Last week I made the decision (while writing last Monday's post) to rip out that second side and start over. I got it fully frogged and restarted when it was finally time to leave. And while I did some work on it on the plane, I'm not quite to where it was before I ripped it out.
(Sorry about the background. I did not pack my off-white fabric that I use for photos.)
Ta-da! Flat.
Of course, I ended up ripping it back a bit on the first leg of my flight. And when I arrived. But I've still made some solid progress.
Now I'm eyeing the first side...
I may rip it back a couple rounds. I'm not sure. I'll see how it goes.
My sister-in-law is impressed with it thus far. I'm not sure how I'm going to make it sweater-shaped, but that's not at issue at the moment. Getting this oval to lie flat is. But at least I got some good feedback.
My crochet companions so far have been Shadow...
...who became fascinated with the yarn and leapt on it (and on me). I yelped and jumped. His claws were out, but he didn't scratch me.
And then there was Delilah...
...who basically just wants attention.
I haven't gotten pictures of Winter or Calliope (the other cats) or Artemis (the other dog) yet. It's been a timing thing.
So, sort of progress, but since I'm out of town and not on my usual schedule, I don't know how much I'm actually going to accomplish. But hey, I didn't leave it at home, so it will be more than if I had left the yarn behind.
This summer's quizzes have a theme: the colors. Quizly did a series of quizzes with one question. Of the choices, only one is the color of the quiz. Today we're looking at blue.
I lucked out with this one and got 20 out of 20. Is blue easier than the other colors? Or were the other choices just more obvious? I knew quite a few of them, but a couple of them were lucky guesses.
How did you do? Are you an expert on blue? Let me know in the comments.
I am getting on a plane today (or I'm on a plane or I'm getting off a plane, depending on when you read this). I am going to visit my brother and his family in Ohio for several days. (They have internet and I am taking my computer with me. I'll be around the blogosphere, although I may not be checking in daily.) So, in honor of my travel day, I thought it would be fun to find the top 13 U.S. airports. Yes, this is a Thursday 13.
You've noticed it, right? In Blogger blogs, the first line of the first paragraph starts a space over.
It's a minor thing, but it bugs me. Why does it do that? How can I fix it?
I don't have an answer to the first question. Not the "why?" anyway. But I do know how it's happening.
If you open a new blank blog post, you're greeted by a blank template. Before you do anything, switch from "Compose view" to "HTML view".
click on the image to make it bigger
And you'll notice there's already some code on your page:
click on the image to make it bigger
It's basically gibberish. It's just some placeholders in between code that means "paragraph". If you look in your toolbar, it'll show "Paragraph" rather than "Normal". "Paragraph" means when you hit the "Enter" key on your keyboard, a gap of a whole line is left after your previous paragraph.
(If you want to use "Normal", that line isn't left, and you have to hit "Enter" again to get that space.)
If you try to delete that code, in Compose view it'll go back to "Normal". If you hit the back button to delete that space in Compose view, things go wonky.
So, most bloggers just leave the space in. But you don't have to.
The way to get rid of the space is to begin the post. If you start with writing, start writing. When you hit "Enter" to get a new paragraph, begin writing the new paragraph.
Only after you have started a second paragraph can you go back to your first word and hit "Backspace" to eliminate that space.
Yes, I know. It's an annoying extra step. But it's the only thing I've found that works.
But what if you start with an image?
If you upload an image using the picture icon in the toolbar, an extra line of space is added to the top of your blog post.
I have not had luck in hitting backspace before the image to make the extra line go away. (If you have, please leave how you get it to work in the comments.) But I can make that extra space disappear by deleting the first paragraph code (in "HTML view") after I've uploaded the image.
If you delete everything highlighted in gray, that space goes away. Be very careful to get both "p"s and the carrots on either side.
When you go back to "Compose view", your post will be back in "Normal". But if you click on the arrow, you can switch it back to "Paragraph", and it'll stick.
Of course, if you haven't noticed this issue and it doesn't bother you, feel free to ignore this post. But things like that irritate me, so I take the time to make sure I don't have that space.
What about you? Do you eliminate the space? Have you never noticed? Or are you on a different blogging platform and don't have the problem? (Or do you know a better way to fix this?)
I haven't really been following the news lately. So much bad news. But, there is some good.
This clip from Rachel Maddow's show last week talks about all the things that are good about having a bad president. Mainly, his incompetence is making it harder for his policies to be implemented.
I mean... not great. But it's something. Keep pushing back. It's us pushing back that's helping.
