Good News About My Job

Remember my first day of work? Well I finished the school year and have been offered the job for next year with forty more minutes which gives me a four hour day instead of three hours and 20 minutes.

Now that doesn't sound like much, but that means I get medical insurance coverage as well. My schedule has also been changed to compact my day down to working four hours over a six hour period instead of working 3.33 hours over a seven and a half hour day.

One small step at a time and I'll be there with all the others working 6.5 hours with 30 minutes for lunch. It's a start.

I'm excited actually! I will also be working in the lunchroom for 55 minutes with my new schedule. To some of you that may sound horrible, but I think I'm going to like the opportunity to see the kids in a different setting. I enjoy helping them with all kinds of small tasks that they just have a hard time doing themselves. They appreciate your help so much and I just get a kick out of that.

So to the 2009-2010 school, year I say good bye. Hello summer!! See you soon 2010-2011 school year.

Have a GREAT SUMMER everyone!!

Feeling Sad For Kids

This week I've been working out on the soccer field at the school instead of near the Big Toy.

The kids are older and more competitive, but they are also more brutal. I am sad today because no matter how I try to encourage good sportsmanship and discourage cheating and just plain unfair practices it seems I am just met with bad attitudes.

The kids who want to be on the same team come out with the ball (the same boy everyday so far) and the same boy selects all the "good" players and starts the game. The other kids feel unfairly treated and for good reason.

The first time he did this I made them start over and pick teams one player at a time. They were furious & some kids wouldn't play. I couldn't believe what poor sports they were about it. I was disappointed.

I've just been observing them the last two days to get a feel for the group. I did cheer though when the underdogs stopped every goal attempt by the "good" players.

Please pray for me that I will share wise and useful advice and make statements that will be helpful and create an environment of good sportsman like behavior. I don't want to make everyone miserable, yet I do not want to tolerate "cheating" and poor sportsmanship.

Kids need advocates and other kids need a reminder of what is right and wrong.
God bless them all. I pray for them everyday. Some days it's just sad though.

I do know that God is in control and even this is important to Him.

An Uncomfortable Few Moments

One day I was leaving work and a guy pulls up behind my pickup and asks me what is the current time (weird I thought). I told him the precise time I had on my watch. He then asks, "Why aren't there kids running around everywhere?"

I responded, "Because they're all gone." Then he asks, " What time does school get out?" Now my radar has gone up. "I'm not going to give you that information," I said.

He says, "Am I lost?" (weird again). I ask, "What are you looking for?" He asks again, "What time does school get out?" I give him the same answer I gave him before.

He calls me rude and starts grumbling at me about how rude I am. Then he says the dumbest thing he could say, "I pick my kids up here everyday. I can't believe you are so rude."

I suggested he go to the school office and they would help him with the answers he needed. He got even more angry and called me rude a few more times. He took off in a hurry. I wish I had gotten his license.

I went into the office and told them what happened. I went home and wrote down everything I could remember and I gave it to the principal the next day. The school district police have been in touch with me and I've told other crossing guards. We keep our eyes out for this character.

I despise this kind of thing. I do not want anyone messing with children if I can do anything about it.

God protect all the children out there who are so innocent and unaware of the dangers that lerk. Help them not to have to live in fear everyday. Help me to protect them at all cost. Help us all to be vigilant in protecting ourselves and others.

What's Recess Like?

Working at an elementary school for the past twelve weeks has opened my eyes to the kinds of things that kids do and deal with on a regular basis. If you want to know what might be going on at your child's' school read on.

This is what the front of the school looked like two weeks ago. Now these trees are bare, the sky is almost always gray and things are getting mushy and muddy.

On another note, this long term substitute job has come to an end...I have just applied for the permanent position which finally opened up November 19, 2009. I hope to have a chat with the principal some time in the next week. Things look good for me to fill this position mostly because we don't think anyone else will apply. And hopefully because they like what I've been doing at their school for the past twelve weeks.

Now let's get started with RECESS! At first the kids run out of the school onto the playground screaming with joy. They head straight for the swings and the cart with balls and jump ropes.

The first complaints begin within five minutes, usually about "those kids who won't let me swing". Apparently five minutes is a very long time to wait, for the younger ones especially. So I look at my watch and tell "those kids" they have about two more minutes before they need to let some other kids swing.

Meanwhile two kids need a restroom pass and another needs her shoes tied. Little Suzie is tugging my vest to tattle on little Jenni who called her a name and Johnnie fell and skinned his knee. Time for the band aids or send Johnnie to the nurse.

There's a lot of running and screaming at the top of their lungs and quite often two kids collide and fall down crying and holding their hurting limbs or heads. Time to survey for injuries and decide if anyone needs to go to the nurse for an ice pack. More shoes to be tied.

In theory the kids aren't suppose to run on the black top or around the Big Toy area. It has taken about ten weeks to get that point across to about 75% of the students. When any known rule is broken by a student that student will spend time standing next to any wall outside. At this point there are no more warnings given. They should know the rules by now. They go straight to time out on the wall.

