Job Updates

Job 4 - Fifth Grade
Overall, this day was pretty easy. The kids were old enough to know what to do and how to do it. They were also very good at self- and peer-policing. If someone was doing something wrong, they were quick to tell me. One thing that bothered me was that the classroom was DIRTY. There was dust on every suface that wasn't used regularly - the tops of filing cabinets, the window sills, etc. Yuck. Also, for some odd reason, the teacher had various gourds and pumpkins in various states of mold, mildew and decay on his desk and some side tables. GROSS! I tried not to touch them or distub them in any way. How can that possibly be healthy?!

One big difference between fifth grade and middle school? The secret communication methods. Fifth graders pass notes. Middle schoolers text. Neither group is good at hiding it; both groups think that they are invisible while doing it.

As I was going down the hall, I was admiring some of the artwork hanging up. One piece that caught my eye was part of a display that featured scenes painted on construction paper and accented with small pieces of tissue paper. It had a heart with some brightly colored tissue paper. Pretty, noting remarkable. It's the text that accompanied the picture that I can't get out of my head: "Why did you break my heart?" I wonder what the story behind that is...


Job 5 - Kindergarten
Yikes! This turned out not to be so bad. I worked with a team teacher and an assistant. I fumbled at times because I don't know their usual routines and rules. I also forget how literal students can be. The team teacher was a little strict - there was so much more learning and doing than I expected. One thing that really suprised me was the amount of time that the kids were expected to be quiet. Coloring butterflies is fun, but coloring butterflies silently isn't so great, in my opinion. I suppose they need to get used to working silently, but still...

In the afternoon, the kids got to go to an assembly with dogs. The dogs did tricks and the trainers talked about training dogs and what to do if a strange dog approaches you. It was cute and fun. The kids loved it. By this time of the day, they also loved me. I had four kids holding my hands on the way back to the classroom. Sheesh! This probably explains how I got the AWFUL cold/sinus infection that I've been fighting for the last nine days.


Job 6 - Seventh and Eighth Grade English
I was at the middle school where I student taught! It was great to see all of the students and staff that I worked with in the fall. The teacher I subbed for was gone on a field trip, as were the majority of his students. I had his students, plus one or two other teachers' students for the first couple of classes. Cafeteria duty was interesting. Kids can be really bratty and mannerless. The afternoon classes were awful! One class was supposed to be reading silently. I practically had to shout to be heard over them. The next class was worse because it was another combined class, plus the field trip students returned mid-period, so I ended up with two classes worth of students in one room. Yuck. Neither teacher came up to rescue me/claim their students. Nice.

At any rate, it was nice to be back at the school.


Job 7 - Elementary LD
I didn't know what to expect going into this one. I'd never been to this school before. Turns out I was subbing for an LD math/reading specialist who had to go to a building inservice. This was my schedule (I started at 11):
- teacher lunch
- playground duty
- grade papers (the student I was supposed to work with was absent)
- reading - I ended up with 4 students because 1 was absent and 2 were in the office. I had them for less than an hour.
- prep/planning time
So, of the three hours and forty minutes that I was at the school, I had students for about 50 minutes and playground duty for about 20 minutes. I'm not complaining, but sheesh!
I also had a sub-EA. She came in late, played on the computer, which distracted the kids, walked around, and then took the kids back to their regular class. During the planning time, she talked on the phone. When she made the call, I overheard her ask if so-and-so was available - "She's a substitute aide there today." Really?!?! So she called someone else who was supposed to be working to complain about your job. ?!?!?

One thing that I noticed was that the teachers at this school yell A LOT. And right in kids' faces. I'm not a fan. Also, the attendance secretary seemed like a space cadet.