Hello Pen pal. I am going to try to keep this entry as short as possible; I have a lot of work to do. Last week was a fairly easy week (relatively speaking), so that was why I did not post a blog entry for several days. Basically, it was more of the same. On Thursday things started to change. I was assigned the S.A.V.E. room. I was given 3 boys from a third grade class, and 1 boy from a fifth grade class. All were low performers (academically speaking). One boy seemed to be starving for attention. He just seemed unable to stop talking for most of the day. He would also get the fifth grader to chase him around the room. Even when the fifth grader would threaten to punch the boy in the face, the boy would dare him. Once the fifth grade gave chase, the 3rd grader would be so happy running. Occasionally, the 3rd grader -- with his elbows tucked in at his sides) would start flapping his hands like a little bird, running and jumping like he was trying to fly. All the while, he would have the biggest grin on his face because he was being chased.

Also, another side note. During the trip to the bathroom (students in the S.A.V.E.[school detention] program are not allowed to leave the room unsupervised. The boys were having a conversation about their birthdays. One of the boys mentioned that his older brother went to prison (the day before) for stealing an ipod. They laughed and joked. I just thought that it was sad. Anyway…

On Thursday, I arrived to school at 8:18. Usually I like to arrive earlier (around 8:00am). The night before, I did about 20 minutes on my rowing machine. Thursday was the first time in about a week I was using my rowing machine. Before that, my knees were feeling a little sore…I think I might have over did the exercising. Anyway, I really wanted to exercise because I usually put it off and before you know it, summer will have come and gone. Sorry, I am getting sidetracked.

I arrived to school on Friday morning about 10 minutes early. I was expecting to be in the S.A.V.E. room (no preparation needed), but instead, I was asked to cover a 5th grade class, actually, one of the worst classes (if not thee worst) class in the school. Then, when I was able to remove the look of shock, fear, and dread from my face, the assistant principal drops another bomb. She tells me that she would like me to cover the class for today, and all of next week. And my preparation period was at the end of the day.

Later, I discovered that the teacher quit!

A bit shocked. A bit surprised. Yes. However, I should have been looking at the warning signs:

About a week ago, an administration asked about my future availability. Usually, a simple “what days (or weeks) are you available” question would be asked. Last week, the administrator wrote down everything I’d said.

A couple of weeks ago there was a faculty meeting in the teacher’s lounge. Usually, I just sit in the corner with my pile of worksheets. Since I am a sub, there is usually nothing in the faculty meeting that relates to me. I come to school, I babysit a class (or classes) then I leave for the day. The meetings are usually about school policy changes, paperwork etc… The last meeting, I was asked to sit in on the meeting -- and I was given a copy of everything the other teacher’s received. What does a substitute teacher need with a “do not disturb sign” for a standardized test that I would not be administering? Anyway, the kids were wild and out of control. Instead of writing anecdotes about the chaos, I just used my digital camera to take photos of the students not working. In total, I ended up taking 101 photos. When I finish with this blog entry, I am going to the drugstore to have them develop. I told the kids that I would be speaking with each and every parent, and offer the photos to any parent that wanted to see how their child behaved in school. Did I call? No. Why?

After spending the day (on a couple of occasions) to tell me not to tell the students anything about their teacher not returning (with the assumption that I knew anything), I was told that during last period (my preparation period) while the students were in the gym, the administrator came to tell the students that their teacher would not return to school.

When I came into the gymnasium, almost all of the students were crying. To be honest, I’d thought that the gym teacher hit the students. It turns out (as I just mentioned above) they were crying because they “wanted their teacher back”. Personally, I just think they just did not want me to be their new teacher. Although, anyone who knows me knows that I am basically as soft as a jellyfish, when it comes to teaching, I usually (try to) provide a structured, organized classroom, something I don’t think those kids were used to. It took me about 3 hours just to tackle the teacher’s desk, find the teacher’s textbooks, and put the classroom in reasonably presentable condition for next week. There were piles on top of piles of the teacher’s materials in various places around the room. I ended up taking home about 15 (or 20) pounds of the teacher’s books so that I could plan my lessons for next week; I felt like a pack mule.

Oh, I almost forgot to answer the question about calling parents. Since the kids were going home (in tears) with a letter stating that their teacher would not be returning, I did not think I would have gotten much support from parents if I complained about the behavior of their child. Ja mata…