Fortuitous Mistake

Last Monday was the first day of school. 

Because I got a long term in a vacant art class, and because I got to start a day before, I had prepared a first day of school ice breaker assignment. A scavenger hunt. 

I listed a few things that I knew would be true for some kiddos. Find a student who has a first name that does not contain an A. Find a student who went away on a trip this summer. Find a student who has a family member at the school. (I often hear about kiddos with siblings at the school, so I knew someone would.) Find a student wearing black. 

First thing in the morning, I headed for the copy room to make copies of the scavenger hunt. I had four (slightly) different versions on two sheets of paper (half sheets for each kiddo). I also had a questionnaire that asked things like name they wanted to be called in class and what their favorite food was. 

I was not the only one who had things to copy to start the school year. And two of the copy machines were broken (naturally). 

When it was my turn, I first copied the questionnaire. I had taken a quick count of planned students and got something near 180. I made 180 copies of the questionnaire. Then it was time to copy the scavenger hunt. I had two sheets of those, so I'd only need half the copies. Half of 180 is 90. 

Did you catch my mistake?

I finished my copies, and then I left the machine to the next person in line. (The line kept growing. We were all kind of scrambling.) I headed for the paper cutter as the scavenger hunts were half sheets. 

As I started cutting, I realized my stupid. I was right to halve my number, but I should have halved it again as I had two sheets with two scavenger hunts each. I only needed 45 copies. 

The school opened two new art classes. The art teacher next door is new to the school, and we've been kind of leaning on each other. She's helping me with art stuff, and I'm helping her with other school stuff that new teachers don't necessarily know (like how to set up the online gradebook). 

We were comparing notes as to what we were going to do with our classes. I mentioned the scavenger hunt. She thought that was an excellent idea. And as I had double the copies I needed... 

They didn't go to waste after all. 

And the activity went surprisingly well. The kiddos got into it, but they didn't get crazy. I will totally use this again if the need arises. 

Early Start

Monday. I was on my phone, playing a game, when a text popped up. "I was curious if you're up for subbing for 3 days, beginning this wed..." 

I knew the first day of school for the continuation high school was Wednesday. And I had no plans for the week. Of course I took the gig. 

It was for the computer aided drafting class (CAD). I've subbed for this teacher and this class many times in the past. 

But then I saw the lesson plans for the day: "Students will complete the sketching exercise since computers are non-operational." 

The computers, in the computer aided drafting class, are non-operational... Uh... 

When I arrived on campus on Wednesday, all questions were answered. The teacher, Mr. G, showed up before school to make sure everything was ready to go. (He was finishing up his summer job--teaching a class at the community college.) The computers were non-operational because the school had bought brand new computers for the class, but they were still waiting on a cable to connect them. (Public schools...) 

And... Everything was fine. Pretty much. The "sketching exercise" was an intro drafting exercise, which was fine since many of the students were brand new to the class. 

So, does this count as having worked the first day of school? I mean, kind of? (The district superintendent even showed up to say hello. So, kind of a first day.) 

Tortilla Slap

The first day of school. And I began a long-term in a seventh grade science class. 

In our district, seventh grade is the beginning of middle school. (I know some districts begin middle school with sixth grade. That's why I'm being specific.) And as such, the seventh graders are brand new to the school.

So, the school decided to make the first day of school a kind of seventh grade orientation. Instead of going to all their classes, the seventh graders stayed with their first period teacher for the full day of icebreaking games, a tour of the school, an overview of how the schedule works, and an assembly to welcome the new students. 

(I was given the schedule ahead of time, so I knew what was coming.) 

For a first day, things went fairly well. The eighth grader who was leading the group did a fantastic job. (Although, her tour guide skills do need improvement.) I didn't have to jump in too much. 

But then we went to the assembly...

I have made my dislike of assemblies abundantly clear on this blog. The problem with this assembly, though, was more technical. The sound system was so awful that I could barely make out what the presenter was saying. 

I got the gist as when various administrators were introduced, I already knew who they were. However, the students, who are new, wouldn't have figured out what they were talking about. So, they were bored.

Things could have gone worse. The kiddos were on first day best behavior. If they had tried this later in the year...

