Starring Yours Truly As "The Substitute"

I finally accepted a sub job on Tuesday for a kindergarten class. I walked to the school since parking there sucks. When I arrived the office was not open yet, so I wandered around for a minute until I found someone in the copy room. She brought me to the principal’s office and then to the classroom. When I walked in, I immediately noticed that everything on the walls was in Spanish (apparently it’s a dual language immersion school). Then I discovered there wasn’t a lesson plan. So I went back to find the principal who put me in touch with another kindergarten teacher who gave me an emergency lesson plan (basically a bunch of stacks of worksheets).

When I went back to the room I was subbing in, the teacher was there, trying to write a last minute lesson plan. She finished the “plan”, handed it to me and left. The “plan” had no times on it and not really any details about what to do either. So I spent the day trying to use the “plan”, the emergency lessons, and the schedule on the board (which was in Spanish and had the wrong times). Ugh. I was so glad when the day was over. After one day, I was already thinking, “What am doing subbing? Why did I think this was going to be fun?”

But then I valiantly (or stupidly) accepted two more jobs for the week, both fourth grade but at two different schools. The two days in fourth grade went really well for the most part. Both teachers left detailed lesson plans that were easy to follow and included, of all things, the times that things should happen. On the down side, in the first class a boy “dyed” his hair with this hair chalk stuff right in the middle of class while I was helping someone with their work. And in the second class, I was leading the line of kids and walking backward, then turned around and walked right into a tree. The hazards of being a teacher…

I also accepted a four-day job to sub for a first grade teacher. The principal at one of the schools I was at asked me if I was available next week and of course I said yes (because I don’t know how to say no).

In addition to subbing in this district, I want to sub in another local district too. So I applied a while ago and finally went to this job fair thing at their district office where they interviewed me. Now I have an orientation next Friday, so I guess that means they’re hiring me (although I haven’t officially been informed of this).

I try to plan a few fun outings each month with my boyfriend to do things like go to museums or shows or whatever else seems like it’ll be fun. One of our outings this month was to Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland. It’s this park right in the middle of the port of Oakland. I’ve been a little obsessed with shipping cranes lately due to a story I’m writing, so I really wanted to get a good view of the cranes. The park was really nice and we actually got to watch some of the airshow that’s part of Fleet Week in the city. But I couldn’t get as close to the cranes as I wanted to and none of them were operating. Two enormous container ships did go by as we watched. They were so big they looked like they won’t fit under the Bay Bridge. It was pretty amazing to see them.

We also went out to Alcatraz, both to do the prison tour and to see the art installation @Large by Chinese artist and activist, Ai Weiwei. I saw some of his art at a Toronto museum last summer and I was impressed. I really liked With Wind (this enormous dragon kite), Trace (the faces of dissidents around the world made out of Legos), and Refraction (this amazing sculpture made out of solar panels). Info about @Large

With Wind

Trace

What I’m reading: I finished Looking for Alaska and I really liked it (not as much as The Fault in Our Stars, but it’s a good read). I was at Costco last week and was jumping up and down and whooping (not literally, just in my head) when I found a 4-pack of John Green books. So now I’m devouring An Abundance of Katherines, which is excellent so far. I’m about three-quarters of the way through East of Eden. I’m loving this book too.