And right now both are about the same size. Woo-hoo!
But now I have a dilemma. Do I rip back the second side in an effort to tame the wave? Or do I wait?
Normally, I would have ripped this back days ago. But in three days I'm getting on a plane, and I'll see the recipient of the finished sweater (whenever it actually gets finished). And at that time, I can measure it against her.
Although, I have hours on a plane. With nothing to do. I might just have the time to redo what I rip out...
I mean, I was trying to make sure the second side followed the increase pattern of the first, but we saw how that came out. I could instead just do what I did for the first, and see how flat it lies as I figure out which increases to do.
The more I write this out, the more I like this plan. It makes sense.
My mind is whirling. While I may talk myself out of this, it's more likely that by the time you read this, that second side will be completely frogged, and I'll be working my way back.
As I'll be travelling, next Monday's post may or may not be up-to-date. (I've written most of the posts for while I'm away. I'll be checking in. But Monday's posts may or may not appear. I haven't decided yet.)
A funny thing happened over the last few months. The quiz site I currently use, Quizly, did a kind of series of quizzes about color. 'Round about the third color, I thought about making them this summer's quizzes.
Each quiz has one question 20-ish times. Which of the following choices are in the color of the quiz? This is both easier and harder than you think. In some cases I figured it out through process of elimination. I knew the others weren't, so the last one had to be. In some cases I did know which was the right color. And in the rest of them, I wasn't entirely sure.
I hope you join me on this journey through the colors. Today we'll start with green. (Why green? Why not green?)
I've been trying to write this Thursday 13 for something like three years. I finally have thirteen things to list.
I've acquired a few things that until I got them I didn't know they existed. And they definitely solve a problem I had. Some you've probably seen and/or heard about. But there are some I'm sure will be new to you. Let me know in the comments of other gadgets that you have that you've found useful. I'm sure there will be others I want to acquire.
I was at the Orange County Fair more than fifteen years ago. We were in the building where the various vendors sold stuff. And the guy slipped one of these on a bag just as I was walking past. I stopped. What the...?
These are way better than any clips you might use. It seals any bag up very simply and securely. I have used these continuously since I got my first bag and even went back and got more a couple years later. These are the best.
2. Bowl holder
I first saw these at a craft fair. I'm sure they have mass produced ones, but I've only ever gotten them from independent sellers. They can go in the microwave with the bowl while it's heated, and then when you take it out, you don't burn your hands. It's also great to hold a hot bowl (of soup or something) when you're not sitting at a table.
As someone who's rather well-endowed in the chest department, I used to have issues with my seat belt. It never stayed positioned across me in a comfortable manner. It always rode up and choked me. And then I was introduced to this thing, and it is the best. It clips on the lap part of the belt, and the chest strap hooks on it, keeping that from straying up to my neck. I no longer have to adjust my seat belt for my entire drive. Game changer.
Sadly, I only found these on Amazon. And they have all sorts of different types. My link is to one example (as the one I bought I can't find). If you find it at another retailer, let me know so I can buy from them next time.
We got a new shower for my bathroom. (It was a processwhich I detailed in another Thursday 13.) And while it's very nice in some ways, there was one glaring problem. With no bathtub component, I had no place to balance my leg when I would shave in the shower. There had to be a solution for that.
Once I started looking, I found this. And it's perfect. Just what I need in a shower with no way to balance my foot.
When I got my current phone, I discovered MagSafe cases and wireless charging. One thing I had had before was one of those things for the back of the case to help me grip the phone. When I went to purchase a new one for the new phone, I found one that magnetically attaches, and I'm never going back. It helps me grip the phone. It props it up when I've set it down (making my knit pyramid redundant, sigh). And it comes off easily when I charge my phone. I've had this two years, and it still works great. Expensive (for what it is) but worth the price.
When I went to find the link for this, I discovered that they've upgraded it with a finger strap, and now I need a new one...
Speaking of my phone... When I got my first iPhone, I had the best bedside clock. It was a docking station. It charged my phone and it played music from my phone through a speaker. It worked via an app, and I loved this thing. But, the iPhone charging connection changed, the apps were upgraded, and the clock became obsolete.
I'd been looking for a replacement for a decade.
Clock: check. Charging: check (via wireless). Speaker: check (via Bluetooth). And no app to go out of date. Perfect.
This attaches to the side of my bed. I keep my ereader in it. It's big enough for physical books, remote controls, or anything else you might want to keep handy. It's brilliant, and I love mine.
