I will be humbled this afternoon... Three teachers are out, my best subs scheduled to be in each of those classrooms, but the sub for 1st Grade has family in town that she hasn't seen in two years and really would like to sub only in the morning. They have afternoon plans...and I owe her so much already...and I'm still going to need her in 1st Grade tomorrow and Wednesday...and there are some 'special' situations in that class...and...and...and I will be humbled this afternoon.
It will start immediately. When I say, "Take out your Language book," they will not answer like the 3rd Graders the first week of school ("What is a Language book?" "Are you sure we have a Language book?" "Why do we need a Language book?"). No, in this first week of November, when I say to 1st Graders, "Take out your Language book," they will reply: "Mrs. Ulmer has us do the pledge before we take out our Language book!" In UNISON they will say this!
When I sub for Pastor in catechism class this morning, none of the 8th graders will challenge the manner in which I proceed with the lesson. If I can't operate the DVD player, one of the students will eagerly and politely raise their hand and offer to help. I can say, "Please take out a book and read silently for a few minutes," or "You can go ahead and do some of your homework for a few minutes while I look over something in the lesson..." and everything will flow effortlessly. That is not how it will be in 1st Grade this afternoon, however.
When I write on the First Grade chalk board, they will say, "Mrs. Ulmer writes with her other hand!" or "Mrs. Ulmer only uses the colored chalk for 'special' things!"
"Yes, you can eat your pudding before you eat your green b..."
"BUT Mrs. Ulmer says we have to eat our vegetables BEFORE we can eat our dessert."
(Then why did they ask in the first place? I sense that I've been set up...)
I am the principal of the school and have 15 years experience teaching full-time in single grades, double grades and even triple graded classrooms, 35 years of experience in education total, but I will be brought low by the little ones this afternoon.
And my neck. Did I mention my neck? By 2:00 p.m. it will ache from constantly turning my head to the right in order to see the clock. "Only 12:30?" "It's got to be later than 12:42!" "1:15 - you've got to be kidding; time never moves this slowly on the weekend...or on vacation...or when I'm out fishing!!!" "Ouch! I've got to stop looking at that clock."
Worse yet, when Mrs. Ulmer returns, and I drop by her classroom next week, it will be quiet - a quiet that I never have been able to experience when I sub in 1st grade. So many parents believe that teaching the older grades is harder - the higher the grade, the tougher it is and all that...
They really don't understand.