the almost awfulest...

...experience in a classroom as a substitute happened today. Not quite the most worst, as I am still convinced that happened last fall, but this one runs it a close second. I was actually a replacement for the teacher's aide. In a pre-K class. How bad could that possibly be? Well, it was almost the worst, but not quite. Only because I did not think I needed to go home, and give up at 10:30, like I did when I was so overwhelmed and bamboozled by the third graders last year.

The person I was working with: I told her she was going to have a lot of stars in her crown. And this was after I had been in the classroom less than an hour. I came in and put my lunch box and jacket down and told her I would do anything she told me to, whatever I could to help, but she would need to give me some direction. And in an hours' time, seeing how disruptive and disrespectful those four and five year olds were, I began to wonder, as usual, 'what was I thinking?'

There were not more than fifteen children in the room, though it is hard to say with any certainty, as they were in constant motion, and as hard to count as chickens in the barnyard. Several were from Latino families and came into the classroom not speaking any English when school started in August. Fortunately the regular para-pro. does speak Spanish so was able to help both the students and the teacher to communicate. And several more, mostly males, obviously have some behavior issues that will need to be addressed before they will have success in a classroom setting.

Making me So Very Thankful for my family. For adult children who are capable, independent, smart, highly motivated, compassionate, fully functioning productive members of society. And especially thankful for the fact that they are decent respectful human beings. Plus all those teachers who devote their days and weeks and years to trying to instill knowledge in heads that can be very resistant and reluctant to instruction, the process of learning, growing, maturing to be ready to make their way in the world.