And Now for Something Completely Different

I'm too upset to talk about what's really bothering me, so I'm going to have some fun thinking about my classes. I started out teaching seven classes a week, which was great, but soon it became apparent two of the classes would not have sufficient students. This put me at five. However, one lady who teaches the older students has been experiencng morning sickness from hell, so I get to sub for her a lot. Temporarily back to six.

Tuesday is the long day; I teach 3-4 at an elementary school, then down the road from that school I sub at 6:30. Yikes. But the students are fun. The elementary class is full, about fifteen students, and they're mostly experienced by at least a year. However, they all know each other and spend a lot of my time trying to impress each other with their wackiness. I can deal. Especially since the boss told me the last teacher they had was really not a stong classroom order-keeper. I tell you, I have got that down. I hit them hard with warnings early in the class, toss a couple of kids out of an exercise here and there, and by the end they are right where they need to be to finish.

Last week they performed short duet skits and I could see how much they had improved since September. These scripts had all been covered previously, so nothing was new. That gave them time to get comfortable with their setting, blocking, facial expressions and timing. This is NOT the class I started with, and I'm proud of that.

The older class has six girls and a guy in it. The guy is a clowny type, which can be fun, but too often his goofiness takes away from the scene. The girls are under-motivated, probably not comfortable looking uncool. They are also tied to scripts, holding them through any exercise. I'm trying to break them of that. It's a crutch, and it gets in the way of physical stuff.

Thursday I teach back to back young elementary and older elementary classes. The young class is probably my least remarkable class, but there are two girls who do really well in there, and one guy who will do well when he loosens up. The Little Critter sometimes has to go with me to that class, and so she gets double lessons. The older class is the most experienced bunch I have, and the most challenging. Oh, and loud. They rock the script memorization, but the class clown in there is a girl. She's so cute and so distracting! Luckily, I have a nice tambour to bang when they can't hear me. That's fun. I think all parents and teachers need to be issued a tambour. It would make the low pay bearable.

Saturday I teach two more classes. The younger class is cute, but with three girls who like to take turns getting off-task, and three boys who have trouble controlling themselves and following directions. It also has the boss's daughter. The older class has its clowns as well, but often I get good stuff out of them. That's my international class, with kids from England, Scotland, India, Mexico, Bangladesh, China and California. (Har!) By this time all my lesson bugs are worked out and I usually get a good class.

In February, we'll have parents in to see things we do, and in May we'll have the year-end performance and awards ceremony. I hate to think of what I will do without them in the summer.