The kids are getting taller. I even remember some of their names.
On Tuesday, my first day back, I was sent out as an instructional assistant to a classroom of kindergartners. The kids were fun as always, but there is also a sense of the repetitive with the littles. The kids were being slowly familiarized with the school's method of assigning work and having the school's representatives check on the results. I was paired with a somewhat cantankerous four-year-old with attention issues and a pacifier. It's hard to outwit such a child, and keep them from making too much noise, but I tried.
With other teaching assistants, I supervised kindergartner lunch and watched the kids play. Several kids were trying to find suitable roles for helping the adults. One girl I recall from last school year, almost too ethereal to be on this plane of existence, assigned herself the task of catching kids coming down the slide so no one would get hurt. She was just trying to help. We'll all get through recess together.
Afterwards, at my lunch, I found a convenient picnic table for my sandwich. Away in the distance, from the playground swings, I heard a familiar voice: "Hey, Old Man! Old Man! Look, there he is!" It was one of my biggest fans among the older students. I jumped up, theatrically ran around in a little circle, then ran away, and hid. There will be time enough for him later.
In the afternoon, I watched the kindergartners at recess and also after school. I talked with a new teaching assistant and compared notes with an older one. I supervised play and started to become familiar with some of the new kindergartners. One girl left without her bracelet and I hope to return it to her sometime soon. I was so tired, and I began making mistakes. It was time to go home.
On Wednesday, I was assigned to be Substitute Teacher for one of the Upper Elementary teachers, on a short day. I worry about being Substitute Teacher, because there is a lot than go wrong, but the long-time instructional assistant, and another instructional assistant assigned to one student, knew exactly what to do, so there were few difficulties. It also helped that I already knew about a quarter of the students from playground and lunchroom and classroom supervision last school year. The biggest problem of the day was an unexpected fire drill. All the classes filed out onto the playground. I did not have the sense to bring the class roster to take attendance, but the instructional assistant did, and so that was good. No one was lost.
A lot of work coming up this school year!
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