So I ought to be able to rest. I ought to be able to sleep in.  But something appears to have gone wrong. I decided to join the rolls of substitute teachers. The process requires a bit of work, but I had time to fill out applications, gather transcripts, make phone calls, and get fingerprinted. Then fingerprinted again. Then fingerprinted again. Then fingerprinted two more times. Apparently, the prints of older persons can be hard to process. It’s a good thing I am so honest. I seem to be a natural for a life of crime. Those prints of mine are extremely tricky. But the FBI name check has come through and the feds will vouch for me. So I am off and running.

And I seem to be working every day I don’t specifically block off for other appointments or missions. Is this job a calling? If it’s not, what am I doing?

Today I discussed population density and technology with 4th graders. We worked on decimal points and place value. A good time was had by all, including me, although we did have to do a couple of refreshers on rules. Last week, I taught physical education to wee ones. That job’s definitely not me and I’ll pass in the future unless they plead with me for a rescue. Watching forty early elementary children run around screaming while playing a plague-outbreak-based game of freeze tag is more chaos than I can comfortably manage. I loved kindergarten. We had a great discussion on minions. Most of the kids wanted to be minions because they love bananas and candy. But then there was that one little guy who wanted a freeze ray and a shrink ray. Forget the bananas, he saw the real potential in being a little, yellow, one-eyed creature. Teaching Spanish to first and second graders was a trifle fast-paced with those 25 minute periods, but the kids seemed open to learning new words and they were IPad whizzes by second grade. I am working tomorrow too. Soon, I expect to start a maternity position for middle school Spanish.

I don’t have to do this. But I keep looking at those sub postings. I keep clicking on that accept button. If they call me, I virtually always commit unless I have a previous commitment.

Eduhonesty: This blog was created in the wake of testing madness and bureaucratic wackiness that stemmed from No Child Left Behind. I have been known to call it the Secret Blog of Gloom and Doom. But for those thinking of entering the field of teaching, well, I have to admit it can’t be all that bad. I keep happily wandering into the latest Classroom for a Day.