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Kindergarten! I really like this bunch of little people. This was my second day in this classroom this week (since I took Thursday off to take my parents to appointments) and I really enjoyed it. Sure, there was a lot of re-direction, but I tried to be gentler, and I really enjoyed having fun with them too.

I taught them how to count by 3s, which they hadn’t done. I wrote 3-6-9-12-15-18-21 on the board – we said it three times together and then I erased one number at a time and checked to see if they could still say them all. Their excitement grew with each erasure and when we got down to no numbers – only dashes, they were shouting as they said the missing numbers. I put on a shocked look and said, “You can read invisible ink?” 🙂 We did it again at the end of the day – what fun!  And – ta da – another notch in the old “Pizza Hut Song” handle. 🙂 Of course we did our work too, but there’s a lot of learning in Kindergarten that isn’t bookwork.  I don’t wish ill on their teacher, but I would love to be in this classroom again! Maybe she can take a short trip or something. 😉 There’s another teacher expecting a baby any day – will probably end up in there, but her group was more difficult.

I got and gave LOTS of hugs today too. 🙂 And now as I walk through the hallways I am greeted by many kids from other classes. “Hi, Miss Sharon!” and a few still call me Mrs. B.

Distasteful: there are the moments when someone is tunneling with a tissue up a nostril for what seems like forever, and I had to clean urine and poop off the toilet or floor twice today (not a big deal), and one girl must be hyper – she just can’t seem to do what is required – would rather flit from place to place “getting in everybody’s business.” Sigh. I sent her up into the Peace Loft (a loft which is in the corner and I think generally reserved for good-behavior kids) with a book and just let her stay there about 30-45 minutes for MY peace and quiet. Didn’t hear a peep out of her. The aide was shocked to see her up there, but it helped the classroom overall, so – I made it clear that it was a “substitute’s rule” situation only.
Oh – I actually changed a class rule for while I am there. Some classroom snacking procedures just drive me crazy – this one lets the kids snack any or all the time they want WHILE they are working from 9:20 until 10, even if they just finished school-sponsored breakfast. It’s a nuisance. So – I said “everyone who brought a snack will have one at the same time at 9:50.” It worked out much better and they didn’t mutiny. At the end of the day, the teacher spreads out plastic coated folders on the floor and the kids eat snack and do Show and Share and announcements. I just don’t like doing it that way – food on the floor bugs me. So – we did our meeting and then the kids went to their tables and had their snacks there – standing up, because we had already stacked all the chairs (which has to be done in every classroom at the end of the day in every school that doesn’t have one-piece desks!)

DAY 104: First grade – they were quite a challenge. I finally took my “laid back” approach and quit getting after people to stay quiet and settled for monitoring that at least most of them were doing their work. Honestly, I couldn’t help two kids learn their subtraction if I kept policing the talking. Overall it wasn’t a bad day, but I was a bit flustered when I left.

There’s a book fair and each child wrote down the names and prices of the books they wanted and took the paper home on Monday. Many believed that their parents would buy these books. I remembered bringing home Scholastic book club sheets in 4th grade and wanting to buy a 50 cent or 75 cent book and being told “No.”  These kids were racking up $50-100 on their lists. Today (Tuesday) those who brought in money got to go down and get their books and the rest stayed back in class. We told them their parents could still come in and purchase books if they wanted to. Also mentioned that there are always items we would like but we don’t all get to go to the mall and buy them every week. The kids were told NOT to look at their book fair purchases during the school day, but most pulled them out during the last half hour when they were waiting for their rides. I noticed that C. had a Minecraft book and that other kids were interested in it – she let some look at it. A while later her ride came and she couldn’t find her new book. About 20 minutes later I saw J. reading that same book and I asked him if it was his and his classmate said that it belonged to C. J looked me right in the eye and said, “C GAVE it to me.” Riiiiight. I told him that I knew that she didn’t just buy an expensive ($6) book and give it away on the very first day she owned it. He tried to back pedal and say that he’d meant that she gave it to him to look at. Further questions led to a look of “being caught” and I retrieved the book and called C’s home to leave a message that her book had been found, then left a note for the teacher. Oh, J, I hope this isn’t an indication of your direction in life.

I found out that the teacher’s aide in that class is a minister’s wife and we “dropped names” together for a few minutes. 🙂 Hope to get to know her a little better – their church is quite close to the school.

