August 23, 2009

Reflections

August 23, 2009 1:25 AM

I'm sitting here at my computer, with two facebook tabs open, and one for this post, reflecting on my week.

It was a great week going to school and volunteering in the cafeteria, the kids were great, well except for the girl that tried to throw her fruit cocktail at me. I was nice to her, what did I do to deserve that? Fortunately she missed, but still! Holy crap! And then some of the other kids started laughing at me, and that's when I found the reason the other parents weren't falling all over themselves to volunteer in the cafeteria too.

These kids are a LOT to handle. Am I nuts for wanting to do this?

I have 5 kids in the house, and I decide it's a good idea to go surround myself with more, right when all of mine are out of the house, and I could have some peace and quiet. See, I don't have a job right now. I got laid off a while back, and I thought since I'm not working I can contribute by "helping out" at the school. Hmmm. I mean I love kids, I have this saying, "5 kids or 50 kids, all the same to me". So I figure, no problem, this'll be a breeze.

I made that saying up having never been around 50 kids that I was responsible for.

So I guess I'm reconsidering going back next week, if only a little.

'Cause this week was a "testing" week, and there were only 20 or so kids from the kindergarden there each day. Next week, starting on Tuesday, ALL of them will be there, and I expect major pandemonium. I want to go help out, but I'm wondering if I'm just a glutton for punishment. All the other parents will gladly drop off their kids at school in the morning, and then pick them back up at 3:30, hoping that they have learned something, and haven't gotten in any trouble, but me? What makes me different, makes me want to be around kids, even when they are such a pain in the butt?

I think it's because I care about kids, I want to teach them stuff, tell them the stuff they want to know about that the other grownups won't tell them, or don't know how to explain.

I found out by talking to one of the other volunteers that there is a place in town that will place you as a substitute teacher somewhere in the school system, even with no teaching degree. Now I do have an associate's degree in network administration (computer networks), so that should be cool too. All you have to do is pay for a background check, and you can be a sub. Who would've thought you could be a teacher without a degree? Scary, in one sense, sure, but hey, you're just a sub. That would be so awesome, be a teacher, me!

So maybe I'm not crazy, maybe I just missed my calling.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I am not sure they should call them "Substitute Teachers"

Call them Classroom Helpers, or something like that, but if I were a teacher, it would annoy me if someone with no schooling or training got to call them selves a sub teacher is my classroom without going through what I had to do to become a teacher.

No I am not a teacher, but if I were...lol.

Your comments are working again, Somehow it got switched back over to embedded instead of pop up. Start hunting for a non demonized layout. This one is possessed lol.

KrisMrsBBradley said...

In my school district, if you have 60 college credits, you can substitute. And I personally don't have a problem with calling them substitute teachers, and I'm a couple of credits short of being able to get a teacher's certificate.

Anyone who comes into a class, leads a lesson and keeps control of a class is a teacher of some sort, whether they have a degree or not.

At least that's my opinion :O)

Unknown said...

In that light, you are right Mrs. B lol.

Sorry, I guess I should have explained where that statement comes from. Growing up, the teachers in the county I grew up in were horrible. I mean awful. My 8th grade Algebra teacher was not even certified to teach math, she was a P.E. teacher...and because of that it brought my own personal standards of "teacher" up a bit..meaning more needed to be done before being called a "teacher" instead of a babysitter so to speak.

The county I live in now has AMAZING teachers, and sub teachers and teachers assistants, they really TEACH the kids, as opposed to finding busy work for them to keep them quiet.

You are right, anyone who comes into a class and leads is a teacher of some sort, and I think that it is neat that with a certain amount of credits you can be a sub, because there are a lot of people out there who would make great teachers. I just think that the standard should be set a little higher before a formal title is bestowed so to speak...

KrisMrsBBradley said...

You know, I think there are people out there who teach because they think it's going to be easy, and they'll have summers off -and end up turning into bitter, mean people who teach kids nothing. Educated or not, they are not "teachers". Sounds like you ran into some of those!

People like that should really be bounced out of the profession! I have the highest respect for anyone who can inspire a kid to love to learn, however they come into a kid's life.

I totally get what you are saying, though. The title of teacher should mean something, not just be slapped on anyone.