They Remembered!

Yes, they remembered that there are 3 feet in a yard! Well, some of them did. Some also remembered that there are 36 inches in a yard! I am a fabulous teacher.

My day went pretty well today. Nobody hid in the corner like yesterday (a relatively minor problem from yesterday, but nice to not even deal with it today). My biggest problems were one kid who fell at recess and cried, and another kid who apparently was yelled at at recess (the one I didn't have duty during), and came back in crying about that and the fact that the other kids were cheating. Really, I think half of the problem was that this kid is a bit bossy and was probably telling everyone how to do everything and they got fed up.

Nobody appreciates a bossy person - not even in 2nd grade.

But we still took a couple minutes to talk about following the rules and how nobody wants to play with a cheater. Ya know, sometimes my job as a substitute is to just appease everybody.

1 Yard = 3 Feet

This is the wisdom I have imparted today.

My afternoon in 2nd grade consisted of computer lab time, math (1 yard = 3 feet), taking class to PE, and read aloud. The math was our biggest project. We measured out 24 feet of the hallway in feet. Then we measure it in yards. And hopefully they went home remembering that there are 3 feet in a yard!

Tomorrow I go back and will see if my passed-on wisdom has be retained. :)

I Don't Recall Ordering a New Class

Today was bizarre.

The morning was great. The kids were excited to see me, and we had an enjoyable short assembly (we danced to a Hannah Montana song), then they did their work without much complaint, and everything was just going swimmingly.

Then, they came back from lunch recess. And it was all downhill from there. They were loud and they didn't listen, and they just were obnoxious! I was happy to be rid of them.

How is it that lunch can turn a nice class into a bratty one?

Too Much Writing

Equals crazy kindergarteners.

I subbed this morning for a bilingual kindergarten and pretty much all we did was writing. The kids were sick of it, the IA and I were sick of it and it was just crazy.

The kids were wound up too, so that didn't help. They started the morning by having to entertain themselves by looking at books. This was what the teacher asked us to do, and I'm not sure if they do it often, but they sure were not well behaved during that time. I had to constantly redirect kids. When it was finally time for class to start we did calendar and I read a story, and they did pretty good for this.

However, the next things we had to do were dictation and another writing task which required them to copy 3 sentences. They were loud, out of their seats, off task, and generally slow to get going. It was not fun.

Finally we finished (it was a miracle, I tell you) and they got to read with their third grade buddies. For this, they actually were quiet. It was amazing.

Differing Opinions

Today was a fairly pleasant day with a nice group of kids. I thought they were well behaved. However, the assistant didn't think so. She interrupted the class a few times to nail kids for being apparently out of place, or for being "too loud". Funny, I wasn't bothered by either of those things.

It is frustrating when someone wants to take over the direction of the class from you. Obviously I am a different teacher than the teacher I am subbing for. And I am a sub and must pick my battles. It is nice when the other adults will just let you direct they class the way you want and let it go. Today was not such a day. Oh well.

Bowling!

Today turned out to be a pretty interesting day after all. I didn't get called this morning until around 7:40 for a job that started at 8. Thankfully it was a school close by and it didn't take me long to get ready. It was also only for the morning, so I didn't need to pack a lunch (or so I thought!).

Anyways, I get to school, walk down to the 5th grade room I was subbing in and find out that the 4th and 5th graders are going on a field trip this morning to Town and Country Lanes in Keizer to go bowling! And by the time we get back it will be lunch time and then time for me to go home! So I wait around doing nothing for about a half hour until the kids got there. Then I passed out name tags that told the kids what lane they were assigned to and what order they went in with the other 3 or 4 kids in their lane. Then I took attendance and we lined up and got on the buses. Twenty minute bus ride later and we are at the bowling alley. The kids all went right to their lanes and started bowling. The PE teacher went around to the lanes and made sure the kids all knew what they were doing. The teachers stood around and watched. There were also a gazillion parents there to watch their kids, so basically I stood around for 2 hours and watched bowling. Easy, but not the most thrilling. The bowling alley turned on the black lights and disco balls for the kids, which was very exciting for them, and made me glow like a stinkin' beacon because I had happened to choose to wear a white jacket that morning!