DAY 105: Kindergarten – today went very well. Lots of redirecting, of course, but for the most part it wasn’t bad – they stayed on task better than the older kids did this week. One thing I like about Kindergarten (and usually first grade) is that they haven’t developed as many tricks for getting out of work yet, and they are still responsive to discipline. I will be in this class on Friday and would have been there Thursday too but I have to take off tomorrow to take Mom and Dad to three appointments. The school secretary and teacher’s aide each mentioned twice that they wished I was coming in tomorrow. Nice to feel needed, but being needed in too many directions is difficult.

I noticed a lot of pine cones on the ground so I picked them up from recess and took them on a walk holding hands and whistling like a train around to the front of the school where I directed them to each pick up one nice pine cone. Inside the room I put each child’s initials on his/her pine cone and allowed them to hold them and play with them for quite awhile, and later they took them home. We analyzed them, also, and they were surprised to learn that the shelves in the room came from a pine tree. SO many details you can teach little kids.

I read “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Peoples’ Ears” and the teacher’s manual said to discuss cause and effect so I thought of ways of showing how one thing causes another (my 5-car accident, for instance). Then I talked about how their actions and words have an effect. We talked about super powers and they loudly discussed which ones they wished they possessed. I told them that they each possess a super power: the power to make someone else happy. Examples were cited. 🙂 Food for thought, anyway.

These kids are just – beautiful. While writing on one girl’s pine cone, I noticed her really beautiful slender hands. Most kids are at their cutest at age 5, I think, before they lose their baby teeth. I try hard to remember what it feels like at that age to have a big person yell at you or belittle you, and try to remember to be gentle, not sarcastic, even when they need re-direction or discipline. And we have some fun together too.

Today I taught the same second grade class where three girls had a major meltdown last time I was there.

However, I’m happy to say that today went much better. There were some challenges from the kids and the environment, but overall it was a pretty good day. And yes, I taught them the Pizza Hut song – that makes three classes in the school that know it. My goal is to infiltrate all of the classes and then one day in the gym or lunchroom just launch into it when the principal is there. 🙂

Montessori method has it’s benefits, but if the teacher is not totally on top of each student’s progress and the students are not particular inclined to be organized and enthusiastic about their studies, a sub ends up with an hour or two of no real guidance as to what the students should do. So, I improvised, and a couple of reluctant students may have had their interest piqued at least a little. Thankfully, this is a small-sized class and assistance was available at least part of the day.

There’s a book fair which is a fundraiser for the school. Wonderful – but – it is taking up the gym for several days, which means lunch must be eaten in the classroom. 😦 I obtained permission to take MY kids outside and we ate at the picnic tables inside the playground while swarms of lowly first graders screamed and ran around us. Despite the enticement, all but one of the kids stayed at the tables until they were officially released, which was after the first graders were called to line up. Several students declared me the best substitute teacher ever. That seems to happen whenever the rules get a little bent or I act silly, I’ve noticed. 🙂 We also spent part of the “extra recess” time in the classroom playing a version of “Duck, Duck, Goose” which I called (in honor of my granddaughter who loves them) “Stegosaurus, stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus.” It was a big hit although many of the kids were unfamiliar with the names!

I have officially been optioned as a permanent sub for the two buildings, which means: always working at the same two places (mostly the K-2 lower building, which I prefer) AND a $20/day bump up in pay (which I also prefer 🙂 ) AND the happiness of having my talents appreciated. I can still opt out of certain days if necessary for my parents’ appts, which I will do this Thursday, and for my trip to Lynden, WA in May.

His schoolwork wasn’t going well, and A. was at the end of his first grade-sized rope. He stated several times that he was too dumb, and he cried. The next thing I knew, he had packed up all of his belongings and donned his coat, and as he headed out the door, he said, “I’m going back to Kindergarten!” I said, “Goodbye.” The aide hurried after him and eventually calmed him down and got him back to the room.

The secretary said today they were glad I was there, because they know that the class is very difficult to deal with, and they felt I could handle it. I felt honored, and forewarned.

They were a challenging bunch of first graders, but overall the day went okay, although I was constantly “on duty” and “on guard” watching.

I taught them the Pizza Hut song and I think I will always remember the laughter and joy and silly little gestures on all of them as they learned it. It didn’t matter if it was the quiet girl in the corner or the bully – they all liked it and I reveled in seeing their faces.

During morning work time, I told them there would be an extra recess but not if they were not on task and quiet. It ended up that four kids did not get the extra recess, and they had to sit at my table while all the other kids played. Can you say forlorn? I also kept an energetic, upbeat approach as much as possible, although I did end up yelling a few times.

But for the afternoon worktime, the same deal applied, and I ended up with no one missing the recess, although a few of them probably should have…. what a softie I am sometimes!

