Rays of Summer: Movies and Recess

One week to go. Five instructional days left. The school is coming to an end and summer, with its lazy days and endless nights, is approaching. And the teachers know it.

The rumor is the best lesson plans come at the end. Is it true?

“Are you here for Ms. E?” The secretary asks.

“Yes”

“You’ve been saved,” she says, “Ms. E could not go on the field trip because we could not get enough substitutes for the eight grade classes. Instead, I have a spot for you in the sixth grade today. Ms. V’s class is sweet and won’t give you a hard time.”

“And Ms. E’s class?”

“There are not so sweet. Trust me, you’ve been saved.” The secretary reassures me.

The end of the school year means mor field trips–more field trips mean more choices in teaching positions. More teaching positions mean steady work. Steady work is always a good thing, especially when it means you do not have to work in the most challanging classes. It is not that I shy from a good challange, but good classes become bad with the scent of summer in the air. And bad classes, well, you do not want to know what a bad class becomes.

Upon walking into the class, I find the lessons plans. I skim it. “No Language Arts Today” is bolded at the top. “EXTENDED RECESS” is listed twice in all caps. Ms. V also wants to show “Ray” and have the students write a paragraph in their journals, “if time always”. It seems that Ms. V does not expect her sweethearts to do much by way of work with only a week to go before summer.

That is fine with me, I guess.

Instead of teaching, I am babysitting this class for six hours. When I was a student, movie days were a welcome break. We were always gaurenteed to have a non-educational movie that had a least some foul language. Unfortunately, I have grown up. Now, I think movie days are a waste of time. And the foul lanuage? Well, it is still there and it makes me blush.

Ultimately, for an easy babysitting assignment, teach in the last two weeks of school. You will have time to watch movies, read, and write entries for Substitute Guru–like me.