Subbing Fun

I had an opportunity to sub again today, which is always such a pleasure because there's a big part of me that still misses teaching.  When I talk to people about it, I have to admit that I didn't anticipate missing teaching as much as I do!  I really believed that I was done, but I guess I just needed to stop doing it for a bit, try something new, and learn more about what God wants me to do with my life.  That could be a whole entry for another day!  

Of course, I miss teaching my subjects (English and math) because when it comes to things like Social Studies, I don't really know much.  The 8th graders started the section on Pakistan and Bangladesh, and I really didn't have much to say when going over the notes with them.  The only thing I could think of was singing, "Diwali is a festival of lights ... let me tell you something ... tonight has been one crazy night!  So put on your saris ... it's time to celebrate Diwali ... " but I don't think any of them would understand I was referring to Michael Scott on The Office!

I also had to cover preps for two of the elementary school classes, so I had the option of doing work that the teachers assigned or do my own craft project, so of course I decided to do some paper crafts with them!  With the 2nd grade class, I did the quick Bible lesson that the teacher wanted me to do and then I showed them how to make the mini pizza box (Splitcoaststampers tutorial).  I had done it with the 3rd/4th grade class back in November and gave them mini cards to put inside so that they could write notes to their friends and family the way my mom used to leave notes for me in my lunch box as a surprise.  Since I didn't have the full period, I didn't get to use the mats I cut for the notes or let them choose stamps.  I still love showing them how a flat piece of paper can be turned into a 3-D object.

With the 3rd/4th grade class, I showed them how to make a little gift bag (Splitcoaststampers tutorial).  They had a few issues putting it together, which I had anticipated, so I had to go around and help them with the steps.  I punched holes at the top and used ribbon to tie it together.  While I assembled boxes, they were decorating 2 white squares to put on both sides of the little bag.  I didn't get a chance to snap a picture of one that was actually completed, so this will have to do.

At the end of the day, I finally gave two of the teachers a project that I had the 3rd/4th grade kids work on back in November when I subbed for three days in an row.  I had used my Sizzix page die to punch out pages with 3 holes and used rings to link them together.  I gave pages to the kids to write notes to their teachers to show their appreciation for all that they do.  I allowed them to choose stamps to decorate the pages and color in too.  They had a lot of fun that day and were super secretive because I told them it was going to be a surprise.  I told them to be specific in their thanks, and it was so cute how one kid wrote a sentence in appreciation of how the teacher wears such cool boots every day!  So adorable!  I snapped a quick picture of my two [former] colleagues when they were reading through the notes during dismissal.  

Despite my constant yawning all day (I slept late because I stayed up cutting paper for the craft projects), I was fairly energized throughout each period.  It was especially nice being able to sub on a Friday because that meant my mom and I could stop by a store on the way home without worrying about the next work day.  I asked if we could make a stop at Michaels, but I'll do a separate haul post of my new goodies!

On the drive home, I was a little thrown off when I saw from afar an ambulance seemingly floating in the air!  When I stopped at a red light under the overpass, I snapped a quick picture.  No, I do not use my phone when I'm driving, but I do keep it in my bag in the passenger seat so that I could have easy access to it in case of an emergency.  Just wanted to clarify that because people who text while driving scare me!

The end of the day was extra pleasant because Howard was already home when I got home.  Yay!  I was craving our favorite pasta, so we cooked it together.  Well, we were cooking it together until I got a steam burn that still hurts now.  Ouch.  Oh well, my stomach was happy with the pasta!