I got mine via Zulily back before it went defunct (but it's back now), but when I searched it online, I found that Target had one, Walmart had one, and there were instructions on how to make your own. I linked to Amazon, but those are not the only options.
I know, most people get these to read by. I use mine to knit (or crochet) with. It's great in the summer (rather than a big task light that heats me up). I didn't buy mine off Amazon or a online yarn retailer, but I've linked to the latter. You can search these up as many retailers have them.
This is one I use at work. Nowadays we don't unlock the classroom doors. Mostly a safety thing. (The doors don't lock from the inside.) But what do you do if you want the door closed, but you want kiddos to be able to get in without knocking? I use this. (The doors are self-closing.) I mean, most teachers have something that works, like a magnet or a blocker, but not all do. It's helpful for the days I need it.
11. Desk ring light with phone holder (where to buy)
When I started making videos (for my YouTube channel), I got this phone holder/light that clipped on the side of a table. It worked, but I needed something better. So, I got one of these.
I haven't used it yet, but the light is much brighter, so it should make my next videos that much nicer.
Did you know you can make hard-boiled eggs in the microwave? I happened upon a gadget that did that a couple years ago, and I'm never going back. (Alas, the first one I used kept failing at the vent hole. The second one I used exploded one day with a force so hard it blew the microwave door open.) This is the third version that I've bought, and so far, this one works pretty well. Will it fail, too? I hope not. This is way easier than boiling the eggs in water.
When I was in elementary school, my father worked in fast food. The way they mashed up the ground beef for the burritos was by using a potato masher. (That's how he taught us to brown ground beef.) But now there's a better tool.
Do you have any gadgets that you don't know how you ever did without?
A fellow blogger asked about why they could no longer log in and use their profile when commenting on others' blogs. They try, but instead of logging them in, the comment resets, and they can either comment using anonymous or it won't let them comment at all.
At that time (three years ago) the Incognito Mode had a screen that looked like this:
The fix was to turn on the cookies. After I did that, my commenting woes disappeared. And everything was fine, until the IT people in my school district decided to disallow Incognito Mode on district Chromebooks. Deep sigh.
(It took me a couple months, but I came up with a solution that worked for me: I bought my very own Chromebook just for work.)
So, I wonder if the logging in and being recognized issue on Blogger blogs is still just a cookies issue.
If you're using Google Chrome, you need to click on your profile (it's your picture in the upper right hand corner), and then you'll choose "Manage Your Google Account".
Then, in the sidebar (on the left side), go into "Data & Privacy".
At this point you'll want to check a few things. Personalization Settings. Data Sharing. (Under my Data Sharing, I am sharing information with Blogger under "Third-party apps & services". If you aren't, this might be the issue with logging into Blogger comments.) This is probably a good thing to explore even if you aren't having issues as there might be some settings you want to check out.
This is a place to start, anyway. Whether it solves the problem or not, I can't be sure.
If you're using a different browser, finding data and tracking and finding the cookies should be similar. Look under your profile and check the settings. Whether you allow all cookies or just for Blogger will be up to you.
Safari (for Apple) has protections in place to disallow tracking, so that might be harder. But there should be a way to opt in to cookies, at least for Blogger.
I hope this helps. Let me know in the comments if it was of any use or not. And if you have a different solution, please also add this into the comments. If anyone can solve the issue, there are many bloggers who would like to know.
I only found this out recently, so some of you may also be unaware.
This July 4th is our semiquincentennial (that's 250th). And now that I've been seeing things about it, I wondered about who was organizing this thing. Turns out that ten years ago a bipartisan congressional committee was formed to organize the celebrations.
Very forward thinking of them. Very organized. They're ready to go.
But, a certain someone who has to be the center of everything signed an executive order to create his own little party. (Here's an article explaining this.) It's called Freedom 250. And we get to ignore it.
Because the official celebration stuff is America250.
(That concert that was announced? And then all the acts backed out? Yeah, that was the fake celebration.)
And you will notice the lettuce-ing. I followed the exact same increase pattern that I used for the other front/back, and yet...
So, do I rip it back? Or do I keep going?
I'm just going to keep going. Because I figure once washing and doing some blocking, it should be mostly flat. (Maybe not, but I'm going to live in that delusion for a while.)
I worked a couple more rounds on the first side:
(See how flat that lies? Not quite perfectly flat, but close. Same increases. *shakes head*)
Both are almost the same size:
When I look at these, they remind me of amethyst geodes. That might become the official name of this sweater (although I'm still calling it the reluctant sweater to myself). And yes, this is purple. It may appear blueish on your screen. (There's something about purple, digital photography, and screen settings.) But purple. Just sayin'.
