This school was all the way across Oshawa. The directions said it should take me about 20 minutes. Though I questioned Google because it wanted me to turn left at an unsignalled intersection on a large arterial road against all the Toronto bound traffic. No problem, I'd just go a smidge further to the next lights.
I was scrolling Facebook in the morning and saw there was a fatal accident on that large arterial road, half way between me and the school, so a large section of it was closed (it was on the edge of town so there are only the main north-south roads that bisect it, spaced about a mile apart from the days of pioneer surveying). I take the next main east-west road south of it so I thought I should be okay, and I'm going against most of the traffic. I added 5-10 minutes just in case, though Google didn't seem to think that was necessary.
Well. Although my direction was definitely better than the Toronto bound direction, the problem is that most of the lights aren't set up with advance left turn arrows for east bound traffic. This is so Toronto bound traffic can flow smoother. The problem was that there were more cars going east than usual and they'd get really backed up at the intersections, especially when westbound cars would block intersections. The left turning east bound cars would extend past the end of the left turn lane (and in a couple places, they don't even get a left turn lane). It took me 20 minutes just to do a stretch than I can do in 5 if I hit the lights right. I was getting stressed.
Finally cleared the backlog and got to the school. Not a lot of parking for the size of the school!! Head in, all flustered because now my pre-start prep time is down to 20 minutes. It took long in the office because the secretary was dealing with calls from teachers who were stuck in the traffic back log. Finally got the key for a portable. Really? I was told it was a grade one class and the school website confirmed that. Oh no..."they must not have updated the sites" because she teaches grade 3. In a portable. And by the way, there's a kid with special needs who will probably stay in the school as he doesn't do well with supply teachers. But he might come out for a while.
Y'all. I love grade 3 kids. I don't love grade 3 classes. They are much better than grade 6, but grade 3's are so needy. Fine when dealing with a kid or two, but not a whole class. And you start to get a noticeable division between abilities. Oh well, it's just half a day.
I headed out there found the portable, and the key wouldn't work. Argh. Instead of running all the way around to the front of the school (because they also did not give me a door fob to open the back doors), I went in through a kindie room and oops, the door slammed really hard behind me. Sorry!! Got to the office and the secretary basically ignored me. The clock is ticking! The custodian came over and realized the problem--the portables had been renumbered (there were 12!) and I had been given the old key! I rushed back out and made it in. I was down to about 10 minutes before the bell.
First thing I see is a safety plan for the kid I was told about. He's a "runner". And in a portable with a door you can't lock from the inside. And, there was another kid with a behaviour reward chart, but not really any information.
Okay, time for the kids. Wowza, are they loud. I immediately figure out who the behavioural needs kid is but he seems to be nice, just easily off task. I try to get through lessons but it was hard since they were so loud. Like, just could not figure out their inside voice. And chatty. And messy. So even though I'd tell them what to do, many weren't paying attention, so I resorted to yelling. I hate doing that but there was no way to get heard above their racket.
The SERT called to tell me the one boy would not be out. The SERT teacher was Lucy's first music teacher when she learned to play trumpet. She's really nice.
Then there was conflict between that boy and another girl. I was letting him sit in a chair as a reward/incentive for doing work. But apparently it was her day, or no one was allowed, or something totally unfair and unjust to a 8 year old. I couldn't quite figure it out. Get a kid who normally doesn't do much work to actually do work, but upset another student? Or, enforce what seems to be a rule though I have no way to know if it is or not and risk him going off the walls? The girl ended up laying on the floor under a table, refusing to do the math. I was able to finally coax her to do a bit of it.
By recess, my head was buzzing. And I had outside duty. No break for me. I'm not sure if I even got a prep period. It was a very long morning. At the end, because they eat in the portable, I didn't even get a break to write the letter. Finally got the key back to the office and said to myself "At least you don't have to go back there".
Haaaaa!! I've been back three times for another teacher.
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