Thank goodness for spring vacation!

I know, I know, it's been a while since I posted. I've been pretty busy and/or tired the whole time, however. First off, in case anyone was worried that I was seriously ill, no, it turned out to be a very low-grade cold or somesuch. It did not, thank goodness, turn into the full-blown flu that was going around. It did, however, make me feel just lousy enough to feel crummy most of the time, and I even took a day off to get some rest.

But anyway, now it's spring vacation — sort of. See, the two districts I work in have their breaks on different weeks this year, and so I'm sort of staggering it out. I spent most of last week working in one district (the closer one that also pays better), so that I could take a few days off this week. However, since last Friday was a teachers-only work day, and I ended up with only a half day last Thursday, and I'm likely going to have to take some time off in a couple of weeks to get some dental work done (new crown — I already have the temporary one on right now, at least), I'd like to get at least a couple of days in the other district. (Are you following this? Do you really care?) So I'll see what I can do about getting jobs at least Thursday and Friday, and if something good comes up tomorrow as well, I'll take it.

So, what have I been up to? Lots of requests, mostly math and science, but I also got an elementary PE job (that one half-day last week). I also actually got a call for an elementary job, which rarely happens any more. It turned out to be pretty interesting, as my plans for the fifth grade class were very thorough and complete for the morning, but very sketchy for the afternoon. Of course, the plans failed to mention that this class had a student teacher for the afternoon. Sweet! But wait! One of the fourth grade teachers came back that day after being out two weeks with the flu, and it turned out to be a day or two early, as she didn't make it through the day. So I ended up taking the fourth graders for the afternoon, and the poor student teacher had to fly solo. It was a little hectic, but for the most part it all went well.

This is actually a pretty interesting time of year to sub, since just about everybody in the class knows what to do, and I don't usually have to do much except tell them what's next. I had a two day assignment at one junior high last week where pretty much all I had to do was take roll. By the time I was done, they'd already started in with what they needed to do. Even the one "bad" class was terrific, and the usually-less-than-cooperative students quickly got their stuff, checked in with me, and headed off to where they were doing their thing in other rooms! Yes, a well-run class is a thing of beauty, and I've been doing some reading on how I can create such a room myself. Now, if only the library wasn't so efficient in finding the books I want to borrow and getting them to me, I could finish this book...

Oh, yeah, and I'm working on some job applications. Some of these districts that use online applications need to make sure that they're working all right, however, as I've encountered some technical hitches. We shall see what happens. I have to keep reminding myself that it's still early, and I shouldn't worry that I haven't heard from anyone yet (except the one district that already turned me down — I guess they don't anticipate any need for math teachers this year). Some districts aren't even advertising openings for next year yet. So if I can squeeze out an application or two each week, I should be all right. But man, it sure would be easier if I could get some interviews now...