Day Two

Is it seriously only Tuesday, y'all? I thought it was Thursday! Deep breaths...

The past couple of weeks have been a total whirlwind - we have had so much going on. I subbed Kindergarten last Monday then signed up for a fifth grade job at a new school for Tuesday and Wednesday. I'll just be honest - substituting has put some interesting thoughts into my head.

I have always known without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to teach middle school. I love those hormone driven, dramatic, romantical, crazy fools. However, all the time I've spent in Elementary lately has really made me think. I haven't committed to taking the GACE yet, but I'm considering it. It's never a bad thing to broaden your horizons, right?

Moving on - last Wednesday I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I think I'm a pretty good sub - everything has went pretty smooth up until this day. It was one of those days when I booked it out of the school parking lot, grabbed a coke, took some head ache meds, and parked it on the couch for the night with no intention of moving. 

If my fantastic mentor teacher, Pierre, taught me anything it was to reflect every. single. day. As I was thinking back on what went well and what didn't my cell phone rang. I saw that it was the Elementary school I usually sub at so I answered it. The sub coordinator told me the principal had asked her to call me and offer me a long term job for the remainder of the school year. (sidebar - the principal knows who I am? What?) I adore this little school so I immediately said yes before I really even knew what I was getting into. 

I started yesterday and these past two days have been wild! I'm doing EIP for K-3. I have seven blocks of kids and go non stop all day to make sure I service them all. Right now I'm just focusing on getting my schedule straightened out and ironing out the kinks with the kiddos schedules. Each block is different and I'm loving it. The day absolutely flies by! I'm working with some fantastic teachers and know this is going to be a one of a kind learning experience for me. Keep me and the kids in your prayers as I try to figure out what the heck I'm doing!

Our kids

"To parents who aren't educators, this may be hard to understand: 

Five days a week, we teach your kids. 

That means we educate your kids. 

Play with your kids. 

Discipline your kids. 

Joke with your kids. 

Console your kids. 

Praise your kids. 

Question your kids. 

Beat our heads up against a wall about your kids. 

Gush over your kids. 

Laugh with your kids. 

Worry about your kids. 

Keep an eye on your kids. 

Learn about your kids. 

Invest in your kids. 

Protect your kids. 

Love your kids...

We would all take a bullet for your kids.

It's nowhere in our job description. 

It isn't covered in the employee handbook. 

It isn't cited on our contracts. 

But we would all do it. 

So yes, please hug your kids tonight, really, really tight. 

But on Monday, if you see your kids teacher, hug them too."

This has been circulating since the shooting on Friday and I think it's great. Let me reiterate that I'm a certified teacher who is currently substituting. However, every class I walk into I treat as if they were my own. It's just in our nature. We love them all, big or small. To you they might be your kids, but to us they are our kids. 

Here's to a better week, y'all. Let's give out an extra dose of love, huh?