On Monday, I start taking over the classroom for three weeks. The only thing I'm really struggling with is what to do for our Writing Workshop. I can't think of a topic for the kids to write about. Otherwise, it'll go well, I'm sure.
As for an update on the LAST three weeks or however long I've been away, here goes nothing.
We did owl pellets the next Monday, when I substituted for my teacher, and one of my girls passed out because she wasn't feeling well and hit her head on the table leg. She was gone for the rest of the day, but back the next day with a big red mark on her eyelid.
I started teaching Science, which is a subject I will teach each lesson in twice; once to my kids, and once to another teacher's kids, as my kids go up to her classroom for Social Studies.
We've begun multiplication, and so far, they've done really well in it. Better, in fact, than they did in subtracting three-digit numbers and borrowing.
Last Monday I was also substituting for my teacher, and one of my boys fell on the playground and broke his arm right above his elbow. He has pins in his arm that are exposed right now, and can't come to school until they put a cast on it. That'll be in another three weeks. So that's just great. We have to come up with LOTS of homework for him because he's so talented, he'd get the regular assignments done in a snap.
My teacher jokes that whenever she wants one of her students knocked off, I just have to sub for her, and she told all the other 4th grade teachers that if they wanted to get rid of a kid, just have me sub for them. Pfft. The kids mostly came out okay!
I was in yet again for my teacher THIS Monday, as she has laryngitis and couldn't speak at all that day. No one got hurt that day, though.
Tuesday was our Halloween party, with games in the upper gym for an hour and a half, lunch, and then the party at the end of the day in the classroom. It was so much fun, and the kids were all really well behaved.
On Wednesday, a kid came to me after getting a drink and said, "Someone spilled something on the wall out in the hallway. I noticed it when I was getting a drink." So I went out to look, and on the wall in the corner was something pink that looked like Silly String. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a paintball that had been broken open against the wall and was dripping down the wall. "That's weird, the paint is still really fresh. This must have just happened," I said to him. "Well, I don't have a paintball gun or anything like that," he says. "I wasn't suggesting that you did, but thank you for telling me about it." and I went to find the custodian so it could get cleaned up before the paint dried.
Turns out it was that kid who threw the paintball because he was mad at the teacher. He go In School Suspension (ISS) for all of Thursday, and we didn't have to see him all day. That was rather nice. However, he was right back at it on Friday, taking out a handheld video game at the beginning of class and not paying attention. That was taken away from him. And then he got into a knock-down, drag-out fight on the playground during morning recess, and spent the rest of the day in ISS. *sigh* When will they learn?
So that has been my last three weeks, give or take a few stories. Life is going well at the player's club desk. I've finally gotten comfortable speaking over the intercom system to announce winners and calling people up to the desk, and the other girl finally got her support license, so she can hand out prize money and pick winners out of the barrel. Having my days changed to just working three a week has been wonderful and very helpful when it comes to student teaching, and I'm so glad I pushed so hard to get it taken care of. My new manager is pretty cool, and he's only a year older than me, so he's easy to get along with and joke around with, too.
I'm nervous to start my three weeks as the main teacher in the classroom, but everyone says I will do fine. I just have to get my stuff organized and figure out what I'm going to be doing for each week, is all. Next week we're only in school for three days, then a full week the week after that, and then three days for the week of Thanksgiving, so I will actually do four weeks in the classroom, as I have to have 15 consecutive days as the main teacher. Not a big deal, though. Those four-day weekends will help out in planning!
So there ya have it. An update! Don't expect another one until December because I really don't think I'm going to have the time, sorry!
