First Sub Assignment !

Much has happened in the very long time (roughly 3 months) since I last posted. On the personal front, our family has celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, 11 family birthdays, 1 friend birthday, finished moving from Duval to Clay, and started my son in preschool in our new town. We are getting acclimated to the community and love our new woodsy, peaceful yard.

Professionally, I have been visiting schools with my substitute card in hand, humbly offering my services. Just when I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get called, last week Tynes Elementary called me to substitute Thursday in an Autistic Preschool classroom. The classroom assistants were invaluable. They explained the schedule that includes activity changes every 10 minutes and the needs of the individual students. The children themselves were a pleasant surprise. Before entering the classroom, I was not sure what to expect. Would the children be responsive? Would they make eye contact? They all made eye contact, and all were responsive - some verbally and some in their own ways, just like in other preschools. A couple of years ago, my brother-in-law completed certification in Relationship Development Intervention therapy (RDI), a method for working with autistic children. As I watched and interacted with these sweet and fun kids, I heard his words, observations and enjoyment in his work run through my head. This only added to my enjoyment of the day with these special children. In addition, everyone from Kathy in the front office, to the teachers, to the cafeteria assistants and even Principal Newhall were very friendly and helpful. I hope all Clay county schools are as inviting and pleasant.

That evening I was called to substitute at Wilkinson Junior High for a language arts teacher. Being a math teacher that loves reading, I was excited about this one. As it turned out, she also had 3 drama classes. Great. I took drama in high school, but it was only an extracurricular activity (club); it wasn't offered as a course. The teacher I subbed for this day (Friday) went above and beyond to make my day (and that of her students) run more smoothly. She actually came up to the school to print lesson plans and make copies of the assignment for two of the classes, preventing me from having to run around to get this done in time. Since I was there when she was, she explained how to work the equipment in her room and even discussed an alternate activity for one of the classes, leaving the choice to me. She could not have made it easier to sub for her. One of the drama classes did improv the entire period which was fun to watch. They were creative and lively. Again, everyone I encountered at the school offered their help if I needed it, asked how my day was going/had gone, and was genuinely friendly.

Thursday I also got called to go to Lake Asbury Junior High tomorrow (Tuesday). I am not sure yet if I will be substituting in a special education or a science classroom, but if it is anything like my experiences so far, it is sure to be a good day.