no news is good news

...and by that I don't mean that there's no good news! Just that the lack of posts here is because I've been working. A lot, actually. I just finished week two of a long term substitute job which is likely to last through the fall and could go longer than that. I'm starting the year for a kindergarten teacher who dropped her motorcycle in July and can't work yet. Though of course this is bad news for her, it's great for me. I'm learning a lot, working in an almost-mine classroom, and not stressing about the paycheck for now! Plus, it's at my kids' school, so I get to walk to work with the girls in the morning and see them a lot more during the day than I would otherwise.

Kindergarten is a wild experience. The kids came in in groups of six or so Monday through Thursday last week, and Friday was the first For Real day of school for them. It's amazing: I'm already able to assess a lot of their abilities and even personalities. Some are shy and just haven't warmed up yet, but others are already wild and crazy. Quite a few can't write a single letter, or write completely backwards. One obviously bright girl has serious stamina and perseverance issues. As in, she has none. Her inability to stay interested and on-task longer than it takes to write her Aa once or twice screams "TV watcher". Then there's the over-sharing, both from kids and parents. I've already heard all about a mother who was in jail, a father who's never around, a pit bull, unexpected pregnancy (that mom is 23 and already has four kids, with #5 on the way). The non-English speakers, the criers, the mommy-missers, the hypoglycemics and breakfast-skippers. I came home tired on Friday. Next week we're focusing on writing our names and identifying colors in English and espanol. Fortunately, the classroom came equipped with a number of books in Spanish, so I've been able to read a few to certain kids. This helps them feel more comfortable.

All in all, I'm loving the job. Since actual open teaching positions were few and far between this year, subbing is great and this gig is great great great. I love the school and I feel like I'm actually contributing to my community by being there.