So, more plugging away. That's the plan for now. Hopefully they'll travel. More about that next week.
Now that the school year has officially ended (and I've completed my end-of-year posts), it's time for the summer schedule. On Fridays it's all about the random quizzes. To start this summer, let's look at your fursona. What's a fursona? It's a self-claimed animal persona.
Why would you take a quiz to determine your fursona? Why not?
Most of us have the usual things, like texting and calls. We know about food delivery and ride shares. We scroll social media. But I have run across some apps that were news to me, so they might be news to you as well. Some are more specialized (getting up to 13 apps presented a challenge), and some are ones you'll need as soon as you know about them. And yes, this is a Thursday 13.
The other day I was searching for something on my TV. When I went to the search bar ready to use the arrow keys to slowly spell out the title on the screen, my Roku TV offered to connect to my phone so I could pull up a keyboard and type in what I was searching. So much easier.
I'm sure the other streaming platforms have something similar. This app is just for the remote (not for the platform which you can totally stream on your phone as well). I did not know this thing existed until prompted, but now it's one of my many apps.
Looking up at the night sky and wondering what that bright object is? There's an app for that.
Open the app, and point it towards the sky. This app names the constellations and identifies the planets. Way cool. (I could not find this name in Android, but I'm sure they have something similar.)
For years I have whined about this. You're watching a TV show and that actor just looks so familiar. Where do you know them from? There has to be an app...
Well, this is not perfect, but it's close. Type in the actor's name. It lists their filmography. There's also so much more information about movies and TV that you can find, but the only thing I use this app for is to look up actors that I just can't place.
An instructional aide introduced this one to me. Scan the barcode of whatever food you're choosing. It gives you a rundown of what's in it (and how healthy it is). Ingredients. Calories. Healthier alternatives. (Full disclosure: I can't recall which app the IA showed me as when I went to look for it, I found several versions of the same idea. But this was news to me, so I thought it might be news to you, too.)
Scan receipts. Earn points. Use your collected points to convert into gift cards. (I got a $50 Amazon gift card a bit ago. I'm waiting until my point total is high enough for another good gift card. Soon.)
If you're interested in trying it, you can use my referral code: 6VMWJH. (I get points and you get points for using the code. And then we become "friends" on the app.)
When I go for a walk, I "record" it using this app. It tells me how long I've been walking and for how far. Then I get a nifty map of where I've been (although, the map can be glitchy). I have not signed up for the subscription, which has more features, as the free version has everything I need. But if you're serious about tracking your walking (or running or biking), this is a good app to do that with.
Fetch, but for walking. This app tracks your daily steps. You convert them to wards. And those wards convert to gift cards and/or shopping discounts. This is another one I have a referral code for: ValidTiger9242. (If you're going to sign up, this gives you and me a few wards to start with.)
I live in southern California. Of course I have an earthquake app. (Although, they changed this one so that it's functionality isn't as good as it once was. It's time for me to make a switch.)
It happens frequently enough. I feel something. Was that an earthquake? Time to open the app. Usually, it was. And the app tells me the severity and the epicenter. And then I move on with my day.
Okay, this one is pretty specialized. A little over a year ago our garage door opener broke. They replaced it with a "smart" garage door opener. It has a camera. (We don't pay to store the video, so it doesn't "record", but if we want to check the camera, we can see what's going on in real time.) It has alerts (that you can turn off if you don't want to be notified every time the garage door opens or closes). And, this is the cool thing, you can open and close the garage door via your phone.
I usually use the remote. I don't often check on the empty garage. But, if you've ever gone, "Did I remember to close the garage," well, this solves that problem. And, when my remote's battery dies, I have a backup.
Have you wondered how substitute teachers get their gigs? The school districts contract with a company that posts the jobs, pushing alerts to the subs who can then pick them up. But competition is fierce. So, this second party app (that does cost money) exists. Do the jobs pop up quicker? All I know is that I see this app more than the official one, and it's kept me in work (during the school year). I'll keep it.
I have run out of apps I have that you might not know about. But, that's what the internet is for. I found this one that reminds you to take your medication. This is something I will probably need in not too many years from now.
The last day of school has passed. Last week I finished up the last posts of the school year. And now it's time to reflect on the year that was by tallying up all the classes I covered. (This is a very dry post, so no worries if you want to skip it.) My previous years are linked at the bottom, for comparison.