I drew a picture of one of the boys who loaned me his sketch pad, and as often happens, kids gathered around admiring my “great” artistry. Most memorable were the girls who asked several times, “How do you do that?” I wish I could have given them some basic art lessons right then. I did mention that I draw what I see and pointed to some cubby bins as an example. One girl found some construction paper and drew the cubby bins as best she could and showed it to me. I find that so many kids love to draw and want to do so. Perhaps I can incorporate some suggestions into the daily routine.

The weeks of “desperately needing subs” are over at AMA, but I’ll likely be there fairly regularly – they just can’t guarantee it. So – will see what the next 2.5 months hold.

One hundred days of substitute teaching! If this hadn’t been such a weird and busy week, I’d have put more into this post.

So – Wed I was off because Mom was rushed to the hospital. Thurs I was in, Friday I went in but felt sick and went home, and Monday and Tuesday I was in, driving from Taylor. Wed I was off again, helping get Mom released from the hospital, and studying for an Art History test.

Thursday, Day 99

I don’t even remember. I’m pretty sure I bounced around from class to class in the Lower school. I help with reading groups, assisting kids with questions on their work, monitoring lunch periods and recess times, and occasionally correcting some papers or stapling/filing paperwork. Montessori has tons of photocopied stuff.

Monday, Day 100

I spent the morning in a second grade class and then bounced around helping here and there the rest of the day. That’s all I can remember right now. The second graders had cooked up an idea for an April Fools joke on their teacher and they were practicing it during recess. I gave their teacher a “heads up” about it later so that she can play along and appreciate their planning. The plan was for someone who had an alarm (on his watch?) to set it and when it went off, they would all jump up out of their seats and then fall on the floor. This counts as really big humor to 7 year olds. I will have to find out if they pulled it off or not.

Tuesday, Day 101

Today was pajama day. I wore pj’s, my colorful caftan, and slippers. I arrived with my morning “Les Miserables” coiffure, rather than combing my hair, and I stuck three of Mom’s rollers in it randomly as well. I looked silly, so I accomplished my goal. The kids loved it and most of them dressed for it (and most of the staff). It was fun, but along about 2 p.m. I started feeling like I really wanted to get dressed.

I bounced around all day. When I was in a certain second grade class for the first time, three girls had a total meltdown. They were supposed to be putting away their sleeping bags and such so we could move to the next activity, and they weren’t accomplishing it – said “we have to zip it together first.” I said, “No, we’re out of time, you should have done this already” and I picked up the sleeping bag and folded it, saying that they could zip it later. Well, you’d have thought that I smacked them in their heads! They all started crying and protesting loudly and even when removed by their then-returning teacher, they continued on for about 15 minutes in the hallway! Eventually they were taken to a counselor who let them write letters to the principal explaining what had happened. He let me read them later. “THAT teacher” one said, not even knowing my name since I had only been in that room less than half an hour when this happened. “I didn’t put away my sleeping bag when I was told to, but then she grabbed it away from me and yelled at me.” Another said I had crumbled [sic] it up.  What I didn’t know is that these three girls do this regularly, with very little to set them off. I know there are some emotional problems and probably difficulties at home. I do not have expertise in handling them, so I’m glad that others do. I do think that it is important to respect kids’ belongings as well as their physical selves, so I will try to be more careful about not taking away something that belongs to them. From my perspective, I think it was ridiculous, but – as always as a sub – I don’t know the background.  The girls gave me very nasty looks, so it will be challenging, I think, next time I work in that room. Kind of hope it’s not tomorrow.

On Tuesday I was in a different Kindergarten class at the Montessori school, and generally the day went well.

I got to sit in on their music class and the teacher is wonderful – the kids learned a very catchy song which they will sing in their Spring program. I might just want to attend!

I taught them the Pizza Hut song and they loved that too.

Wednesday: I missed work to be with Mom and Dad at the hospital.

I refused to comply.

The CEO of the school wanted to know why I stepped out of the gym filled with 250 children, 4 teachers with walkie-talkies, and a blaring speaker that was, I guess, announcing which childrens’ parents had arrived to pick them up. I couldn’t understand anything from the walkies or the speaker. My ears were hurting. I wondered how much it would cost to buy some kind of monitor from Zeo Brothers to determine exactly what the decibel level was and if it would indeed harm my eardrums and those of the little kids.

