What I Like About You

When I was applying to college a few years ago you know how they ask you about your whole life and your extracurricular activities. At the time I felt like I had a hard time coming up with a lot of things but being back around children who are involved in activities and discovering their talents reminds me of all of the things I have done in my life when I was younger and talents I have explored.

• I used to double dutch
• I used to be an awesome hula hooper
• I was involved in African dancing
• I used to be in chorus (but I knew I could not sing and left eventually)
• I was in band from 4th grade through high school graduation (the flute is my first love) I accomplished a lot with the flute because I was good at it and loved it but unfortunately since I didn't want to make it my career I didn't have time for it after high school
• I played the piano since 7th grade and it is absolutely my second love, the same situation happened with me not playing after high school, well I guess that's not 100% true. I may have let it slip at my job that I play and I've been asked to play the chorus accompaniment for my kiddies at the school I work at, Also I have a song I used to play for NYSSMA tattoo'd around my leg so yea... there's that
• I was on the step team in high school. Loved it

My point is being a teacher can make one be reflective in many ways. :)

Midnight Snack

Time for a little middle of the night posting. I'm back to working and going to school full time and man is it stressful. My workload this semester seems a lot more than last semester. Luckily my professors are being a bit lenient with be... unfortunately it is because I've been sick for 2 weeks and been to the hospital and the doctor and have multiple ailments at the moment. I'm afraid of letting my assignments pile up while I'm sick which is stressing me out even more.

On a brighter note

I'm still enjoying being a building sub. A little more each day actually. The kids in the building are getting to know me a little more, they run up and give me hugs in the hallway, some are excited when I'm going to be their teacher for the day it's nice. I even had one kid come visit me during the school day during a break his teacher allowed him to have from class. (students who get frustrated and shut down are allowed a short break from class once or twice a day) and he chose to spend his coming to see me. Mind you this is a child with real anger issues which are sometimes directed at me.

On a sadder note

I'm starting to know about some of the not so great home lives of some of my students. CPS has been called to the school for one, some are filthy almost every day, some are late to school all the time, some are changing schools every few months, some have very inattentive parents at home and are literally crying out for them to spend time with them. I even had 2 suspended for bringing a weapon on the bus recently and one... well I don't want to put everyone's dirty laundry out there but lets just say there's a lot more. Of course I would never put a name to these incidences. These things really hurt my heart, mostly because I can't do anything to change them. I feel like I shouldn't step in because I am a sub but I get the feeling there isn't much the full time teachers can do either. And believe me the school I work at works very hard to support the families of it's students.