But what was notable about the assembly (and why I'm writing a blog post about it), was the last game they played. The earlier games were the usual things such as musical chairs (with a race component) and dodge ball. They did a tug of war. There was even a finish the lyric.

They finished the assembly with a game called rock-paper-scissors... tortilla.

I had never heard of this before, but apparently it's a thing. Mr. S, the leadership teacher, and Mr. F, a history teacher (who's also been doing some leadership stuff), faced off in rock-paper-scissors. The winner slapped the loser with a tortilla.

I... Uh...

I'm sure the students would have enjoyed it way more if they were more familiar with Mr. S and Mr. F. But they enjoyed it just fine. I, however, was mystified by the whole thing.

Just when I thought I'd seen everything...

The Soft Opening

The first day of school kind of feels like the grand opening of a restaurant or other business. Everyone is there. Everyone is on their best behavior. You've got crowds and new things and all the focus is on the beginning. 

The past couple years, I've felt like a brand new employee (with no prior training) on the first day of school. I've moaned about falling into "vacant" classes, that is, a class with no teacher assigned. And while I know that's mostly how one works on the first day of school, I wasn't really looking forward to having to do that yet again.

And then a gig at the adult transition center popped up for the first two days of school. For Mr. G. Who I know didn't retire. 

While I had never subbed for Mr. G before, I spent 117 days at the adult transition center last school year. I've met the students. While I might not know Mr. G's exact schedule, I do have a rough idea of what he usually does. 

So, instead of jumping right into the school year, I'm kind of easing into it, like having a soft opening before the official grand opening. 

Things were a bit of a mess, as the room hadn't been prepped and Mr. G's usual aides weren't there. (One was out and the other got moved to a different class.) But I had Pizza, Leanna, and Brittany. And I'd been around the other three students before. (We were supposed to have incoming new students, but they didn't show up.) 

Not a bad way to start the new school year. And this group was way easier than Ms. L's group. (Although I did get to see many of them as well. I just saw them before and after school.) 

Notes on the Second First Day

Someone, ahem, forgot to photograph the room I was in the first day back, so this photo of the long-term room will have to do. Hey, it's been a while. I'll get back in the habit soon enough.

Our first day back to in-person learning was the last day before spring break. (There were Reasons for this.) I had just finished the long-term assignment for Ms. A's class, and my next long-term didn't start until after spring break, so I got a lone one-day assignment. Math, special ed. 

The day was interesting... 

• First period I had one student show up. Alas, he belonged to the wrong cohort (the cohort that was supposed to remain at home on this day), so he had to be sent home.

• Another student showed up late for first period. Alas, she didn't know she was supposed to bring her Chromebook with her, so she was unable to do the assignment that was online.

• The in-person students looked at me strangely when I'd just start talking to the computer. I had eight students who were still doing distance.

• Third period I was to have one student in class, and he showed up.

• The room had seating for ten students. I let the students sit where they liked (provided it was approved seating--a chair with a plexiglass partition). Naturally, no two students chose the same seat all day.

• This meant that when the custodian asked which desks he needed to wipe down, I had four desks to point out. But this is fewer than ten, so he didn't have to reclean all the desks.

• Oh, the students do get wipes to clean their desks when they leave, and we have the option of letting them clean their desks when they arrive. 

• Fifth period (we were on block schedule, so only three periods met) I had one in-person student of the two who were supposed to be there.

• The other in-person student showed up to the virtual meet. I let her know she was supposed to be in class, but she got credit for attending the virtual meet.

• Another student, upon finding out he was supposed to be on campus, asked how he could change that. (He didn't want to attend in person. He's not the only one. The office was getting calls all day about changing from in-person to virtual.) 

I was worried about being in classrooms with lots of students. It turns out, most don't want to return just yet, which means that the classrooms aren't packed. With plexiglass partitions, open doors and windows, constant airflow, and masks, things are pretty safe.

We'll see how this goes going forward.

Teaching to an Empty Room

Every time I do a first day of school, it's different. And every time I learn something new. 

And this year is so much different than any year that has come before. 

