Subbing Career Over?

I've been looking for a new job working in a library, and I will have my second interview early next week. I don't want to jinx myself, but I am feeling good about it. Christmas vacation started for the school district today, so there is no more work until January---so if things go well, I have done my final day of subbing.

So how was my final day of subbing, it was a pretty usual day. Good times, mixed with bad times. I showed up at the school thinking I would be subbing for a first grade class, but ended up it was for a kindergarten class. I can't say it enough, kindergarteners are unlike any other students. I think they are cute and funny, but I can't stand teaching in a room of 20 of them. Sorry!

The teacher's lesson plans were crazy. She had me do centers with the students. This class had six different centers, so that means that six different groups of three to four kids are each working on separate things at the same time. Several of these centers were various art projects---by the time things were over, there was glitter glue in one boys hair, at least two bottles of glue spilled, scraps of paper everywhere, computers crashing, and who knows what else that I didn't know about. The class even had a instructional assistant to help me in the morning, and we still couldn't keep an eye on all the different things that were going on. Oh yeah, and at the same time I am supposed to be monitoring each of these other groups I am supposed to be teaching one group how to read. There is one positive thing for this much craziness, the day goes by really fast.

The students left for lunch and had recess, when we returned to the class I was expecting a instructional assistant again only to discover I only had her for the morning. I read them a story about ducks jumping in the water. The book is to teach basic addition facts, 1 duck on land + 4 ducks in the water = 5 ducks; every problem equals 5 ducks. We then had an art project that was supposed to go with the story, students were to write out a math problem, and then use stickers to illustrate their problem. So if I wrote 2 + 3 = 5, I would show one group of two stickers and one group of 3 stickers. This is all fine and dandy, but most of these kids haven't even learned to write their numbers properly, and secondly it is too much fun to stick your stickers on your nose or your friend's nose. By this point, I am looking at the clock every other minute to see if it is time to go home.

The next item on the schedule, snack time. I serve as the waiter for 20 impatient kids and serve them apple juice and cookies. Of course apple juice is being spilled, and everyone wants another cookie (but there are no more cookies). I squashed the revolt, but it was difficult.

Finally the end of the day comes. I am always very nervous about the end of the day, because I want all the kids to get home so I can go home. The problem is, I have to make certain that kids go when their bus is called. Then I have to let other kids go to their parents or theirs siblings when they come to pick them up. The problem is I don't know who these parents are, so I rely completely on faith that the parents are who they say they are.

And finally it is the end of the day. Even if I don't get the library job, at least I get a two week break from subbing. YEAH!

**Since I won't be subbing for the next few weeks, there probably won't be much on this blog until the beginning of the new year. I will keep you all posted on whether I will be switching jobs. But then again, is there anyone who actually reads this blog?**