The Substitute

Okay, So maybe blogging wasn't the best thing for me to start up! It takes me months and months to write a single blog! These last few months have been pretty busy and I'll get into it all in the next few blogs--it's going to take a few!

One thing I have been doing over the last year is substitute teaching. Its much different then regular teaching. No lesson planning, no paper grading, no staff meetings, no parent/teacher conferences, etc. After four years of having to do everything, it was quite refreshing! Plus, you got to see many different classrooms and see how different teachers run their classrooms. You get to meet many different kids of all ages.

I did most of my substituting in the same district. I pretty much rotated between four elementary schools. One of the schools was a special education school. I was their ALOT because it's so hard for them to find substitutes. What a joy to work with these kids. Kids with all sorts of disabilities of all ages attend this school. I was a little nervous at the beginning, but once I got going and got to know the kids and staff, it really was a joy to go and be with these kids for a day. They are very loving and accepting of everyone. I enjoyed it alot and learned so much about disabilities and special education. This school also has off site classrooms around the district for kids who aren't as severe. Another school I was at quite a bit was for one of these off site classrooms. It was neat to see how the kids interacted with other kids and how they were mainstreamed into a "regular" classroom setting.

There were two other elementary schools I was at pretty regularly. It was neat to be able to get to know some of the kids. They have pretty good memories and it's neat to be able to talk to some of them in the hallway or the cafeteria after you've subbed in their classroom. There was one class that I became the regular sub. for. I was in there five or six times over the year and they became "my kids".

I will be subbing again next year. I would like to continue on in this same district, but I am moving and it will be a longer commute to the schools. With the gas prices as they are, I'm not sure it's the best thing. I'll have to see how it goes. I will be starting over in a new district and it's going to be a whole new system to learn. But, I'm sure the Lord will provide!