I am continuing the class that I was covering in summer school. Sort of. Instead of teaching English, I've been swapped into teaching math and science. (The principal discussed this with me during the summer session, and as I'm way more comfortable with math, I was quite happy to make the switch.) 

When the principal asked what books I wanted the kiddos to have, as they were putting together what they'd send home for each kiddo, I had no answer. Since we did the summer session virtually, I hadn't been to campus. What books were available? What did I have to work with. 

So, for the first time ever, I got prep time. . . 

via GIPHY

Friday before school started, I went to campus. I got assigned a classroom, and I checked out a key. 

via GIPHY

So, instead of scrambling on the first day of school, I had some time to set something up. I had time to look around the classroom and figure out what I had to work with. (For summer session I used an old summer school classroom photo. The photo above is of the actual classroom.) 

I'm still scrambling, of course, but it's not nearly as pronounced. The school had no chemistry textbooks, yet I have five chemistry students. I don't have access to the online component of the math textbooks yet. (I've seen what they have in other math classes I've covered.) And I was on my own to figure out lesson plans and such. 

But, I walked in on the first day knowing what I had to work with and having a plan for the kiddos. That's huge. 

Yes, walked in. I taught in an actual classroom on the first day of school. Of course, I was the only one there. . .

I live in Los Angeles County in California. Our Covid numbers are up, and the county has said no to in person school. We're teaching virtually. 

I don't know what each and every district is doing; I only know what my district is doing. We have a modified schedule. We meet online in Google Hangouts. And teachers have the option of working on campus or from home. 

The office staff is there. The principal is on campus. The instructional aides are working on some project. The janitorial staff is keeping it all clean. 

We have to wear masks, of course. They check our temperature when we get to school, and if we're going to be on campus, we need to do a "self check" before coming in. (If sick or possibly exposed, we're to stay home.) 

It's a balance between the familiar and the new normal. 

At least it'll keep the blog in stories. 

For the record, I'm working about half at school and half from home. I've been going in to get materials, and if I need to get materials, I might as well do my lessons from the classroom. They have the good air conditioning. I have a desk to work from. But if I have everything I need, I can sleep in another hour and do the lessons from home. 

We'll see if I keep going in. I haven't decided just yet. 

The Vacant Class

When I write next year's end of year post, I get to write this sentence: I did cover the first day of school (and this time, it definitely does count).

The thing about the first day of school is, teachers tend to not miss it. There are very few events that would pull a teacher out of class on that very important day. (One year a teacher took her daughter to start college. Another teacher missed because she was on maternity leave. Those are the only events I can think of.)

This means, when one is covering the first day of school, one is generally covering a vacant class.

Vacant means there is no teacher assigned. No lesson plans. Nothing set up. Thrown in on the first day with no support...

So, when I got the call the day before the first day of school, I asked. "Is this a vacant class?" I was told it wasn't.

Okay, so technically it wasn't. In actuality...

The official teacher is on a leave of absence. His replacement (long term sub) couldn't start until Monday. So, I had all the joys of a vacant class. Whee!

On the bright side, the school was doing a thing for all students in all classes on the first day, so I had a lesson to teach.

And, work on the first day. This is good. Things don't usually pick up for a couple weeks into the school year. Unless one is covering a vacant class...

(Although, I did see teachers already submitting requests for time off. For the second week. So, it has started.)

(Oh, and spoiler alert: the replacement long term sub flaked. Guess who is covering this class for the next two weeks? Well, at least the summer blogging schedule is now at an end 😎)

First Day Scramble

I had planned on doing my year end stats last Friday, but as I wrote my posts for last week (I write them all over the weekend), by the time I got to Friday's post, I was done. I could do it for this week. What else was I going to write about?

I really should have seen this coming...

Monday was the first day of summer school. Sunday night I thought, "Watch them actually call me tomorrow morning."

They did.

The first day of summer school is a scramble. The place is packed. The students just get their schedules. And the teachers just get their room assignments. (They close most of the campus, and they shrink the open classrooms to one wing.)

I had two "blocks" to cover. (The day is broken into three two-hour blocks. Most teachers only teach for two blocks.) The first block went fine.

There's a 15 minute break after each block. I headed to the restroom. I had a question for the summer school principal. I got back to the classroom with only a couple minutes to spare.