There are 180 days in the school year. I worked 161 of them. That's... low... It's down from last year's 173 days and way down from my all-time high of 177 days. But, the district hired more subs so jobs were a bit harder to get, and I had only one long term assignment at the beginning of the school year. It's nowhere near my lowest totals, back when I was a newbie sub. So, meh. It makes it easier to do better next year.
I worked 84 days at the high school level, 69 days at the middle school level, and 4 at the adult transition center. I only caught one day at the alternative education center, and that will be my last as I heard that they're closing the school. I only worked 3 days at the continuation high school, but I had to stop going there for much of the spring semester for reasons (which I haven't blogged about, but probably will explain eventually).
10 of those days I covered an extra class while a different 10 of those days I covered a teacher who did not have a prep period.
I worked both the first day of school and the last. Woo-hoo! (I did a happy dance when I caught a last day of school assignment. It's been a few years since I managed to work both in the same school year.)
Now on to the specifics. But first, some definitions.
Most teachers do not teach the same class all day. An English teacher might have a period of ninth grade and two periods of eleventh grade. So, when I say "partial day", I mean that I covered at least one or maybe two periods of that subject. When I say "full day", the teacher taught one specific class all day (like biology). An extra period assignment is when I covered a different teacher on the prep period of the teacher I was booked to cover for the day.
Each subject is listed with three numbers: 5/2/1. The first number is for a "full day". The second number is for a "partial day". And the third number is for an "extra period assignment".
My winner (of the core subjects) is, of course, English (like it is almost every year) with 25/11/3.
In first place is freshman English at 2/8/0.
Next is sophomore English at 1/8/1.
In third place, eighth grade English at 5/2/1.
Then, following, junior English at 0/7/0.
And the rest, in no particular order:
Seventh grade: 0/5/0
Senior English: 2/3/0
English language development: 0/7/0 (which is for students who are learning English. It's generally taught by the same teacher who teaches their core English class, so it's not surprising there's no full day for this.)
Creative writing: 0/2/0 (which is an English elective. The teachers who teach this only have one period of it.)
Journalism: 0/1/0 (which is only one period a day. I haven't caught this class in several years.)
Yearbook: 0/1/0
Supervising the writing center: 0/0/1. The writing center is new. It's a place where the kiddos can go if they need help with an essay or such.
Winning the math is, of course, IM2 or integrated math 2 (which is sophomore math which was probably geometry when you were in school) at 0/11/0. Which tracks. Mr. J, the teacher I did the long-term for, and his co-teacher Ms. L were the teachers I covered, and neither of them only has IM2 on their schedules.
Business math (math for juniors or seniors who aren't college bound): 0/8/0. Ms. L co-taught one of those classes, plus I subbed for Ms. C a couple times (who Ms. L co-taught with).
Next on the list of subjects is special ed, although this isn't necessarily a subject. These classes overlap with the above. If I covered a co-teacher, I tallied the subject (English/math) as well as here. If I covered a "special day class" (SDC), I tallied the subject and here. This is why these numbers are high: 41/5/1.
Learning center: 0/10/0. This is where the kiddos go when they need a quiet room to take a test in. The special ed teachers supervise the room, generally one period a day.
Study skills: 0/8/1. Basically this is a study hall for special ed students.
When people ask me what I teach, I never know how to answer. I substitute. For what? Whatever they need me for. And if the questioner drills down, I still can't give a simple answer. "A bit of everything." Because, yeah. I cover just about everything. If not this year, then last year or next year.
Did you hear? They're taking his name off the Kennedy Center.
I couldn't find video of it completed (on Sunday), but if you go on YouTube you can find an eleven hour video of the workmen setting up the equipment to get the job done. (I considered putting that video here, but meh. It doesn't get done in the video, so why bother?)
And then one more video:
I hope we hear more about the little acts of resistance that made the big things fail. I'm sure they're out there.
I wish you a week of little acts of resistance to help make the big things fail.
I've been working away on SIL's "Christmas" present. (Can you still call it a Christmas present when you didn't even start working on it until five months after said Christmas?) And things are going pretty well:
It's getting a little lettuce-y, but I can rip one round back. If I increase every other round, upping the distance between increases by one every other round rather than every third round (and the in-between rounds having no increases), it'll probably be okay.
It's getting pretty big. It's about 19 inches across and about 15 inches top to bottom. I'm a little over halfway to my goal.
And I realized I was getting a bit antsy.
Have you heard of second sock syndrome? It's a knitting term, but it applies here. It's when a knitter finishes one sock (or mitten or sleeve), and then realizes that they must make another, exactly the same (or with opposite shaping). Deep sigh.
