Tuesday. Digital art.
I arrived to the classroom to find the teacher there. It was an art meeting day where Mr. L was going to be close by, just out of class. This is not the first time I've encountered this setup. Just this school year I've done this five or six times. (There was math day, science day, and history day. Across different campuses.)
Mr. L informed me that he'd be there for the first ten minutes of class to get the kiddos going. And then he'd go back to his meeting.
No problem. Again, I've encountered this situation before.
The first block was a conference, so I covered a different class. I returned for the second block. and Mr. L wasn't around. No problem. I knew the gist of the assignment.
Oh, the kiddos were thrilled Mr. L was out. I did warn them he planned to drop in, though.
I started to explain things, and that's when Mr. L appeared. He went over what they had to do. He took roll. And then he went back to his meeting.
For ten minutes.
Mr. L returned. He had gotten leave to do the purchase orders he needed to do in the classroom.
Uh...
I mean, I'm there. I can watch the kiddos work.
Anyway, throughout the day, Mr. L was in the class more than he was at his meeting. While I was kind of needed for those moments he was out of class, those windows got shorter and shorter.
By 8th period, he didn't leave at all. (He told me that the teachers went out to lunch. He didn't want to go. So he remained in his classroom.)
I was not needed.
(There were a couple teachers not covered, hence why I had a class to cover on the conference. Things would have been so much better if I had taken one of those classes leaving Mr. L's classes to be period subbed. Since he was mostly there. But hindsight is 20/20.)
With about a half hour left in the day, Mr. L told me I could go home. So I did.
I mean, it was an easy day. But I felt pretty useless. Sigh. Better than some of the difficult days I've had.
Yeah, it's kind of odd to be hanging around doing nothing. Mr. L seems like he has a hard time leaving his classroom!
ReplyDeleteIt was a very odd day.
DeleteWell, you got paid for not doing much anyway! I'm surprised he stayed in the room during his lunch period.
ReplyDeleteSome teachers do. I would have thought he'd enjoy a change from his usual, but no.
DeleteThat's sounds a bit frustrating. But at least it was an easy day.
ReplyDeleteAn odd day indeed
ReplyDeleteYup.
DeleteNothing worse because I imagine it was rather boring. Not like you could pull up a chair and read a book while Mr L was in the class.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he wasn't sure how much of the meeting he'd be able to get out of and thought he would be gone a lot more. He was probably pretty happy not to spend all day in a meeting!
ReplyDeleteI think the school requested the subs and told the teachers they'd have to go to the meeting.
DeleteTake these days and enjoy…kinda. You will have difficult days ahead of you again…as you know.
ReplyDeleteThe very next day, as it turned out :)
DeleteHindsight is 20/20, so true!
ReplyDeleteYup.
DeleteKind of a strange meeting Mr. L was attending? I would have been restless, too, in your shoes - but yes, it was a day to rest up for the not-so-easy days that are sure to come.
ReplyDeleteThey do this thing where the department meets to plan curriculum. Apparently, part of what the art department was doing was purchase orders. Because they need supplies. The other teachers used this to be out of their classes for the day. But not Mr. L...
DeleteStrange day indeed. Sounds like Mr. L was skipping out on the conference as much as possible and hiding out in his classroom.
ReplyDeleteI think you nailed it.
Delete