No one was there.

They still had a couple minutes, so while I was waiting I made sure I was all set up. Still, no one arrived.

At this point I happened to glance at my class roster. 43 students enrolled. Room number... Wait. That's not the room I'm in!

(I just assumed both blocks would be in the same classroom. It hadn't occurred to me I might need to move rooms.)

I grabbed my stuff and ran out the door. As I headed towards the other room, a large group of students headed back the way I had come. They were accompanied by the summer school principal.

I had been in the right room. The students' schedules and my roster had the wrong room printed on them.

This is the sort of thing that only happens on a first day. (By day two, all these issues have gotten straightened out.)

Sydney is the New Brittany

School restarted last Monday. And I was working. All that week. Long story, and I'm not going to bore you with it. Suffice it to say that the new subbing stories start now in earnest.

I have a rule against using actual student names, but I'm breaking it today. Not to talk about a specific student, though. To talk about a naming trend.

Dear new parents of 2002, why did you all name your girls Sydney? Was it the Olympics? Was it Alias? What?

Because, seriously, I have two Sydneys in two different classes. And another Sydney or two sprinkled in the others. And they're not all spelled "Sydney". There's Sidney, Sydni, and a couple other spellings I forget. But since they sound the same... I even have two Sydneys with the same last initial in one period. (Who I stupidly sat next to each other...)

As times change, so do names. That name used to be Brittany. A couple years back I was shocked to find three Abigails in one class. (Although, I think those are the only three Abigails at that school.)

Of course, the big girl's name is Jasmine. I encounter at least one a day still. That name has staying power. I've seen it spelled a myriad of ways. Jasmine. Jazmin. Jasmyn. Etc.

Ah well. At least now I have a good general name for an 8th grade girl that won't single anyone out. Since there appear to be a lot of them.

Missed Day

It was 5th period on the first day of school...

(The continuation high school is on a year-round schedule, so yes, they do actually start back up in July. I was shocked to get called, but I quickly got over it and took the gig.)

I was still in the midst of "getting started", which includes doing a head count and comparing it to the number who answered "here" when I called roll, when I caught a back-and-forth going on in the middle of the room. It only took a moment for me to learn what was up.

The continuation high school has two "sessions" a day--morning and afternoon. Some "morning" students can have an extra 5th period or an all-day schedule. The "afternoon" students start the day at 5th period.

Martin was confused by his schedule. He went to the first class listed--our class--but the first class listed was for 1st period. For 5th period he was supposed to be across campus in math.

Apparently, Martin never got the message that he had morning classes. Which meant that he had already missed the first four periods of the day. Oops.

"I'll just stay here..."

Sure, he was already late to 5th period, but he had, in effect, ditched the first four periods of the day. I kicked him out encouraged him to go to his actual class and explain the situation.

(The students are supposed to be notified as to whether they are morning or afternoon before the start of school. Especially if there is a change. But these mix ups happen, so he won't get into trouble.)

Wrong Dismissal Bell

The first day of school was last week, and this year I actually got to work it. The reason is a long story having to do with paperwork, emergency surgery, and processing times. None of which is the teacher's fault. But with legalities and such, they needed me to start off the class.

Nothing like walking in cold the first day. And then someone went and changed the bell schedule. The bell schedule! I had that puppy memorized. Now I have to start from scratch?

Well, with the help of a lovely administrator (who taught in the room I was using last year), I managed to get what I needed and get through the day.

One thing that didn't change was the two lunch schedule. Half the school has lunch before 5th period, the other half has it after. So, I ran 5th period the way I always do. When the bell ending the first lunch rang, we all ignored it.

The bell to begin the other half's 5th period rang. We all ignored it. (And by "we all" I mean that the students didn't flinch. Not a one of them even tried to pretend that that was their bell and it was time to leave.)

A couple minutes later, the principal made an announcement. He informed us all that the bell hadn't been anyone's dismissal bell, and all students should be in class.

Oops. Someone isn't familiar with the two lunch schedule.

But my one burning question was: if you've already dismissed the students, how do you go about getting them back?

I was glad that wasn't me.