it's the last weekend before school begins around here, and I'm very excited.
nervous, too, but more on that in a bit.
as most of you who read this on a semi-regular basis know, I am a substitute teacher.
so, "back to school" has a bit different meaning than for other teachers.
I have not had to spend the past week in meetings, or in a classroom, getting ready.
I did get a haircut yesterday, and the waiting area was filled with little ones, also getting their back to school styling, some more reluctantly than others.
and I have been looking for some back to school clothes, and put together my bag of tricks - my over-sized shoulder bag that I fill with all that stuff I MIGHT need: extra pens & pencils, a pocket dictionary, scissors, band-aids, extra shoes, my recess whistle, etc.
it's not that teachers don't have most of this stuff in their classrooms, but as a sub, I might not always be able to FIND it, or find it quickly.
normally, especially later in the semester, I'd be up early, drinking coffee, waiting for the phone to ring.
but this first week of school, I'm already scheduled, and I'll be helping out in Kindergarten.
think back now...
were you excited about going to Kindergarten?
or were you a cryer?
and remember, those of you closer to my age, 5K is now ALL day, not a half day, as many of us experienced.
that's a big adjustment, and I'm sure I'll be doing a fair amount of hand-holding, hugging, and drying tears.
and I love it.
I love working with elementary classes.
this surprises me, on several levels.
when I FIRST went to college, right out of high school, my intended major was Elementary Education, with a Music minor.
gradually, as time went on, I was finding I really wanted to take more music courses, and eventually changed into a Music Major.
real life stepped in, family illness, dropped out, dropped in, dropped out, worked, worked some more, got married, moved away, worked some more, and a few years later, went back to college as a "returning adult student."
I loved my time spent in college, although I got a bit tired of being a substitute mom to classmates, and balancing school and work and home was tough.
but I graduated with a K-12 teaching license for instrumental music.
I was an Official Orchestra geek, and I LOVED teaching - but NOT elementary.
Junior High was my thing, and eventually, High School was also great fun.
5th and 6th grade, not so much.
actually, I hated it.
but looking back, it had more to do with the structure of the music program, and the schedule, than with the kids.
long story a bit shorter: taught, taught some more, conducted youth orchestras, played in a symphony, taught private lessons, taught music camps, conducted more youth orchestras, played in a string quartet, and then real life slapped me in the face, again, lost my job(s), got divorced, worked odd jobs, worked some really ODD jobs, remarried, moved to Door County, became an artist, ups and downs (my husband is officially a cancer survivor), the economy took a dive, and I needed to find a "real job."
so I reinvented myself once more, and to my amazement, I love subbing, and I especially love working with the little ducks!
oh, I like the older kids, as well, and it's been good for me to work all levels, all courses.
but I'm about to take the leap, go back to college, and get my teaching license for Elementary Education.
in Wisconsin, it's now a grades 1 - 8 license, and I can't wait!
but I'm nervous, too.
I"m older, actually, a lot older, things have changed.
much of my coursework will be online.
it was weird, I applied online, registered over the phone, and ordered my books from a website.
I'll report to Silver Lake College in Manitowoc one weekend per month, taking courses this Fall, Spring, next Summer, and perhaps Fall 2011.
so, when mamy of my former colleagues are planning their retirement, I find myself buying new notebooks and shopping for a new lunch box.
back to school, and back to school...




