Off-Days

Substitute teaching is a form of masochism.

Even though its painful, we kind'a like it. After all, if I hated it that much I wouldn't do it.

Right?

After my second day of subbing, I've been thrown into situation # 2 that I didn't want to be in.
The first was gym, ahem, excuse me, physical education, and the second was self-contained. Oh well, I suppose the best way to confront your fears is by doing them and getting them over with. Needless to say today was alright, I only had a real problem during free play when the students decided to go buck wild, and innocent playing (with blocks, tinker-toys, and plastic farm animals) became a chasm of discipline with hurricane force winds, and a liberal amount of child-ish rough-housing, where "we were just playing around" turns into sobbing messes of students who got their faces accidentally scratched, their heads accidentally hit, and the occasional stomach kick, just for teaching experience good measure of course.

Did I mention there were only 9 kids in the class. Oh, and 3 para's, and...it was first grade, and, um I was only with the kids for about 2 hours.

Yeah,

I'd like to chalk the occasional moments of pandemonium up to my inexperience, the fact that whenever a sub is in the room students usually push the behavioral envelope, and maybe the kids were just having an 'off' day.

I wish I could chalk all my mistakes up to 'off' days.