This last week I had the opportunity to substitute teach at the school where I used to teach. I even got to teach subjects I used to teach - Algebra II, Earth Science, Physical Science, and Biology.
The first day wasn't so bad - I gave tests in three of the classes, which, while it might have been a strain on them, was very little strain on me. The second day I came home exhausted. It wasn't that it was a hard day, or that the kids misbehaved, or anything like that. It really was probably a much easier day than my average day when I was teaching. I just had forgotten how very much talking is required in teaching. I think I talked more that day - explaining concepts, answering questions - than I had talked in the proceeding three months. And I must admit that I find that much talking rather exhausting. It was a lovely day, but I was glad to go home and sit in my room and say nothing to anybody for a while.
By the end of the week I think I had become more accustomed to the amount of talking required and was able to feel less exhausted.
All in all it was a fun week.
*I got to work in the new building that they just moved into. The science room has actual windows, and it's 90 degrees in the afternoon. It is, believe me, an unbelievable huge improvement over the last science room. It also has better storage and an emergency eye wash/shower station. And hopefully someday it will have actual lab benches with Bunsen burners and the like.
* I got to see a few of my old students...though most of them have graduated. And I got to teach a few students I knew from when they were in the elementary grades. My how fast they grow. And I got to meet a few new ones. They were all pretty great.
* I got to do a few labs. Play with water bottle rockets. Test acids and bases. Learn about pigments in leaves. Figure out how respiration and photosynthesis work in a plant. Graph results and analyze data. Ah, how I've missed those days.
If you've never tried it, I really would recommend teaching as a line of work. All in all, I still think it's just about the best job a person can have.
The first day wasn't so bad - I gave tests in three of the classes, which, while it might have been a strain on them, was very little strain on me. The second day I came home exhausted. It wasn't that it was a hard day, or that the kids misbehaved, or anything like that. It really was probably a much easier day than my average day when I was teaching. I just had forgotten how very much talking is required in teaching. I think I talked more that day - explaining concepts, answering questions - than I had talked in the proceeding three months. And I must admit that I find that much talking rather exhausting. It was a lovely day, but I was glad to go home and sit in my room and say nothing to anybody for a while.
By the end of the week I think I had become more accustomed to the amount of talking required and was able to feel less exhausted.
All in all it was a fun week.
*I got to work in the new building that they just moved into. The science room has actual windows, and it's 90 degrees in the afternoon. It is, believe me, an unbelievable huge improvement over the last science room. It also has better storage and an emergency eye wash/shower station. And hopefully someday it will have actual lab benches with Bunsen burners and the like.
* I got to see a few of my old students...though most of them have graduated. And I got to teach a few students I knew from when they were in the elementary grades. My how fast they grow. And I got to meet a few new ones. They were all pretty great.
* I got to do a few labs. Play with water bottle rockets. Test acids and bases. Learn about pigments in leaves. Figure out how respiration and photosynthesis work in a plant. Graph results and analyze data. Ah, how I've missed those days.
If you've never tried it, I really would recommend teaching as a line of work. All in all, I still think it's just about the best job a person can have.
No comments:
Post a Comment