I see that I never finished writing about our week at the Muskoka Soul cottage. Life got busy when school started up again. Hard to believe that was the Covid summer. In November (about 6 weeks after the last post), I ran into the VP at a school I was working at for the day. She had been a teacher/SERT at the kids' school when we were trying to get Megan's IEP started. She saw my name on the board and said if I'm willing to come there often, she'll request me when possible. I was skeptical. This was my 4th time there, it wasn't my favourite, it was all French Immersion except kindergarten. I had been told I'd be requested a lot at my kids' schools....and that ended up with nothing. But I told her sure, however, I was having ankle surgery in mid-December so I had only a couple more weeks to work before taking off at least the first 6 weeks back.
She kept her promise though, and in February I started going to the school quite often, for all different teachers (previously it had been just music). Then in March, I landed a 0.2 LTO which was 2 afternoons a week at a school that started their afternoons at about the time MPS started their lunch--so there was no way to do both in one day. However, in only 3 weeks, schools shut down again and things went virtual. I managed to get in 8 half days there before virtual. Then I started doing virtual supply which was pretty cool but also challenging. When school started back up in September 2021, I started going there a lot. About 95% of my jobs ended up being there!
In October 2022 I got Covid (thanks, Megan) and as I was recovering, got asked to fill in for the music teacher who also was recovering from Covid. I was able to do a couple days. Then she (the music teacher, lets call her Christie) had a death in the family and needed to take off a week. It was sudden and I couldn't do the entire week (had a few other commitments), but then there was a second week. Then it was two more weeks. Now it becomes an LTO automatically. It was music and science, and a bit of art. I had kindergarten (just a SK class of 13 due to kindie being phased out at FI schools), 8 periods a week. Some of that was for music and some was for centres (which I didn't have to plan). I had a 5/6 class from hell for 3 periods of music and a double of art (which followed a period of their music, but with recess in between). I had a grade 6 class for 3 periods of music but it was a single and a double. Then I had 3 7/8 classes, each had a single and a double of music and each had 5 periods of science.
It was a lot for me. Megan was in grade 12 and there were her work and skating commitments which meant me driving her. I hadn't worked fulltime before. It was so stressful. It kept getting extended (sometimes with a week's notice, sometimes two days) until May, when it was declared she wasn't coming back that year. It's hard to plan when you think at anytime the original teacher was going to come back.
By the end of June (we get out at the very end), it was announced Christie wasn't coming back the next year. She was supposed to have 0.5 English and 0.5 Music. I did NOT want the English, but there was another supply teacher who had been doing LTOs there who was fine with that. So we each got a 0.5. This time I had a grade 4 for one double, a 4/5 for a single and a double, two 5/6s for 3 singles (and one of them, I had a period of art where I went in to release the teacher doing the first period), and 3 7/8 classes for 1 single and 1 double each. The terrible grade 6 students were now in grade 7. They were still terrible and brought out the worse in the previous year's grade 7s who had been pretty good that year because the grade 8s were awesome. There was one class in particular who were terrible. I'm pretty easy going but every teacher struggled with them.
In winter break, one of the full time intermediate teachers went on maternity leave. She was teaching math and science. I would have loved to have just science, but they couldn't re-work the entire schedule. The English teacher started covering the mornings (and keeping her afternoon English), and I covered the afternoons (keeping my morning music). It was horrible. I'm not a math teacher. The kids were suffering from all the changes. Finally, a new English teacher was hired at the start of Feb, and the original one switched to full time math/science (she had been adamant in the beginning of the year she didn't want full time!). I was back to half days.
In late February, I was told Christie was coming back as the music teacher. The insurance plan had said she didn't need to be on long term disability anymore. She would start with coming in a couple mornings a week but not being in the classroom. Then she'd start shadowing me, and then at the end of March, be back completely and I'd be out of a job. I was really upset. When Christie started coming in, she didn't seem committed. The Principal wasn't sure if it was going to work. The insurance agreed to pay me to be at the school for 2 weeks after she totally took over, "just in case." Of course, those two weeks were both 4 day weeks. I filled in primarily for the primary gym teacher, which was not good for my ankle. It was awkward being there. The kids kept asking me to come back. I went back to being the supply teacher.
And then, in May, I find out Christie is moving to another school for September. Can you imagine my anger? She hadn't continued the plans I had made for the classes (one was supposed to get ukuleles, one was supposed to get recorders, etc). She went back to her way, which was a lot of reading and handouts. The kids hated it.
There's been a lot of changes at the school with teachers. Half day sick leaves, maternity leaves, a year off leave...the English turned Math/Science teacher got a permanent position at another school for September. The art (and a few other classes) teacher who was 0.6 is going on leave but is being replaced with a 1.0 LTO. One other teacher is coming back from a long sick leave due to cancer. A grade 6 teacher, new to the board, was surplussed but got recalled and is moving to intermediate. Several teachers said there'll be a 0.5 permanent music position available. However, the principal went on partial leave in May and wasn't around much to ask about it. It hasn't been posted yet.
And...we have a 2.5 week trip planned for Oct/Nov! She asked me if I had plans to apply to permanent jobs and I said I wasn't sure because I liked the flexibility and I had this trip. She said not to worry about the trip if it was booked before being offered a permanent job, it shouldn't factor in. Was that a hint?
The terrible grade 7s are going to be grade 8s, but the incoming grade 7s are an interesting mix with some awesome students. However, the incoming grade 4s are a terror.....
Okay, I hadn't planned to write this much! It was pretty hard to give a short synopsis of why I haven't written! Oh, and I opened a Teachers Pay Teachers store, so I'm spending a lot of time creating resources! Fun! With that also came a blog. It's summer again, I'm not on chaperone duty for the kids anymore, so maybe I'll try writing here once in awhile!
