who knew

Who knew that I would be working today? I didn't get called until about 8:30 AM, and usually by then, the show's been over for hours.

Who knew I would end up working pretty close to home, which is a rarity?

Who knew I would get to mock teenagers smoking across the street from school (one of my favorite past times)?

Who knew that I would end up working with two people that I have ties to? One woman was related to a math teacher whose students I used to work with, and another guy is someone I knew in college. (Can I get a round of "It's a Small World After All?")

What a funny world!

Today was an interesting day. It was one of the most extreme levels of Special Ed on the placement continuum (this is about the last stop before you go to specialized settings and placements), which means that it's really hard to be effective as a total stranger coming in because you don't know the kids or their protocols, so for about half the day I was just trying to figure everyone out. As a sub you tend to feel kinda useless for awhile when you walk into these situations, but by mid-day I was starting to get a feel for what was going on. It's times like these that you realize, as a sub, that sometimes your main purpose there is to be another pair of eyes and you are more or less there to help supervise so people can take the breaks, or get some other stuff done. As a sub, these are both the most basic, yet most difficult kind of jobs to pick up because they call for maximum flexibility and observational dexterity. No matter how many lifeskills classes I may have worked in before, each one is completely different, no two kids are ever the same, no two programs are run the same way, the mix of personalities is highly variable, and no two days are the same even in the same classroom with the same kids. So you really are there just to go along for the ride. Fortunately, that's something I'm pretty good at by now...

Ironically, when I got home, I found out that Margo couldn't get a sub in her classroom today...too bad I didn't know she needed one. I would have totally gone. She's got a tough crowd, so I would imagine that this happens to her a lot. There's not many people out there who have what it takes or necessarily prefer these kinds of assignments. I should really see about getting the school to call me directly if they can...I'd be happy to fill in.