Today is the first day this school year I won’t be going into work. My granddaughter has a “Grandparents’ Breakfast” at her preschool this morning and I’m taking off work to attend that event. Work is sixteen miles away from my home and her preschool is about six miles the opposite direction, so it was logistically nearly impossible to do both.
While I’m very much looking forward to attending the grandparents’ function, I do have some amount of worry about the students I leave behind at school. I’m in a mobile classroom (better known as a trailer) and my first class has thirty-one students, so it’s a bit of a stretch for a sub to handle. I did make sure the secretary got a teacher who was familiar with our school and students.
So here it is, five minutes before she’ll have that large class…and yes, I’m already wondering how things will go. Above all else, I know I have absolutely no control over what goes on there this day and that it’s a total waste of time to give it much thought. I think it’s normal for any teacher to have these meanderings on days when they’re not a school It’s not so much that the lesson plans aren’t ones that are easily followed, but more about how the students will choose to behave.
Back in my subbing days, one principal at the end of the day said “As long as the school didn’t burn down, you did your job.” And such will be the case today I’m hoping. May the force be with them all.
David Lee
David Lee 