Lessons Learned

 When I woke up today with an aching back that required an excess amount of Ibuprofen to be subdued, I should have taken that as a signal of what was to come. But I didn't. Maybe even the sore jaw from getting 3 cavities filled yesterday or the fact that my monthly curse was still cursing me should have clued me in. But nope. I was still excited to sub in a 5th grade class because I love 5th graders!


Even in the beginning I was feeling good about this sub job. We had an awesome assembly with author Obert Skye (of Leven Thumps series) and at the assembly I saw a ton of my students from when I taught second grade. So neat to see them all grown up and now sixth graders. A good day! Right...?



http://www.abituneven.com/leven-thumps-and-the-gateway-to-foo/


But then there was kickball. Oh, kickball. The teacher had on his plans for us to play kickball since they had no specials. This was all fine and dandy until a child with anger issues decided to throw the ball over the fence and into the parking lot. But we were able to safely retrieve it thanks to someone walking by. However, the other students were still feeling upset with this child and they voiced those feelings loudly. 






Their frustrations only served to further anger this child. He then decided to make a mad dash to the opposite end of the playground, scale the fence like a monkey and plop down on the other side of the gate, off school grounds and right next to a street. I panicked, I ran and then I desperately begged that child to come back. I was a lonely, only with no walkie talkie to contact for help and terrified that this kid was going  dash into the street or get kidnapped, or.... Thankfully I was able to persuade him to climb back over. Disaster averted. 


Sadly there had to be one more blemish in my day and it was due to my own stupidity.  It's never a good idea to break rules so when I allowed the students to listen to their I-Pods I should have expected what followed seeing how electronics are banned from this school. It's just I figured their chattiness would easily be cured with headphones in their ears and that maybe they would actually get some more work done. And honestly, it was working like a charm. The students got quieter and they got down to business. It was fabulous...until the principal walked in.





I was busted. And what's worse is I used to work at this school and she used to be my boss and she was never very nice to me anyways...So I got reprimanded. I felt embarrassed, the students increased in volume again and I had to tattle on myself in a note to the teacher. Ugh. What makes it worse? I know this teacher. What makes it even worse? This has been by far the school that I get requested to sub at the most. So I am both worried about having to see the principal and this teacher again and on the same side worried that I won't because the requests might diminish after these fiascoes.


So kids there you have it, don't anger a child that can scale a gate and it never pays to break the rules. Two great lessons I learned today.