April 4 (Tues.)

Well, being away from the classroom is VERY refreshing, at least until you have to come back!! I had a great time at the ESL workshops on Thursday and Friday. The material was very useful, new, cultural stuff that I was completely unaware of. Even Monday’s review workshop of the BLM stuff with Connie Prevatte was good. It reminded me of all the great things I was supposed to be doing but I had forgotten.

The worst part of being out of school is the substitute never really does what you want, therefore the day(s) is pretty much a wash. Thursday, the sub couldn’t find my plans (which were in the clearly marked sub folder). Monday the sub didn’t collect anything, so now everything is gone. Friday, one of the students stole the sub notes off of my desk, so who knows what happened, since the only note I got was that the notes were taken!

The best part of being out of school is that the day you come back, your kids love you. You are better than any sub, even if they cheer when you tell them you are going to be away before you leave, they can’t wait for you to get back. Smiles, hugs, and students asking you to never leave again are the reason this job is better than any other. The little bit of appreciation they show after you have been away makes all of the other problems and struggles seem minor. Yes, everything is a mess. Yes, it will take days to catch back up, to find things that are missing, and to find the bottom of the mountain of papers that covers your desk, but somehow it is all worth it because it made them notice, realize, and show you just how much they really care.