There are many knitters (and crocheters) who never quite get around to that second sock, hence the syndrome.
This week I realized I was going to have to make a second oval. I mean, I knew this, of course. One for the front of the sweater, one for the back. And I've been keeping notes as to how I've been increasing because I want to replicate this exactly for my second side. But suddenly it felt like it was going to be a lot of work.
So, I decided rather than wait, I could start the second side now.
So, yeah, the variegated yarn started at a different spot in the striping, but I'm good with front and back being different, color-wise. Starting these is easier as each round is so much shorter. I should make good progress for a bit. At least, until this front (or back, not sure which is which yet) gets to be the same size as the other.
I'm not sure if this is just going to make everything take twice as long or if this is genius.
Well, both have to get done at some point. Why not at the same time?
Progress is happening. And once these are big enough, then I have to figure out how to connect them, how to add sleeves, and how to make this whole thing sweater-shaped.
Problems for another time. Later. Now, it's oval time.
And so, I ended the school year not far from where it began. Literally. I started the school year in room 906 and ended it in room 915. (Both classrooms are within sight of one another.)
Thursday. Seventh grade math. Fourth period.
It was the last day of school. Each period was about 28 minutes long. The lesson plan was basically "do what you want". As I have been in this situation before, I knew I didn't have to have them do anything.
What I did have to do was take roll and make sure I knew where the kiddos were.
At the beginning of the period several students descended upon me to request permission to go elsewhere. I growled at them that they'd have to wait until I had taken attendance.
(A science teacher three doors down must have been having a bacchanal as that's where everyone wanted to go. But there were a couple other teachers' classes they wanted as well as the art teacher--the one they hired for that vacant class--needed help cleaning her room.)
I went around the room, checked in with each kiddo asking their name, and I marked each student present. Then I got the names of those who left, and I wrote them down so I knew where they were.
Roll taken, I had a group of girls request to go outside so they could film a TikTok dance. Others had grouped up and were playing video games. I didn't much care so long as they didn't trash the room.
Then the phone rang. Was Jamir there?
I checked my roll. He was marked absent. No, he was not.
"His mom is going to be pissed..."
Just to be sure, I called out, "Jamir..." Nope. Not there.
Groups of students were coming in and out of the room. (Teachers called to ask if they could send kiddos. I had given permission.) There was one boy in a Lakers jersey who I thought belonged in class, but he did not check in with me, and then he left again.
Towards the end of the period (so, about fifteen minutes later), I went to check on the TikTok girls. Who should have been back in the room already. Security drove up and stopped the boy in the Lakers jersey. "Jamir, your mother is looking for you," and she gave him a paper.
Security gave me a hard stare. "You're marked absent," she told him. I protested that he was not around when I took roll and he had not checked in with me when he arrived.
I mean, seriously? I'm a sub. Most kiddos know to check in with me if they arrive after the bell. But last day crazy...
I did fix the attendance. Growled at Jamir. He asked to go to his PE class. Well, now that I knew where he'd be...
And just like that, the school year is over.
Next week I'll share my year stats, and then the summer schedule shall begin.
It was finals week, but the eighth graders were done. I was to take roll and then escort them to the gym. So, that's what I did.
Many of the eighth grade kiddos I had taught at the beginning of their seventh grade year in that science class. (And if you click on that link, the Mr. F I reference in the post is the teacher I was subbing for on this day.) It was kind of a full-circle moment for me. I liked getting just a small taste of the end of their middle school career as I had gotten the small taste of the beginning.
Anyway, we were there to start promotion practice. Mr. S (yes, the same Mr. S as from the linked post) was getting them in the order they were to enter the gym for their actual promotion. And that took a while.
Me and the other eighth grade teachers (who know who I am and knew that Mr. F was out) helped arrange chairs. Yes, chairs. They were all seated in the wrong arrangement, so as Mr. S called them up, they brought the folding chair they were sitting on, and those got put in the correct arrangement.
Tedious.
But that's how these things go. I didn't get to see any practice as the bell rang for the next period, and I had seventh graders, so I had to go back.
The seventh graders (it was a leadership class) were making candy leis for the eighth grade promotion. I had been in this situation before, too. They were to make at least twenty. They made twenty.
And then, the eighth graders returned to class for the last class of the day. To do nothing. Sigh.
But I knew what I signed up for when I took that assignment. I am appreciated, though. Mr. F replied to my email about the day with, "With all the chaos of the day, I was really happy to see your name covering my class."
