isn't there. Call down at the end of class to make sure, but that's how it works where I am. As far as referrals go, I'd refer the whole damned class. If the principal is any good and discipline means real punishment, the kid's'll be quick to tell you who's who.

[xerahanadu.livejournal.com]

I agree with webba up there. Use the whole "HOMEROOM" thing to your advantage. And yeah, Katy's got a point If you apply to some other line of work , you're bound to have less trouble with substitute teaching. penis.

[melannen.livejournal.com]

Penis is *nothing*.

VAGINA will convulse an entire room for *minutes*. I've been tempted to use it just to get their attention for once.

[stellar-dust.livejournal.com]

Oooooooo, a point penis! Is it laser guided? \o/

[melannen.livejournal.com]

Wow, if they're always like that for subs, what are they like for their regular teachers? O_O Usually threatening to tell the teacher stops the worst of it - *as long as they think you can give her names* - because the teachers can carry through. And sneaking out of class isn't too much of a problem once I've established that it's not going to panic me, and that I'm willing to physically stand in front of the door while teaching - the school's well-guarded enough that they know they don't have anywhere to *go* once they're out.

But I'm not exactly a new sub anymore, so some of that stuff doesn't work. :D Although I knew even from the beginning that asking who did something is *never* a good idea.

Usually calling the office for help works, but this particular class didn't calm down even when Mr. Assisstant Principal In Charge of Discipline was *standing right there*. Unfortunately the worst the office can do, unless it's part of a very short list of expulsion offenses, is calling home and in-school suspension, and it's enough paperwork that everybody knows they wouldn't really do it for more than a couple kids.

Giving them the work and then collecting it only works when the teacher gives you a lesson plan that *doesn't* consist entirely of class discussion prompts. :rolleyes: