February 1, 2008
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Bound to happen, sooner or later
I’ve been lucky so far. One of the reasons I don’t care for subbing is that you’re in a whole bunch of different classes and none of them do things the way you would. Part of being a good sub is being flexible and able to work within the teacher’s existing environment. However, sometimes there are just some classes that aren’t going to behave, no matter tricks or tips you have up your sleeve. Thursday I subbed for 2 different classes – a first grade class in the morning. They were wonderful, well behaved, friendly, a little chatty but over all a great group. Afternoon, second grade – class of 20, 14 of which are boys. That’s right, 14 boys! Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not sexist, but let’s face it, generally speaking, boys are more active than girls, more apt to misbehave, and more likely to need redirection and individual attention. I love boys. Always have. I’m not the teacher who favors the well behaved smart little girl in the back row. Nope, I tend to get attached to the bad boys, the ones who are smart alecs, constantly in trouble and rarely doing what they ought to. Don’t ask me why, just thank the heavens that this predilection did not carry over into my attraction to men! (OK, it did a little, but I ended up making smart choices – remind me to tell you about that some time, it’s really interesting) — back to the class.
So here I am, predisposed to like bad boys, stuck in a room with 14 boys, half of them fitting my bad boy model. You know what? One bad boy is fun and likable. 7 bad boys is just a headache in the making! The first grade teacher I subbed for came over after school to book some sub days with me and told me that the teacher for that class is at her wits end this year. She’s tried everything, and I can attest, she is doing all the “right” things in terms of behavior management, but to no avail. Bless her heart. Those are the years that teachers dread. And we just hope against hope that we only get one year like that at a time — because believe me, when you get two or more years like that you start to reevaluate your career and life choices – he he he.
Now, just to clear up some things, we no longer live in Maui. We now reside in beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico – The Duke City in the Land of Enchantment. We love having four seasons, no humidity, no fleas, roaches, centipedes, mice and various other asundries of bugs and rodents. We love being close to family, having four seasons, and the lower cost of living. That being said – we are all incredibly homesick or should I say island sick this month. I think it’s because right now, is the height of whale season, and all the tourists are gone. It’s raining upcountry, but that means that just about everything is blooming or getting ready to bloom. Right now I would do just about anything for a day of snorkeling and whale watching. :sigh:That being said, I’ve decide to spend some time out this weekend with my cameras and try to capture some of the beauty of our area. This will (I think) tie in nicely with the new featured grownups topic. When all is said and done I also hope to revamp the site in order to present a more accurate picture of my current life.
Alright, I’m off like a herd of turtles…..
Question of the day:
Do you ever regret your life choices?
Comments (17)
if you had asked me that earlier today, I would have said yes, but in reality no I don’t. All the choices I made, some as stupid as they were have made me the woman I am today. Not all may like me or agree with me. I still am who I am and it’s who I’m supposed to be.
Sometimes. But usually, only for a fleeting moment. After all, who knows what other decisions would have wrought?
Looking forward to seeing those pictures. I wish it was a better time of year for photos here, because the thing I would like to blog about is not really accessible now!
I think we all have at some point………just keep smiling………hugs.
Considering I have two boys and understand the headaches I hear ya.
I can’t imagine having to manage several naughty boys in a class! I would be missing the Islands too if I were you! Hopefully, you can get back in the future to visit. I’d love to go anywhere warm right about now! February and March are the slowest months of all. Cold, snowy, more cold. It just gets tiresome after awhile.
Fourteen boys, be very glade they were not 8th graders!
:hammer:
Do you ever regret your life choices?
When I was young yes! Now I see they have made me a more rounded person.
I am TOTALLY with you on how a class of stinkers can make you re-evaluate your career choice. A bad mix of personalities just sap all of your energy, not to mention sanity. I have had a few classes like that. One group even pushed me to start mailing out resumes. lol
In response to your question, there have been a few things that I have done that I sometimes wish I could take back. But would it have really changed much if I could? Probably not. And I learned some things about myself, and others. And because of where my life is at this point, I wouldn’t want to take any chances on changing my course, and lose what is happening to me now. I am happier than I have ever been.
I had 3 great days at the high school this week. I only wrote one referral for the kid who kept calling me a B****. This next week I am not really working except on Tuesday. Maybe if you are not working we can spend Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morningish shooting pics around town. Are you planning on joining us at book club on the 16th? Let me know.
Sounds like a doozy of a day.
Sorry to make you island sick with my post. They had an annual whale watch count happening on Saturday the 26th while we were there which would have been so cool to participate in, but we had reservations at the PCC that day. I can only imagine how impressive and exciting the whales must be!!
QOTD: I don’t regret any of my life choices. In hindsight I feel pretty blessed to be able to look at my choices and their outcomes and see how they’ve shaped me and my life. Sometimes for the good and sometimes not so good, but always beneficial in helping me become who I am now.
Interesting post… My oldest daughter went to a private school against my wishes. (I wanted to homeschool…hubby thought I was nuts!) Anyway, her kindergarden class had 30 students and only 6 were girls. The teacher was going through menopause that year, and told us that particular class had 4 boys on ridilyn and she couldn’t take the class any further than she could take those boys. The school finally got her an aide, but it still wasn’t enough.
Hubby agreed to let me homeschool at semester and was the biggest fan of homeschooling from our experience of what happened in that classroom. I still feel so bad for that teacher. The next year 11 children from that same classroom was homeschooling. I think I can imagine your day in a classroom like what you subbed for. Parents still talk about that class and that was 18 years ago.
You are just gettting quite a bit of varied experience from subbing aren’t you?
Thank you so much. Reading your comment made me feel so much better. Knowing that I’m not losing my mind or my grip on reality by realizing there are others out there that have walked in my shoes has given me renewed strength. I went out yesterday and spent the day with a close friend where we both talked about it in depth. It felt good getting some things out in the open and cry about it and know that she understood me. Knowing that you understand me also made me able to feel much better today. I feel lighter. I’m going to look for that work book. I’m looking for someone to talk to once a week. At least this is coming out at the beginning of the planning process instead of when I get to the “i’m gonna pull my hair out” part.
Thank you again so much.
Off like a herd of turtles–HA HA HA!
I regret choices I’ve made, but I’m happy with my life. Is that the same thing? I question what life would have been like if I had chosen differently, but since I’m pretty content with my little world, I don’t know that I’d change things.
yes, I have regrets. But I can’t go back and change them so I don’t discuss them. Some are painful and others lead to playing that “What-if” game.I have a great life and maybe, some of those hard choices enabled me to be where I am today. I grew from the pain. God has a plan-let’s fallow that plan. BTW: I have friends in ALB. who used to live in Hawaii- Is there some sort of connection? Such opposing places. emlee
sigh. snorkling and whale watching. I’m right there with you, sweetie!
There are moments in just about every day that I question the choices I’ve made in life, but fortunately, those moments are fleeting. I think it is human nature to wish for something better/less stressful when we are in the midst of a stress event (and we all know how many stress events toddlers and teens are capable of creating.)
i would love to see whales in the ocean. that’s something i’ve never done before. i rarely see the ocean though so that’s why.
Good luck with those boys, especially if you ever have to go back to the class. I have a doozy of a situation in Ashley’s 1st grade class, I should probe your mind to see how you would handle it. Anyway, about your being island sick, if you haven’t already, take a trip on over to Angie’s site, she’s got lots of pics of her trip to Hawaii last week. It’s a must read. LOL! No, I don’t think I have ever regretted any of my Life Choices.