Are You Trustworthy?

Today I was called in error to an elementary school. I was kept busy doing yard duty and making photocopies. At one point I was shuffled off to the office to help the secretary. She had nothing for me to do but answer the phone. I mostly sat and stared out the window.

There was a stack of parent surveys next to the phone. As I rifled through these I found one that had notes in the margin from an angry parent. “The awards ceremony was a farce!” her words began. “Giving awards for trustworthiness implies that anyone who did not get an award is not trustworthy. Hold on to your hand bags,” she concluded.

Change the game

Today, in a third grade class, we were playing “Around the World” with multiplication cards. One student did not want to play and was falling off his chair and attempting other antics to attract attention.

I was enjoying the game and his behavior wasn’t really bothering me. But it was bothering other students and they kept calling my name and pointing to the aberrant child. Finally I made him go stand outside.

The teacher came back and said the same thing happened the last time there was a sub. And to the same kid! That’s when I realized it was a game that all the class enjoyed. How long would it take the sub to kick Johnny out?

Now I want to change the game. Here’s how I plan to do it. Next time a student interrupts the class to report on the misbehavior of another student, I will point out that calling out is an inappropriate behavior.

I will explain that Johnny falling off his chair does not annoy me. But people who interrupt me to tell me that Johnny is falling off his chair do annoy me. Then I will ask the name of the tattler. And explain that if he keeps on interrupting the class I will put his name on the board.

Of course this will cause much yelling and objection because that is not the way their teacher does it. What I hope to accomplish is complete isolation of Johnny. It sounds like a fun experiment.

Gangs

November isn’t starting out so good for this old substitute teacher. I may be losing my tolerance. But I’ve had to face way too many belligerent children. At one high school, a group of Spanish speaking boys just refused to do anything other than read the newspaper. And when they were finished reading, they wadded up the paper and began throwing it across the room.

I felt doomed when I realized I could not give them the books that were required for the assignment. The teacher had locked up the books and forgotten to leave me a key. The students began grumbling in Spanish. They shouted across their seats to one another and then laughed. It was frustrating for me because I did not know what they were saying.

The teacher had left some photocopies of the reading material, which had to be signed out. I tried to explain this to the students but they feigned ignorance of English. I had heard them speaking English so I knew this was a lie.

Finally I gave a referral to the ringleader who sat in the back with his arms folded, barking commands at the other boys. He signed the referral but refused to leave the classroom. Meanwhile, I called security about three times and kept getting a recording.

The whole situation was absolutely deranged. The students began throwing the wads of paper at me! One hit the wall behind me. I finally got through to the secretary and I shouted into the phone, “I am afraid for my physical safety.”

The security guard came down and lectured the students. There was, at this point, a half hour left of the two-hour class.

Riding the Bus

Getting to work without a car was my learning project for fall classes beginning in late August 2006. I was used to getting ready for work, getting calls and leaving. The calls would arrive about 45 minutes before I had to leave the house. But without a car, I found I couldn’t get to the school on time.

It takes about two hours to get to some places that I could drive to in 45 minutes. So for a while I was in panic mode. But then I remembered you could call ahead of time and schedule jobs. I just never had to do this before. Now I call up days ahead and am working more than I ever did before.

Just riding the bus is an adventure in itself! I have to leave my house at 5:45! There are lots of challenging experiences to face on the bus. People who are economically deprived hang around bus terminals and ask for money. Some of the excuses for why they need the money are quite creative. “Can I have a dollar to ride the bus? I have to go see my mother in the hospital. She’s dying of AIDS.” I usually get asked for money about three times a week.

Sometimes though, when I see the other people on the bus always going their same places, my eyes choke up with tears. I am always going to a different place and that makes me feel so free! I exhale in relief. I am so free.

Summer School 2006

I was fortunate enough to get some summer subbing work at an adult education school. The kids who are about to graduate but are short a few credits go there. The ones who went in the summer were pretty relaxed. Going back there again in the fall, I find the kids to be pushy and demanding. Panic has set in: after going to school for twelve years, they discover they might not graduate.

Requirements have toughened up during their lifetimes. They find they must take exit exams now. When they started school back in 1994, No Child Left Behind didn’t exist. So should today’s graduating students be exposed to these new rules?

Parking problems

Found a note on my car asking me not to park in spaces 107-110 as they were assigned to Office of Education employees. But I am one! Alas, no one knows who I am. When you travel about from one school to another, there is no continuity.

I remember meeting “I’m with COE,” she said, delighted with herself. All bright-penny new she was. She was an initiate in some experimental position as a teacher’s aide for the special kids who needed individual attention and she got an assigned parking spot. Woo hoo.

If you called COE (County Office of Education) they would not know who I was. And yet, they send me my paychecks!

Since the last time I worked at that school, the parking rules had changed. Subs used to park in the high numbered spaces. But now the school has assigned those to COE employees. But nobody told the subs! Subs are in some black hole. One might reach in there and pull one of us out whenever needed.

The Lean Times

It is very quiet in the house – waiting for the phone to ring. The sound of a phone not ringing results in lost wages for a substitute teacher. First there was no work because of Spring Break. Now there is no work because of STAR testing. How does the Office of Education expect people to survive?

I feel very rejected and unwanted. And that I am! But starting out at Macy’s or some other retail job, I will earn the same as what I get as a substitute teacher, but I will have to work more hours to get it. Also, both salaries are below the poverty line. The poverty line in my county is $30,000. I make $14,000.

The days drag by. No money. I walk everywhere to save gas. Gas has gone up $.55 a gallon in one month. From $2.73 on April 4 to $3.19 when I last purchased on April 27, it is now $3.28 a gallon. There is no money coming in for another week. After I pay my bills I will have $14 left for food.

I have been getting free food from a food bank. Basically I am standing in a bread line once a week. I am out of eggs, but they don’t give away much protein at the food bank. I can have Slim Jims for breakfast with some very old, very dry toast. And then peanut butter on old bread for lunch. They did distribute apples last week and red peppers. So I’ll get some vitamins there.

It’s difficult not being able to invite your family over for dinner. All the good times are gone now. The best way to get them back would be to work two jobs, 7 days a week. Alas, you would have no time to entertain!

I feel confident. Like I might get a call to sub tomorrow. The fact is I have become extremely psychic about when I am going to work.
I did get a call!

Now it has become a challenge to make it to payday. I will use newspapers for toilet paper and have beans for breakfast. This morning I had two pieces of toast. I noticed that the bread was moldy and I had to cut off the ends. But what do you want for free?

President Bush says the economy is fine. New jobs were added. And investment is high. But what kind of jobs? WalMart? And investors, well, those are the rich people at the top who always seem to have money.

It’s about willpower for me. To get by with less. How can this be a good economy? I can’t go anywhere this weekend because I have only enough gas to last until payday. I would like to rent the next episode of “Lost” and get some wine and biscotti. Maybe some microwave popcorn! But instead I will watch TV. and eat nothing.

Today I am going to walk over to McDonald’s and steal some napkins! I just used my last paper towel. I notice they don’t leave many accoutrements out anymore, like butter. I could use some butter.

Finally payday arrives. But it is only enough to pay rent and buy some food. A lot of money was taken out for retirement. I never signed up for retirement. I can’t pay my phone or car insurance. I am now a criminal because I don’t have enough money. If I drive my car without insurance I am breaking the law. How will I get to work? If I don’t get to work I will become even poorer.

Poverty is a crime! And there’s a war on poverty! Huh?