4 weeks down

And 11 to go. It still is an up and down ride. Thing is, it's the age-old tradition of kids testing their new teachers, or substitutes, or adults in general. You have to show them who's boss, not back down, be consistent, be fair, and eventually they will snap to it. In the meantime though I am exhausted and grumpy at the end of every day. It's not pleasant handing out warnings and time outs, it's frustrating taking away privileges and having to stop a lesson to discuss respect and responsibility, it's annoying that this happens every day. But it's all necessary and it's not just me.

I'm not exaggerating when I say exhausted. Last Monday I went to bed at 6:30 p.m. Thursday night I went to bed at 7:00 p.m. Last night, Friday night, I went to bed at 8:00 p.m. Bone weary, folks.

And every week I take over a little more of the class. So far it's morning routine, transitions, math, and reading. Next week I take over science. My weekends are therefore getting busier and busier, and so are my evenings and early mornings. This gig is tough. My mentor teacher said she wouldn't be surprised if I end up in the business sector again! HA HA. She was teasing me, but she said she did have a student teacher once who taught for one year and then went into banking.

Me? I'm going to marry a rich old dude on his death bed, end up in court fighting his children for his fortune, have my reality TV show on E!, and cause a big spectacle. Oh. Wait.