Pleasant Surprise

I guess I'm having one of those weeks.  I didn't much want to work today, but I wasn't about to turn down the offered job when the sub caller called.  She said "special ed".  I understood what it actually was--the learning center.

I grumbled to myself as I got ready.  I wasn't in the mood for the learning center.  It is a special ed room, but there are five teachers in there.  Each teaches for two or three periods (usually in a different classroom), and then for the rest of the day they hang out in the learning center, helping kids who need extra help with their work.

It's not a bad gig.  It's just a bit awkward.  We subs aren't given keys to the other rooms, so we have to find someone to open those doors.  Then during the periods we're in the learning center, the kids either don't want our help (they'd rather have the help of those teachers that they know) or we do more of the assignment than they do.

I spent so much time dreading the day that I got out of the house late.

Traffic was a pain.  It normally isn't too bad that early in the morning, but this morning I seemed to attract the worst drivers.  Figures.

I got to school later than normal, but still early enough.  I checked in with the secretary.  Then, in passing she said, "And today is a minimum day.  Open House is tonight."

Minimum day!  Score!

Suddenly, I couldn't stop smiling.  I had had no idea.  (This was on the calendar, but since every school's open house is on a different day, I stopped keeping track of which was when.)

I didn't even mind that the teacher I was in for turned out to be a leslacker (term from this funny book).