Thursday, November 14, 2013

Tales of a Fourth Grand Substitute

My fourth grade granddaughter would be proud of me!  I made it through a day of subbing relatively unscathed.  With the exception of some volunteer work in my grandson's kindergarten class, it's been over a year since I've been in a classroom.  Yesterday I subbed in a 4th grade class.  It's ironic that I would be there because it was exactly 40 years ago that I began my teaching career as a 4th grade teacher.

Much has changed in the average classroom these days-even within the past year. The emergence of technology is evident everywhere.  Chalk boards have been replaced by SmartBoards and encyclopedias have been replaced by  iPad carts which students use for research purposes.

There are still plenty of books of other kinds around but more and more students have personal eReaders they use during idle moments.

One thing has not changed much at all-the kids.  They're still the same.  They still play the same games at recess like football, soccer, playing on the equipment and tag.  They're also still vulnerable to fads like the one many of the girls have discovered:  weaving bracelets on a little loom-type contraption.  Even my grand daughter has discovered this one having made bracelets for the folks I visit at Masonicare.

I have another subbing date coming up in December and another in February.  I would have more were it not for a couple of trips to Florida scattered over the next few months.

Substitute teaching is not for everyone but it suits me-especially to be doing it where I started and where one grandson goes and the other next year.  So I guess I'll stay with it until they decide I'm too old.

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