whatd 'ja do today???

I had my first sub. teaching job for this year. Though I actually wrote it down on my calendar about a month ago when I accepted the work, today was my first since public schools started back in early August. There was a call on our home phone, asking if I would take a job for a Kindergarten teacher, who had specifically requested me! Naturally I was so flattered that if she had asked me to climb the monkey bars, I am sure I would have said 'what time do you want me to be there?'

I think I might have been in her classroom at some point last year, when all the age-level teachers in the system were scrambling to find replacements for a day of workshop/training. And remember being in her room when there was not only a highly capable para-pro. who could competently, completely manage on her on - but there was also a student teacher who was doing her semester of 'practice', and pretty much ran the class. So If I Were A Jerk, I could have taken my book and sat in the corner all that day and got paid quite well. But under those circumstances, would not have expected to ever work again at that particular school.

I've been getting calls  more days than not, which I think is due to the fact that I had expressed willingness to accept para-pro. jobs as well as replacing certified teachers. And think that since being the para. pay about 2/3 of what teachers make, some of the absences by para.'s go unfilled. But due to an ongoing confluence of complications, I have not had a day completely free to be in a position to accept a position thus far.

This school has to be the best elementary one in the county. Every child in the school, at every grade level has to 'test' to get in. And I think there is nearly always a waiting list for slots, and have heard of parents requesting the opportunity for a child to test/possibly get in long before they are old enough for pre-K. I thought, that like the other magnet elementary schools, this one was also a neighborhood school, and the 'academy' part was sort of a school within a school, but in recent years, as the neighborhood students have aged out, it has become truly a magnet of high-achievers - even the ones I was with in Kindergarten today.

I was amazed at what those five-year olds could do, really impressive language skills, and taking their class work very seriously. With remarkably little horse-play, none of the reluctance to focus, and seat work done with practically no errors on any paper. I noticed that a large percentage of the student body appears to be from families of Asian or sub-continent descent, and think that the parents are the ones instilling discipline and a desire to do well from a very young age. I suspect that the remarkable experience I had today is equal parts Parental desire/discipline and well-experienced Teacher. I would go back in that classroom in a heart beat, and be as impressed by students abilities and desire to succeed all over again... not something I can say about most of the classrooms in Muscogee County schools.