I was able to sub yesterday in a fun classroom. I usually enjoy my working days. Although the classroom was fun, it was very noisy, there are lots of kids in it, so I felt like "shhh..." and "listen up" were my most used words. The kids were great though, so I won't complain.
The things I will complain about though are dorky parents and the lack of heat. My classroom never got above 60 degrees all day! Seriously! Since I wore a blazer, I decided I didn't need a jacket. Boy was I wrong. I let the students put on their outdoor sweatshirts and jackets, and how I wished I had one too. My fingertips were so cold all day and my nose was freezing too. I'm such a baby, unless it's 80+ degrees I wear long sleeves, so this temp did me in.
Another complaint: Parents! I'm a parent too, so don't think I've gone to the other side. This specific problem is with one parent. Her son is notoriously behind in class because he will not stop talking, ever! So he often has a lot of homework. Which should be expected since every teacher and sub since kindergarten has told her that her son talks A LOT! Anyway, yesterday she called the school and had my classroom paged while I was in the middle of a lesson. She needed to "ask" me a favor: Would I please keep her son in from his afternoon recess and make him do his homework. He was going to be busy all day after school and into the evening and she didn't feel like keeping him up late doing home work. Excuse me? I don't mind if a students has to stay in from recess. It gives me some one on one time with them and they get the extra help they need. BUT, I don't like that a parent would ask it of me just to prevent homework that day. Teachers do deserve a break for the bathroom now and then. This recess would have been my second one of the day~ at 1:45 p.m. and at that point using the bathroom was a necessity not a luxury.
My oath for the day: I will remember never to ask a teacher to keep my child in from recess just to prevent homework. Teachers need a break but even more than the teacher, students need a break.
Well, falling off the wagon into fall? I'm at a loss for a title today, and a topic I guess, so here are random bits of nonsense that are in our lives right now:
1. Cross Country meets will fill our time again tomorrow, but then we don't have a meet for another 9 days, and Hubby may be the only one able to watch Mr 17 run at that one. (5 hours away!)
2. Miss 14 leaves at 6 a.m. on Friday for a swim meet that is 6 hours away. I know, it sounds crazy to me too.
3. Miss 9's year at school is improving, but her teacher is still making rookie mistakes that are driving me crazy. Last week they had an election at school. Instead of doing it by secret ballot, Teacher has the election so that everyone knows how many votes each candidate got. Miss 9 ran for Class Representative, as did every single girl in the room. The students had to vote for 1 boy and 1 girl. Most girls got only 1 vote... and they know they got only 1 vote because Teacher let them see the results. So now most girls in the class are convinced that " no one likes me!" Sigh... secret ballots and no one's feelings are hurt. Make sense? I think so.
4. I am tired of having a headache and being ache-y, all the time, it's getting hard to just keep doing what I need to do.
5. Our lives today specifically are crazy. Here is just the short list:
2 sports practices lasting 2 hours + for 2 kids
1 CCD Banquet lasting 1.5 hours for 1 kid, 2 parents and 1 sibling who has no where else to go.
1 CC pasta feed for 1 kid
1 training session for Altar servers at the church for 1 kids
Driving from here to there, to here and to there for many parents/kids
As many hours of set up for a rummage sale at the private school as any parent available and possibly a child or two can fit in.
Errands including but not limited to: post office and several stores
Driving.. just driving, which is driving me crazy!
1 dessert to make for the CCD Banquet
1 couch to be loaded and taken to rummage sale set up
1 parent doing his full time job all day, leaving only one parent for all the driving, cooking, errands and set up
6. Then there is me just missing the time when I can sit and talk with my kids, about nothing. Between practices, homework, meal prep, eating and clean up, other extra curricular things the kids do, and my volunteer work I feel like we visit in only the 3 minute drives we take from here to there. Since Mr 17 has his license, I don't even have those 3 minutes with him anymore.
7. I'm tired of being a whiner. Note to self: STOP IT! Appreciate what you have and don't whine about what you don't!!
8. I ordered a new couch! Hoorah! I get to paint too, can't wait for the finished product.
