I'm back in the classroom this fall for a stint until Thanksgiving. It's third grade. Here are the pros:
- I get to work with a fun and creative teacher whom I admire.
- I teach half of the kids each day, and having just ten kids is pretty easy in terms of management.
- Walking in the hallways was one of my least favorite parts of the job before, and now it's really not that hard because, for one thing, we don't go anywhere. And two, when we do go someplace (outside), there are only 10 of us and we have to walk very far apart.
I've been taking the children out for an extra recess each day because it's the right thing to do and also because we don't have PE right now. The intricacies of the schedule are too much to explain, but basically, we have the same specials for three weeks and then we rotate. Right now it's Theater and Spanish. PE doesn't come until later.
Anyway, second recess came later than usual this week, and I told one little guy to cross his fingers as we walked out because I didn't know if another grade level was in the habit of using the playground at that particular time.
"We don't need to cross our fingers," he said, certain.
"But, I really want to use the playground!" I protested.
"It's okay." He seemed supremely confident and even strode a bit ahead of me, ready to confirm his prescience.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"I'm really lucky," he told me. "I just am."
Sure enough, the playground was clear and has been at that time all week. I need that kid in my back pocket all the time.