I told her that the decibel level was too high – it hurt my ears and that I thought it was likely to harm the kids’ ears as well. I kept an eye on the kids from the doorway (but the other teachers wondered why I was standing outside when they had to be in there.) She went and asked the gym teacher to turn down the speaker, and I’m pretty sure he turned it off. 250 kids and a few walkie-talkies are annoying, but do not cause actual pain. I’m not about to risk my hearing because they have a horrible 20-30 minute system of dismissal. Tomorrow I will address the issue earlier in the day if she is there.

Today I was in a Kindergarten class, with an aide working with me  much of the day. None of these kids had been taught how to log on to a computer, so it took most of their computer time to go to 25 computers and do it. The mouse cords and headphone cords are quite long and several kids had them tangled around their extremities or the legs of the chair. The tables are too close together, even though there is excess room outside of them. Since some of the kids weren’t logged on until we were 6 minutes away from being done, I chose to let them stay  longer and skip something else in their agenda. The aide was fine with that. But then she decided that the activities I wanted to skip needed to be done anyway, and she took over, and everything got confusing for me as to what the kids were supposed to be doing or not doing. Previous to that, she had told me that she was glad I was there because the other subs always sat back and she ended up doing everything. Hmmmm. I may tell her that if she wants the subs to do the job, she might have to let them do it a little differently. Example: I was supposed to give them math and handwriting work – fine – but she put it in their folders and then they were working on those two items and a myriad of other stuff that I knew nothing about. I would rather have done the two assigned items and then let them move to their “folder work” (a mixture of assignments they do each week). That way I could have checked it as they did it. I also have difficulty with the very lenient snack situation, where kids seem to snack over a long period of time, nearly right up to the point of lunchtime. This class has a snack table where two kids can sit for 10 minutes, but there are 25 kids and there was a mob waiting to get to it (and arguing). Honestly – I still  need to have a better appreciation for the whole snacking during schoolwork thing.

Unfortunately, my stress level then led to my decision to visit the Chinese Buffet for lunch (since I had an hour), which then unfortunately led to a bout of diarrhea which then unfortunately led to me being late going back to the school. 😦 I can hear the teachers asking the kids, “Are you making wise choices?”

The rest of the day went fine, although some of them were rather hyped up towards the end of the day, and there was still some confusion between what usually happens and what the sub thinks is supposed to happen (not every little thing gets written down in the lesson plans). Of course, the day ended with the dismissal problem. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better – they plan to have me floating from room to room.

Flexibility: Today I was assisting in the Montessori upper school when I learned that the Music teacher was subbing in the lower school, and therefore none of the kids were having music class (for the past two weeks, actually). So I asked if they might rather have me sub where she was so that all the kids could have music class again – they jumped at the chance. And so I went to the lower school, which is only about 5 miles away, and which I have been at numerous times. Wow – the Kindergarteners sure looked short after nearly two weeks with 4th and 3rd graders. 😉 Now the lower school nabbed me for all of next week – which is fine with me. I think it is very likely that I will have steady work as a regular sub in the two sections of the Montessori school, and I am happy for that. They are two of the closest schools to my home and the pay rate will be higher than I’ve made all year due to the longevity of the situation. They had me help two of the Kindergarten teachers, mostly with helping the kids write their animal books, and I spent two hours monitoring lunch (1/2 hour) and 3 outdoor recess periods (1 1/2 hours). I like doing outdoor recess – at least I get outside and I walk the perimeter or else sit on the picnic table.

Kids’ comments: Kindergarten kid, looking at a loopy 2 made by the teacher: “Is that a backwards 6?”  (He makes the non-loopy kind).

Another boy, M. – had to sit out five minutes of recess by the fence for talking in class. 9 minutes after he was restored to playing, he came to me and said, “I haven’t talked for the whole recess.” I felt sad at his misunderstanding.
“Now is the time when you should make noise and talk, M., during recess. Then you should be quiet when you go back to class.”
“Oh.” M. said, and ran off shouting to his friends.

