The sub

 I have been substitute teaching at my children's’ school.  I had never substituted before.  I chose this school because I always pick them up after school and I knew I wouldn’t have to make any special arrangements to continue doing that if I was here and they were here.  Ideally I would have chosen a high school, and I still might next year.

Somethings I learned about substitute teaching:

1. Never agree to teach an elementary class when the teacher just couldn’t be bothered to show up.  WTF?

2. Never teach an elementary class

3. Especially 5th grade

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My first day of substitute teaching I was filling in for a very well organized 7th grade science teacher.  Everything was laid out and detailed instructions for a variety of circumstances were included in a three ring binder.  The students were a little sassy, as expected, but nothing really unusual happened.

My second day of substitute teaching was utter chaos.  I had signed up to be a teacher’s aid for elementary.  When I walked in they said, “Do you want to take a 2nd grade class instead?”  I was all like, “Ummm- well, No.”

“No?- Okay, how about 7th grade band? You don’t have to teach music, and you will have an aide with you. It will be so easy- it will be a great day!”

Me: “Okay.”

The aide: “Follow me, I’ll show you the room we will be in.  We’ll have two classes in here, band and theater. There are 30 chairs in here for students. We may have as many as 50 students in here- but don’t worry.  I’ll be with you the whole time.

Two hours, a bunch of school gossip and a handful of conspiracy theories later he’s all, “I gotta go. There’s a sub who never showed up- they are calling another one, but I need to fill in until they come.  I’ll be right next door.”  

50 kids walk into my room, 6th, 7th, 8th graders.  They are all over the place, there are only about 30 chairs so they fill up 3/4 of the chairs, mill around the room, sprawl out on the floor, lean against the walls.  

I ask the students, “What do you usually do in this class.”  They say, “Nothing, our teacher has been out for a while.  He has Covid.  He died on the floor, but the nurse came in and moved his head around and brought him back.  Then the ambulance came and took him.”  I say, “Is he okay?”  They admit they don’t know.  (Nor do they seem to care.)

I tell the 50 students to sit down somewhere, anywhere, just  don’t get up.  I’m not even going to try to keep them quiet or on task with work I know they have from other classes- I just want them to stop moving around.

The 50 leave without incident. I feel accomplished in the fact that nobody died on my watch.  

The next class is small- there are only about 8 of them.  One of them is tiny sixth grader who moves around the classroom like a pinball.  He zips around the room moving in unexpected directions and at varying speeds.  I watch him spin and ping until he attempts to jump on a stool, miscalculates and topples the stool. He lands awkwardly on the legs.  I tell him to sit down, but not on the stool.  Soon he is wandering again.  He makes his way to a keyboard- I watch him as he tries to turn it on, but it doesn’t work.  He searches for the outlet,  plugs it in, turns it on and begins to play chopsticks. This is much like watching a very bad animal kingdom documentary.  I have no idea how long it is until this class is over, but I feel as though it has already been too long.

Other classes some and go- teachers and aids wander in and out sharing tidbits of unsolicited gossip and life stories. I smile and nod and make an effort to pretend I care.

The day ends- mercifully.  

the last time ...

 Parents record babies' firsts.  The first time they roll over, sleep through the night, eat solid food, sit up, take a step, etc.  It is very exciting for parents to see their kids hit these milestones.  It lets us know everything is okay- our baby is on track- she is normal- or even more exciting- she is ahead of the curve. 

While I was thinking about this I realized I have videos of my older kids' first steps, but nothing for the youngest. Pooh.

For my youngest, I want to remember the lasts.  Not her lasts- mine.  The last time I gave her a bottle, the last time I changed a diaper, the last time I gave her a pacifier.  Those have all happened.  There are other lasts with her and with my other girls.  

When will be the last time she raises her arms and says "Up, Mama!"  Sometimes I say, "No, you can walk."  Or "No, you are big now, I can't up you."  But the next time I think- 'Today is not that last time- not today!' and I pick her up and cuddle her because she's my last baby.

The other girls still want to hold my hand, and want me to help them wash their hair.  They want me to brush their hair and read with them and draw with them.  But they also do a lot of things on their own.  Little by little our lasts come with our children.  

I'm watching out for mine.  I don't want to look back and say- "I don't remember the last time I ..."

something new

 I would like it if I could articulate something new that I learned each day.  I think I do learn something new every day, but at the end of the day- much like my children, I have a hard time saying exactly what that thing may have been.  

Me: What did you learn at school today?

Her: Lots of stuff.

Me: Like what?

Her: I don't know.

Or if I ask the littlest one (pre-schooler)

Me: What did you learn today?

Her: ABCs!

Me: What letter did you learn about? (I can see on her papers that she learned about F, 6, Blue, and circles.)

Her: C! 

Me: No, your paper says F!

Her: I like C!

Me: But you learned about F.

Her: No! C!

Me: Is C your favorite?

Her: Yes!  

She's very consistent with this.  I never knew of anyone having a favorite letter, but she loves C.

Anyway- I like to learn something new each day.  Today I learned how to make a provisional cast-on in knitting.  It is used to make socks.  I've never made a sock.  I've been told it's quite nice to make socks.  I should try.  

Today I'm making a pomegranate. This is in line with my unofficial policy of not making anything useful.  

Is there is any reason to knit or to have a  knit pomegranate? Certainly not.

However, here are some facts about pomegranates to keep us all up to date:

1. Pomegranates are native to Persia

2. The word pomegranate means 'apple with many seeds'

3. One pomegranate can hold more than 1000 seeds.

4. In Jewish tradition pomegranates are a symbol of righteousness

5. In Greek and Persian Mythology it represents life, regeneration, and marriage

6. In Buddism it is a symbol of holiness and blessing and is one of the three holy fruits

7. In Christian art, the pomegranate is sometimes held by the Christ Child The seeds represent many believers making the whole of the church

Snappy McNibbles

 Consider this- a children's book about a little black dog named Snappy McNibbles.  Snappy's badness level far outsizes her physical size.

For Halloween her girl dressed like a wolf, so she dressed like Red Riding Hood.

I'm thinking of stories for Snappy- she may be the main character of my first book.  Lucy aka "Snappy"

November is writing month

 November is nanowrimo and while I won't be writing a novel, I think I can commit to writing some blogs.

I'm already 7 days behind!

Here is today's bit.

This is how I make things:

I decided to make a cute knit gnome.  I made a white beard, red hat, and red body. There was only a little bit of beard yarn left, so I decided to use it up making more beards.  There was enough for two more beards, and a bit left for the trim of a blue hat.  So, now I had three beards, and two hats, and one body.  I made a white body but didn't like it with the blue hat, so I made a blue body.  Now I just needed a white hat.  But I slept before I started on that, so I forgot and made another white body instead.  At that point, I had three beards, two hats, and four bodies.  I had to get out some more fuzzy yarn to make the brim of two more hats and one more beard that I needed.  I made the beard, but then I found a beard that I had already made for a different gnome. The count was five beards, four bodies, and two hats. 

At this moment I need one body, and three hats and five noses.

I realized that none of this really displeases me. I like to have clusters of things in groups of 5 or 8.  Once I get my gaggle together I'll post a pic of the gang.