I did my first bit of substitute teaching today. It was at Honey Creek for a K/1 classroom. For those of you not in the know, each class has split grades (e.g. K/1, 2/3, 4/5 and middle school). Little kids are difficult sometimes. I can't wait to sub the middle schoolers and high schoolers.
The one thing I did like about the younger age group was that if I raised my voice just a little bit they would quickly quiet down and listen to me.
The first half of the day went well. I had no idea what I was doing but many teachers poked a head in and told me that if I needed help they would gladly give it to me. I really appreciated that. Especially since I needed to call on one of them later in the day.
I knew half of the kids from my time at aftercare, which I'm sure helped. Most of the kids I didn't know I barely had to speak to. The more structured times of the day seemed to work best. They all complained about doing work, but they all seemed content to do it.
At lunch a child, LK, showed up. If you know who I'm referring to you may know that the day did not continue on its smooth course.
After my relaxing lunch I went to pick up the kids from recess. Right away LK was creating trouble. TH was supposed to be the caboose of the line but LK would not let him be at the end. He just kept circling around TH. I already knew I was in for a trip. When we arrived back in class things seemed to be fine. Word Study (structured) went smoothly. However, when Free Choice Time (extremely unstructured) came around things went to Hell.
LK kicked things other children had built, almost got into fisticuffs with another student and just ran out of class. I employed the help of Jeanie, the instructional assistant next door. Without her I may have gone nuts.
With LK out of the room I was able to restore order and finish the day without too much of a problem. TH tried to kiss girls and would not keep his hands to himself, so he finished most of the rest of the day in timeout. Timeout is the greatest invention. Ever. I hate to say it but I was getting a real kick out of disciplining the children. Nothing is better than wielding the awesome power of timeout. Also, I've been told, being a male instantly strikes fear into the hearts of children. I will admit to seeing a look of "I just shit myself" when I raised my voice and got stern with the kids.
I worked aftercare after the subbing and I must say I think I enjoy it a bit more. Recess is my favorite part of the day and aftercare is one big recess.
I started reading a book called "Fairest" by Gail Carson Levine (she wrote "Ella Enchanted") at the suggestion of a camper, NK. This girl is reading at least three books at a time. I told her I would read a book at the same time as her and we could talk about it. She seemed genuinely excited to do this project with me. She even reminded me last week to get the book. I enjoy being friends with these kids and I think by doing so I'm making them happy and turning them into better people. Of course, my influence probably doesn't go anywhere near that far, but I'd like to think so.
As I was leaving I was given a hug by NK. It threw me for a loop at first, but I was pretty tickled with the experience. It was nicer than being hugged by a little kid because they seem to hug everyone. Coming from an older kid it was a genuine act of, for lack of a better word, affection.
Also, last weekend I went up north to a friend's cabin in Millersburg, MI. It was pretty great. Since it was fairly cold we ended up watching five Arnold Schwarzenegger movies over the course of three nights. Arnold has been in some of the greatest movies. T2 and Total Recall are must-see fare.
On the way up my buddy's GPS unit told us to go down what we later dubbed Serial Killer Alley. It was the single-most scary event of my life. I really thought we were going to killed by either a deer or a serial killer. I had never experienced total blackness like I experienced in Millersburg. While driving down Serial Killer Alley, which is about 15 miles of ATV trails posing as roads, we both freaked out to the point of just driving in silence. Each turn was a blind turn and we could not see past the brush/trees on either side of the car. The stupid GPS even told us to turn down a road that did not exist. I truly thought I would shit myself. As we slowly made the turn we realized that there was no road and we could have ended up in a ditch or worse.
We left the same way on Sunday during daylight hours. We just had to see what it really looked like. I now realize I was acting like a complete idiot to be so scared.
We also made a trip to the Ocqueoc Falls, just north of Millersburg. They weren't super spectacular, but they were definitely nice to look at and they provided us with an hour and a half adventure of following a pseudo-trail along the river.
And Onaway, MI was dubbed, by us, America. It is America personified.
All in all, I've had a fairly eventful four days.
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2 comments:
it's too bad you can't give them a little smack on the butt....you might not have a job if you did that though...
you just love kids! remember at our weekly dinners at the GDC when you talked about how much you hate children and couldn't even imagine working with them? Oh, if only your former self could see you now!
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