Back to the Grind

Now that the semester is over, I can devote myself to full-time substitute teaching for 3 weeks, until school gets out. It's not an exciting prospect, but it pays the bills. I've experienced a couple of noteworthy events already:

• In a stats class I filled in for, the kids were playing craps. I can see where statistics come into play in that game, but I'm not sure I'd make it part of my lesson plan. Anyway, there was a dispute over the rules, so I went to look them up online. However, the school's internet filter blocks gambling sites. I thought it was ironic that we were doing something in the classroom that is off limits on the internet.

• I filled in for resource reading today, which is basically remedial reading. I thought the story selections in the textbook were odd. Here are synopses of the two we read:

1. Kid is going to wrestling meet, but he hates wrestling, so he imagines ways to incapacitate himself. Ideas included bending a finger back, banging his head against a wall, and suicide. But he eventually goes through with the match, and is absolutely destroyed. But he wasn't too upset that he sucks.
2. 19th century boys become friends, but Dan has a mean dad. Dan's dad starts stealing gold from other miners in town. Willie follows Dan up a mountain, and they end up in a mine with the stolen gold. Dad shows up and threatens to cave the mine in if the kids don't come out with the gold. Kids escape through alternate exit and mine collapses on dad. Dan gives gold back to original owners.
   

On Friday, I sub in a French class. Do I know any French? Non!