Adventures in subbing

One of the drawbacks of substitute teaching is that I have no guarantee of working every day.  Such is the case today, and why I have time to write a blog in the middle of the day ☺.
There are three school districts where I do the majority of my subbing, and one school within each district where I tend to do the majority of my subbing for that district.
The school in District A is the school where I taught my first year.  It was only a half time teaching job, but I loved it and I loved the school.  Of course, I couldn't continue to work half time and try to make it on my own, so I left that job at the end of my first year.  I've missed it ever since.  I now enjoy going back to visit!  So much has changed since I worked there several years ago, but sometimes it's like I never left!  I enjoy that feeling!  Oh, and it's fun to see and hear about my former students!  I taught special education preschool, so my students were only 3-5 years old back then!  My students who were older, and getting ready to go to kindergarten after our year together are now in middle school (eek, I feel old!), but many of my younger students who still live in the district are still at the elementary school.  The other day, I saw one of those students in the hall.  Way back when she was in my classroom, she was one of my bigger "behavior issue" kids.  Now, she functions perfectly well in her general education class!  I love hearing that!  She looks exactly the same as she did at 3, just a lot taller!
District B's school is a school I had never stepped foot in until I started subbing there in January.  On this first day at the school, I was subbing in a first grade classroom with a student teacher (there's a funny story that goes with this classroom and the student teacher, but I'll save that for another time ☺).  At some point during that morning, the school secretary popped her head in our classroom and asked us if one of us could pop in to the special education classroom next door in a few minutes to check on them.  One of the students, I'll call him Tom, was having a major behavioral meltdown.  So, a couple of minutes later, I stepped out of our classroom to go check on this teacher and the student.  The secretary was running back to the room, so, of course, I ran after her (if someone is running, it must be urgent).  Turns out one of the students had completely destroyed the room by throwing anything and everything he could get his hands on across the room (and at the teacher) and by the time the secretary and I got there, he was being restraint on the floor by the teacher and the principal.  Luckily, all of the other students were in the cafeteria for lunch during this "crisis", so they were all safe.  When they finished lunch, however, it was still not safe for them to come back into this classroom, so it was off to the computer lab for them.  For the next hour or so, the para pro and I did our best to keep these kids calm (kids with autism plus changes in the schedule can cause lots of stress and meltdowns) and occupied on the computers until Tom was sent home and the room was put back enough to allow the students to come back.  Ever since I helped them out with this "crisis", I've been requested quite a bit at this school!  I love the school, so I'm always happy to sub there!
And District C...Well, I've interviewed countless times for teaching jobs at District C, but I never get the job.  I thought subbing there might give me the foot in the door I need (actually, I'm hoping for the foot in the door for every district I sub with).  I got a call from the subbing coordinator at this district just a day or two after I submitting my application to sub.  She told me that the head of personnel (the woman who has conducted every interview I've had at this district, and knows me so well, we never have to do introductions anymore) saw my application in the pile and requested that mine be pulled to the top so I could be called right away (good sign right??).  The first time I subbed for this district, I was in a 5th grade classroom just for a half day assignment. The teacher I was to be subbing for was in the building, she just had to test students throughout the morning.  So, after she was finished testing, and the students had gone to lunch or special class (I can't remember which), we got to talking a bit.  She is a great teacher and does terrific things with her classes.  And I, who never wanted to teach any grade higher than second, now want to teach fifth grade!  I love her ideas so much, and think it would be so fun to use these ideas in my own classroom!  Thanks to this teacher spreading my name around with her fellow teachers, I have been called in to sub for several different teachers within the district, but that school (and her classroom) remain my favorite!

Now, cross your fingers that I'll get a job for tomorrow! ☺