Week thirteen of knocked-up-ed-ness has been fairly uneventful, which, all in all, is a good thing. I’ve made my return to the outside-of-the-home workforce: substitute teaching at the school in which I once taught. The school is divided into a high school and elementary school campus, and I am, for all intensive purposes (yes, I know that’s not the expression, but I think it’s funny when people get it wrong) a HIGH SCHOOL teacher. I communicate with sarcasm, I don’t know what to do with small children all clambering for my attention, and I never really know how much primary school kids are supposed to know at any given level. However, I have found myself at the helm of a Grade 2 class that is thankfully oblivious to the fact that I haven’t got the faintest idea what I’m doing. Rather than taking advantage of the situation as I’m accustomed to high school students doing, these Grade 2s just think I’m generously giving them the chance to boss me around!
The problems I’ve run into today (as I enjoy my “prep period” in which, gloriously, there is nothing to prep) are that I find small children all look alike, so I’m having a heck of a time with names; I’ve eaten my snack and my second breakfast and only have two pieces of pizza to get me through the rest of the day; my printing is apparently too fancy and I got into an argument about my “L” looking too much like a lower-case “H,” twice; I don’t know what to do say when a child tells me they wish they were a monkey aside from “I hope your wish comes true,” and the lesson plan for after lunch has me singing songs for which I do not know the tune, nor the words.
Honestly, it’s an awesome day: Grade 2s are great! They’re not mean or apathetic, they aren’t trying to trick me (unless they are, and they’re so good at it that I am unaware) and their favourite thing about me seems to be that I’m tall. Although I agreed to return to subbing somewhat begrudgingly (my husband insisted I needed to get out of the house), like with most things he encourages me to do, I’m glad I took the leap.
I know at the end of the day I will be exhausted, but I’m just subbing today and tomorrow, then I can go back to my pajama-wearing, Mommy Blogging hibernation!
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