The mysterious blogger returns!

[saena17]

It seems like every time I post here, I begin with "it's been almost a year since I last wrote" and a lot of catching up has to be done. Luckily not much has actually changed between the last update and this one. :) My long-term subbing job at the elementary school finished in November, and I went back to daily subbing- this time in both counties

Comments

[gingerrose]

Welcome back to lj! (Says the person who hasn't updated hers in like 2 years...)

[saena17]

Yeah, but I talk to you pretty much every day, so I don't notice the lack of posts. :P

[sammason]

That's really interesting to read about your experiences as a substitute teacher (over here, it's called 'supply teaching' or 'temping'.) Including the bit where you feel judgement, maybe condescension, from people who think you *should* have a 'real job'. I've never been a temp teacher but I've been a temp chef. It had pros and cons. A friend's husband teaches supply, making it his whole professional life and being much sought after.

[saena17]

Condescension! THAT'S the word I was trying to think of last night! (Sorry, that was bugging me all while I wrote the entry. It was on the tip of my tongue/fingers...)

I think people see supply teaching as glorified babysitting- which it is for a lot of people, judging by the surprise students sometimes have when I come in and actually take charge of the class. But for me, it is literally exactly the same as full-time teaching, except you go to different schools, and you don't know the kids (or sometimes, for me, the entire subject- I've taught things I barely know anything about), and you don't have to plan the lesson or grade the work. I like to half-jokingly call myself a "freelance teacher" sometimes, because that's really how it feels to me. And I still feel a bond with the students, even though we don't know one another. I think that just comes with loving to teach, though. All students become your students. It's kind of like a mothering instinct. :)

[sammason]

You've taught things you didn't really know yourself! Did the students realise? My teaching experience is undergrad, with a little Masters, but now I'm psyching myself towards teaching A level (age 16-18). With undergrads I'm an academic in my comfort zone, but with A level students I'll face my lack of a teaching qualification and my lack of knowledge about the current syllabuses.

When teaching undergrads I've mostly been successful in my choice of modules - the ones I myself understand! - but occasionally fell flat on my face. Nobody can be an expert on everything.

[saena17]

I have a different method of choosing jobs based on which county (of the two I teach in) it's located in. The one county is very suburban/borderline urban (it's right on the border with Washington D.C.) and absolutely enormous, so I tend to specialize there (only doing high school- grades 9-12, which is ages 14-18, and typically only taking English/literature jobs because that's my specialty). The other county is next to the first one, but much smaller and more rural. So in that county I do middle and high school (grades 6-12, ages 11-18) and I'll pretty much do anything they throw at me. Sometimes students notice, and sometimes they don't! Half the time I think it's more surprising for them to have a supply teacher who knows the material, rather than the other way around.

Still, though, even in my specialty area I frequently find them reading texts I never read in school. And sometimes I'm honest about that and tell them this is the first time I'm reading it too- but sometimes I fudge it a little, and that can be kind of fun. :)

[sammason]

PS Loving your tat! Would you care to give us a close-up picture of it and tell us what it's about for you? I'm planning another tat myself, this summer, to complement the leaf on my arm and the goat on my belly (see userpic).

[saena17]

The tattoo is actually temporary- although I can get ahold of more of them, so I was joking recently that I should just keep reapplying it until everyone is convinced I've gotten a tattoo, and then remove it and confuse them all. :) I'll try and remember to post a picture of it tomorrow and explain it, though!

That goat is pretty cool! What are you considering getting next?

[sammason]

I look forward to your picture and words about the temp tat.

Yes I love my goat. Did you spot how she's mildly risqué? I was going to make her the first in a totem pole of tats on my chakras, and I still might, but it's been well over a decade since I started thinking about that. Meanwhile the leaf on my L arm is sessile oak (Quercus petraea) http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-5NLJ46 traced from a botany field guide. I love it that, when I wear short sleeves, many of the people in my workplace immediately know which kind of leaf it is and which parts of the British Isles it symbolises.

The new tat exists only in my mind just now. I was inspired by something on a student's arm while invigilating his exam but what I'm having isn't what he had. I've offered to tell Watson (my partner) about it but she said no. Hopefully I'll get around to the ink within the next few weeks, and then I'll show a photo on LJ.

[gingerrose]

Just popping into the conversation to say that I love the idea of nature-themed tattoo art. Yours sounds so cool!

Not nature-themed, but if I ever got a tattoo this text and font is what I would get--no idea where.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzkd0v1BHf1qgqlgbo1_500.png

I'm saena17's sister, btw, not just someone random who likes commenting on other people's tattoos. :-P

[dgirl1300]

I didn't know you did pointe! That's awesome possum. I did a year of it back in the day, but it wasn't my cup of tea. I did ballet for about 14 years though. I miss it now.

[saena17]

Back when I was taking classes regularly (in high school), I put zero effort into pointe. I could barely stand en pointe without holding onto the barre, so I didn't develop any of the strength or grace that dancers are supposed to have with it. Which meant when I actually WANTED to do it, I had to re-learn the technique all over again! I'm getting better at it now. :)

Those pointe shoes are so old and worn, I probably shouldn't even be using them. But I can't justify getting new ones until I start taking classes again at some point, because pointe shoes are expensive, yo.

[momlovesnoel]

I'm still around on LJ :) Added you, hopefully that's ok.

Love love this DITL. You have a very lovely life!