Anyways, eventually we headed back to school, and after a short game of Mad Libs, I took the class to lunch and supervised them because I had lunch duty. While I was in the lunch room one of the 4th grade teachers came in and said she wasn't feeling well and asked if I wanted to take her class for the afternoon. I agreed, but it did make my lunch time a bit crazy. After duty I had to take the bag of kids' meds back to the office (we had to have them on us for the field trip), then I had to go back downstairs and get my purse and sub bag which were still in the room. Then I went up to the 4th grade room so the teacher could show me a couple things before she left. Then I had to go buy a lunch and eat it in about 5 minutes - not even exaggerating. Thankfully, after I picked the class up from recess the counselor came in to give a lesson so I actually had time to finish my lunch.

The rest of the day consisted of math, read aloud and independent work time. Then we had a birthday party complete with donuts, after which I promptly sent them home! :)

Pants on the Ground

Oh lovely day! A classroom sing-along, adoring fans of all ages - it was quite pleasant.

I was greeted this morning by the excited hellos of many students who sometime in previous years decided they like me. Many of them had to tell me just how they remembered me. Some just wanted to follow me around. It was fun - always nice to be remembered fondly.

After everyone had settled down and right before we did attendance, one of the boys asked me if I watched American Idol. I response I sang, "Pants on the ground, pants on the ground..." to which he replied, "Lookin' like a foo' with your pants on the ground!". Then, since I'm the mature teacher, I added, "Gold in your mouth..." Which he continued with, "Hat turned sideways..." and then I sang, "Then your pants hit the ground!" By this point many other students had tuned into our "conversation" and joined it with us for another stab at the main line, "Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin' like a foo' with your pants on the ground!". It was quite hilarious. And if you don't get it - go search "Pants on the Ground" on YouTube and watch the video of General Larry Platt singing it on Idol.

Later in the day the principal came in to give me some notes to pass out at the end of the day. She stopped to talk to one of the more rambunctious boys of the class, and told him to be good today because I was their school's best guest teacher. Now if only someday "best guest teacher" would equal - "you're hired." I still dream. :)

The Mitten

Today I subbed in the morning for a first grade. We did a lot of stuff based on the story "The Mitten". Earlier in the week they'd read the Jan Brett version. I read another version with them and we talked about similarities and differences. Then they colored their own mini-book of the same story. I was a great help with stapling pages together. :)

Not much else to report on. Still trying to contain my cough during the day so I don't freak out anyone within earshot.

Mostly Art

Today I worked in the morning in the LRC (Learning Resource Center). It the room where some kids who need extra help in reading or math go to get more one-on-one attention. There are about 4 teachers or aides in the room most times, and they have scheduled groups of kids.

Today I worked with 4 students - each at a separate time. The first worked on handwriting and sight words. The second worked on reading and reading comprehension. The third worked on social skills (she drew for the first half and then we chatted about what she was good at), and the fourth was working on reading. After I was done with all my groups, I had about an hour of time to kill before I was supposed to leave. I ended up going across the hall to one of the first grade teachers and asking her if she needed anything. She had me color some phonics wheels for her to use as samples. One was of a van and had a cut out to show the words "van", "fan", "can", "man", and "pan". The other one was a cat that showed "cat", "hat", "mat", bat", and "rat".

Feeling Better

Well, after a week off, partially because of a lack of calls and partially because of being home sick with a sinus infection, today I am back to work! I'm finally starting to feel a little better even though I'm coughing a lot - it's most set off when I talk too much, or walk any distance.

I actually went back to the same class today that I subbed for last week. They were a little less enjoyable today. I had quite a few little children that were squirmy, loud or rude. However, once again I had a hour prep at the end of the day, so that helped me survive. :)

Injury Forecast

Today was my first day back to school after Christmas break and it went pretty well. For the most part the kids were good - sometimes better than I expected them to be. A bit whiny and prone to tattling later in the day, but I had an hour prep, so that made up for it.

And thank you to a 1st grade boy who provides me with today's story:

When we were doing calendar one girl raised her hand and showed me that she was bleeding on her finger. I told her to hang on just a second, and I'd get her a band-aid. Before I could do that though, a boy up front raised his hand. I called on him to see what was up and he said, "Miss Barnes, I think I'm going to be bleeding right here (points to back of neck) sometime today 'cuz I have a bug bite, so I might need a band-aid then too." Trying to hold back my laughter I told him we'd worry about that if it happened. He smiled and said enthusiastically, "OK!" He ended up not needing one though. :)