Food. Don’t get me started about the massive waste of food. 1. So-called hot lunch – they had a tortilla wrap with good ham and American cheese in it, a packet of mayo and one of ranch dressing, a container with more than a cup of lettuce, and a container full of canned fruit, plus white or chocolate milk. Out of 24 kids, I doubt that any ate everything. Most did not eat the whole sandwich. Many ate one bite or none, or took out the ham and cheese and made a mayo sandwich to eat. Iceberg lettuce counts as a veggie – ha! Like anyone actually eats it, and it hasn’t a lot of vitamins anyway.
2. Then there are the home-packed lunches. Many were fine. But who gives a 5 year old a Lunchable Pizza Kit? It had three small circles of dough, an unopenable-by-5-year-old packet of sauce and a container of mozzarella cheese, and another of pepperoni slices. It’s not being heated, folks. So the girl patiently spends about 15 minutes squirting sauce on the bread pieces, and though she’s careful, some ends up on the table and some on the seat. She asks for the sauce to be opened. She asks for something to spread the sauce (I suggest she use a pepperoni slice). Finally she is able to eat her lunch, and does finish before the 30 minutes is up. Some kids only eat their pretzels. 3. Many of the kids eat very little – they are fumbling with their food, or talking to their friends. They stay obediently in their seats under our watchful eyes, but 20 minutes go by and much of the food is still on the table. Two kids get distraught because their friends’ Lunchables have a Butterfingers and a Reese’s in them and this is a no-peanut school. I tell the kids not to open the wrappers, but put the candy in their lunchboxes to eat at home later. This satisfies everyone. 4. Finally I bring around the large trash can and enough food to feed a family of four for a few days is thrown away. I salvage a few unopened containers, and consider taking some things to be my own lunch, but I figure I shouldn’t. However, some classes at the upper school encourage the kids to place untouched items on a table, and last weekend I brought home enough fixings for Dennis and I to have a pretty nice taco salad.

Laps: One of the teachers dealt with the problem of kids being too noisy in the hall by making the kids walk two laps around the playground before they were allowed to go and play. Later I heard another class asking their teacher if they were going to do laps around the playground. She said, no, they didn’t have to. They asked if they could please do them if they wanted to. 🙂

Overall, it was a very good day – I was thanked by many for being there to help (which is very nice and I understand it but I always think, “You do know that I am getting paid for this, right?” And the workload was important, but much easier than dealing with a whole class for a whole day.

Today was a great day.

I was in the 3rd grade class next door to the 4th grade class where I’ve been co-teaching for 8 days.
It was just me and 27 kids – and it went well. Of course, I had to re-direct them, and some activities took way longer than I thought they would. But the kids were pretty good, overall, and they responded well.

Oh, and I changed my name. I’ve been Mrs. B all the time I’ve been there, but there are two other Mrs. B’s in the building, so I told this class to call me Miss Sharon – it will be less confusing. Now – just to get the office staff to remember. 🙂

Besides doing math and reading and science and read aloud and a couple other things (and breaking up a few arguments), they seemed like a receptive group for me to do something I’ve been wanting to do all school year: teach them one of my favorite silly songs. It’s the Restaurant Song (or the Pizza Hut song) with names of restaurants and humorous motions and they LOVED it. I had two stanzas and I challenged them to write more, and one of the girls did – so we sang it at the end of the day and then we applauded the girl who came up with the new stanza. It sure was fun. Of course, the regular teacher might not like the song as much as I do . . . oh well!

“A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut (repeat)

Wendy’s, Wendy’s Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut (repeat)

A Burger King, a Burger King, Taco Bell and a Burger King (repeat)

McDonald’s, McDonald’s, Taco Bell and a Burger King (repeat)

Newest stanza:

A Subway, a Subway, Long John Silver’s and a  Subway (repeat)

Arby’s, Arby’s, Long John Silver’s and a Subway (repeat)”

If I knew how to use the video on my camera, I’d take one.

Most of the kids love to draw and to them, I am an outstanding artist.  🙂 If I’m still subbing next year after I have taken more Drawing classes, perhaps I can help them learn some techniques.

It was pure joy to see these kids walk quietly down the hallway to the computer lab, under Miss L’s direction.

Of course, it didn’t last – but she is systematic, firm, kind, experienced, and smart, and I think she is going to be an awesome teacher for them. She also didn’t have several of the troublemakers who were absent today.

I assisted in the morning and after 2 p.m. And from 11 until 2 I helped Miss L completely reorganize the room. I REALLY enjoy doing this sort of work. We moved about 5 bookcases and all the stuff on them, and I captured all the dust bunnies, moved books, sorted crayons and pencils, etc. We were barely ready when the kids returned from their field trip – there was still a lot to put away. The kids walked in and said, “Is this Room 114?” 🙂 After removing 2 unnecessary tables, there’s a little more space in the room, too.

The rest of the week I will be subbing in other classrooms at the same school. As for the writing project – the kids enjoyed it, it gave them a good project to work on, and Miss L will be able to see their writing capability right away. Nothing was ever typed up, but they can take care of that someday if they want to, I suppose.

It’s been interesting being in the same room for so long. I do like the familiarity, but I think I want to stick to regular subbing for now.