7the Grade Shenanigans and a Substitute With the Heart of a 12 Year Old

I just realized that there have been so many things going on for the past few weeks that I haven’t posted lately. How can that be? Well, as I said there has been a lot going on.

I recently started working as a substitute teacher for the middle and high schools. Now, this is a huge step for me because anyone who knows me knows that I am not exactly the most kid-friendly person. I would probably call myself “kid-averse”, but I’ve been looking at ways to force myself out of the house and connect with people, and this seemed like a good idea.

So far, I have only been with 7^th graders, but it’s been fun. I’ve had good kids in the classes for the most part, and that makes it more enjoyable. The kids seem to like me too, so it’s a nice feeling when I see one at a football game or at the grocery store and they say, “Hey, Miss G!” I’ve been told by several teachers that 7^th graders are the worst, that if you can manage them, you can manage any age. They are right at the age where they aren’t the littles anymore, but they aren’t the bigs either. Add that to the fact that their little hormones are all over the place as they begin to mature, and that could make for a volatile situation.

The first full day a few weeks ago, I had pre-algebra students, and they all followed their lesson plan appropriately. I let each class know a little about me at the beginning of the classes, that I was a retired Sailor so they didn’t scare me, and I wouldn’t put up with any tomfoolery, but that as long as they did what they were supposed to do, they might get to have a little fun too. Some of them knew me from being in the band, one of them has swam in my pool because our next door neighbor is her sister, but they were all on their best behavior. I went into the planning period after the first three blocks were over thinking, “This is simple. I got this! Easy money!”

And then, it was the final block. The first three blocks hadn’t prepared me for what was coming. This class was the “Children of the Corn”! They talked constantly, kept getting up and walking around the room with each other, or just flat out refused to do any work. All I could think was, “Is it time to go yet?” After telling the same ones to be quiet and to sit down repeatedly for an hour, I finally stood up and yelled at them to sit down and shut up. I told them to keep their hands and feet in the ride at all times, which meant to keep their hands and feet in THEIR own car, and stop touching each other, stop kicking each other’s desks, and that I would gladly walk them to the office if they couldn’t settle down. My end of day report was a full page, and it was about that one class – “The Children of the Corn,” I swear!

As soon as the students were gone, I high-tailed it out of there and headed to Greensboro to go to the Adult Bouncy House with Kitty! I needed the stress relief and time to just get back in touch with my inner child after that class. Between the giant bounce houses, the big ball pit, and our straws, I finally relaxed and was laughing before too long, enjoying our silly shenanigans and acting about the same age as that last class of the day.

And, no, they didn’t scare me away.