To Teach or Not to Teach...

The last week and a half has been insanely busy. I have been working almost everyday in a variety of classrooms... from Early Education (ages 2-4) to Junior High. Late Wednesday night I received a call for a job in a Junior High (to teach math), which I was not familiar with but I thought, it can't be that bad.... well, I was wrong. It was by far, the worst day of subbing I have had.

I left home just before 7am to be safe because the school was way on the northside. I got to the school at 7:40am, asked the secretary if I could have a key (which almost all schools have for subs) to the room so I could figure out what I was doing. She said it wasn't a big deal and to just wait in the staff room because it was so early. By 8am the secretary would still not let me into the class so I had to get another teacher to let me in. And what happened? The plans were nowhere to be found and the desk was in complete disarray.

The teacher I was subbing for was in the school and rushed in at 8:10am (school starts at 8:20am) to give me very vague idea as to what I was to do for the day. She threw her plans at me and off she went. I had now, 5 min to figure out my day- grade 8, 9 Leadership and Math and grade 7 DRAMA. Drama??? Long story short, I was stressed. Normally when I know that I am teaching math I get there extra early so I can prepare better and think of a few strategies. Well I didn't have time- I had to just figure it out! ALSO, EVERY SINGLE of these classes had 31 students in them. I thought I was going to lose my mind. The kids were all nice, but they were all CHATTY- they wouldn't shut up. Having to classroom manage and teach a subject like math to a bunch of junior high kids almost gave me an ulcer!! And man, when junior high kids see a sub, you know what they're thinking.... WOO HOO!

By the end of the day I was wiped- these kids had mentally and emotionally gotten to me. It was just too much. It was the sort of day where I asked myself- do I really want to be a teacher? Am I really cut out for this? Teaching takes so much out of you. You invest yourself in these kids everyday, and I feel like it's especially difficult as a sub because you have to be brave enough to take charge of these kids who have no idea- who don't even care who you are. In the end, I managed to keep my head up,stick to my class rules and came out of there alive- barely.

Now that this whole debaucle is over I have accepted a multiple day job on Nov. 4/5for.... HIGH SCHOOL English. I'd like to think I will get through it, but now I'm not so sure. It's not too late to cancel the job... I'll have to think about it. It's tough because the pay is significantly higher if you teach in the same class for more than one day in a row.

On Friday, Lucas was dressed up as a spider/octopus (what do you think??) at daycare and I volunteered with them for a few hours to help take the kids to all the parents' floors. Lucas looked so cute with all of his legs!



We have been getting really excited about Halloween! We are taking Lucas trick-or-treating with his friend Charlie (Mario and Luigi!!), then we are putting the kids to bed and the parents are going to watch a scary movie and eat junk! I'm excited!

Hope you all have a Happy Halloween!! Don't get a tummy ache...

Where to Start...

The past few weeks have been very busy and eventful. So, here we go...

~Last Monday I subbed at a Junior High (which I've been doing a lot of and am really enjoying it!) and the teacher next door asked me if I could sub for her that following Friday. Long story short, she had not booked me in the system yet (by Thursday at 11pm) and I called her 3 times and left messages on Thursday, wanting her to contact me to let me know if she still needed me or not. Anyway, I didn't end up hearing from her and I contemplated not coming in, but decided to anyway in case she still needed me.
When I got there at 7:55am, the secretaries(yes, there were two...)had no idea what was going on (you'd think with two, one would atleast know what the hell was going on) and didn't know if she needed me or not. So they sent me home. At about 9:15am I got an angry call from Edmonton Public Schools asking me why I did not show up at the school and that I was supposed to be there for this teacher.
Enraged, I drove back to the school, went to her class and there she was. She said, in front of all the kids, "Great, our sub is FINALLY here." I kindly brought her into the hallway and asked her why she didn't call me- that I tried to call her all those times! Also, I had just met her- it's protocol to communicate to substitute teachers ESPECIALLY when you just met them! Anyway, I went out of my way to go to this school, whom I had no personal ties to, called this teacher several times... and all I got was- "I guess I should have called you back."
Needless to say, I was not a very happy substitute. I had never hated being a substitute as I did at this very moment. And with this, I will rant...

~I feel very lucky to even be on the Edmonton Public Schools supply list (there were over 500 cut from the list this year), but there are a ton of things that I cannot stand about being a sub...

1. The inconsistency of everything- when, where and if you'll even be working on which day... am or pm, full day or half??

2. The pressure and stress of having to prove yourself everytime you walk into that classroom.

3. Setting expectations and using behaviour management, while putting on a brave, stern face and hoping that you can just through this one day. You pray that these kids don't see just how nervous you are and take advantage of it.

4. Being treated like crap by schools. At almost every school that I have been to, not one person has asked me what my name is or has even said hello. Teachers preach about inclusion and respect to their students, but yet they won't even acknowledge or speak to a guest in their school. Do they not remember what it was like to be a new teacher??

5. Getting attached to some great kids and realizing, that this is only temporary.

BUT there are a few things I don't mind about being a sub...

1. It pays quite well... if you are WORKING, that is.
2. Having the opportunity to get to know so many kids, in such little time.
3. Having the chance to just teach- to practice what I hope to be doing sometime on a consistent basis. Someday.
4. Learning- everyday is different and sometimes I like having the chance to teach a grade 8 English class one day and a grade 2 class on another.

ANYWAY, this has turned into a bit more than a rant, so let's get back to the update...

~I am going to be teaching a Mom and Tot's group at Summerside Beach Club (an actual beach in the city in a semi-closed community. I know, it sounds a bit ridiculous) starting in January. Lucas and I used to go to these sorts of groups when he was younger, but they didn't really offer much. My goal is to have a variety of things to do for both mom and baby.

~The whole family is sick in some way. I have an eye and nose infection, while Dan and Lucas both have a nasty cough and cold. I feel like I'm getting their cold too. So it's been kind of somber in the Spandoza house these past few days!

~Dan is off to Regina for work for a couple of days. I hope I'm feeling a hundred percent by then!! I know Dan has to travel for work sometimes, but it's never easy.

~Last week Lucas had picture day at the daycare, but had to be sent home early because he had a fever (hence the cold and cough).

Other than that, things have been good. We've been keeping busy and can't believe that October is halfway done! Lately, it has been feeling like fall, which is kind of cozy. Hope the weather is being nice to you too, wherever you are...

Extended Summer

It's great to have Dan back home! This weekend it felt like summer all over again so we made sure to stay outside as much as we could. On Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market in the morning, then we went for a walk in the ravine.

Today we met up with our good friends Dave, Tamiko and their son Charlie at a farm outside of the city for a Halloween themed afternoon. We went on a hayride, walked through a corn maze, watched a puppet show and saw some animals at the petting zoo. It was great! We can't wait for Lucas to appreciate Halloween as much as mom and dad! We (well, I) decorated the front of our house with some decorations and Lucas helped me with the spiders.




Other than that, not much else is going on. We've just been spending a ton of time outside. Everyday after dinner we take Lucas out for a walk around the neighborhood, which is great because he gets to practice his walking skills and has also made a few friends in the neighborhood :)