one small corner of the universe

If you go back and read my May entries from 2005 and 2006 you’ll notice a pattern. It’s quite similar to the one that is developing for May 2007. I don’t blog much in May. Not only is it a–how shall I say nicely?–trying time in the public schools, but it’s also the time of year when my graduate classes are ending and I’m scrambling to get my final assignments turned in. I’m happy to report that I did indeed submit my final assignment yesterday, but not so happy to report that I am covering yet another class during my planning period. The teacher left plans that required me to instruct the students–in Spanish! In 11 years of teaching I have never left sub plans that asked a substitute teacher to actually teach my classes, and as a sub-for-the-morning, I’m refusing to teach this class. It’s a small class–10 kids in all–and as long as they are not fighting or having sex my job here is done. Most of them are working on other assignments, but one girl is plucking her facial hair with amazing speed, and some of them are playing poker. Perhaps I should join them. That’s the only way I would get paid for my time in this classroom.

Believe it or not, I didn’t intend to bitch about work today. It just happens. My intention was to explain my absence, an explanation I have offered twice before. Please don’t go away, and in fact, if you’d like to help me out, please suggest post topics as it is much easier for me to work from an assignment than to be insightful and creative all on my own.