Some kids will look at you with the "What? You are so mean" look and sometimes they'll argue with you trying to get out of it because they've "Never heard that rule before."

Some even shout at you and some come to their friends' defense shouting at you. I find it quite disturbing that elementary kids have such disrespect for adults and think that it's okay to yell at them. Makes me wonder what it's like in their homes.

This behavior usually gets a student a free pass to see the dean in her office. Some even yell at her. This behavior usually earns a student a behavior report to take home with them and possibly a call to mom & dad.

Basketball is always interesting on the playground as well as Tether ball. I don't see the Soccer games as I keep an eye on the Big Toy and black top areas, but I'm sure it gets wild out there.

Basketball is basically make up the rules as they go and the stronger willed kids always win. This is when I step in. I played a little basketball in junior high and most of the rules are the same. Most kids will listen and play by the rules for a couple of minutes.

Quite often they return to "Street Basketball" and someone ends up hurt or mad. At this point the ball is taken away and the game is called off. Tether ball is the same. Stronger willed kids make up the rules as they go and feelings get hurt or there's a fight. Kids just have to move on or play by the rules. More shoes to be tied.

Most days there aren't any major problems in which the dean has to be called upon. However, one day at lunch recess, about ten boys, kindergartners included, were fighting or playing very rough in a big mob. There were three playground monitors and none of us saw this happen.

After it was all over, one kindergartner came and told me that a boy broke another boys' glasses. It was time to go back to classes so it took me a while to follow up. I found the boy with the broken (very bent) glasses. The para in that class asked some questions and she found out who did it.The boy was found and sent to the dean. By the next day it was discovered that ten boys had been fighting.

The principal was notified and he took it from there. The boy (a kindergartner) with the bent glasses was a part of it by choice. He thought it was fun to be in a big brawl. His mom wasn't upset about the glasses and had them bent back into shape before the next day.

Another day a bee stung a boy right near his eye. I was concerned and took him to the nurse myself. He was okay and back out to play before recess was over. More shoes to tie (my aching back).

The next incident bothered me. Two boys were playing "Wall Ball" or "Power Ball". One boy came to me saying the other boy kicked, punched and slapped him. His face was red on one side. We confronted the suspected angry boy and he denied it. I had to call for the dean because I believed that the angry boy had at least slapped the other boy.

When the dean came out the angry boy got very angry saying he hated the school. She took them in and got to the bottom of the story. It's hard to get to the bottom of things on the playground because kids are usually shouting and other kids are standing around giving their two bits. It's best to get a third party and remove the kids involved.

This school is a very nice school with a great principal and dean, great teachers, and all other staff. The things I have mentioned are not daily occurrences except tattling and tieing shoes. I never imagined what it would be like on the playground.

With the people to back you up with discipline and great teachers to give us incite into why some kids act the way they do it has been a good experience and I'm willing to continue as recess lady and crossing guard to get my foot in the door and we'll see what God has in store for me next.

I Was Blessed Today

I went to work today and there was an assembly to honor veterans.

I had the next two hours free so I entered the school gym to attend this event.



Being a veteran I am just a little patriotic so I love these kinds of things.


Seated at the front with the school choir were men (I assumed to be veterans) and their children who attended our school. I call it our school because I've been subbing there for about eight weeks now.

I found a seat in the back with the parents. After the posting of the colors and a very sweet rendition of the Star Spangled Banner (I almost cried) by all of us (the school choir helped tremendously) we were seated and the principal began his greetings.

He asked if there were any veterans in the audience. I jumped to my feet thinking there would be several others. Nope...just me. The principal said, "Mrs. Johnson, come on up here." So I joyously walked to the front thinking he was going to ask me a few quick questions and I'd be back in my seat soon. Nope again...he said," "Can someone bring a chair up here for Mrs. Johnson?" I was thrilled and embarrassed at the same time. I had no idea this would happen.

No one knew I had been in the Navy so there were a lot of surprised and smiling faces. The principal was quite surprised. Who would have thought that a few years in the Navy, almost twenty years ago, would have me being honored with others who have served our country in an elementary school today?

I appreciated it so much and I felt so honored even though I served in peace time. Some of the other veterans served during wars and gave our country many years. One soldier was still serving and has two sweet little girls at our school. He plans to retire soon.

The principal had each of us share what service we were in and how long and where we served. Some shared more which was nice. The kids seemed to be very interested. We were each given a handmade card by some of the students and a red rose with the American Flag attached. It was so nice.

The school choir sang two more songs and one Army veteran, currently Boy Scout leader, gave a fun speech full of audience participation. It was a pleasant and much appreciated assembly.

One Army veteran was a Filipino who came to the U.S. to get an education. He joined the army so he could go to college on the GI Bill. He loves his country, the USA, and served for many years. He shook my hand as did others as they thanked me for my service.

I have mentioned in earlier posts that I spent three years in the Philippines and I became a Christian and was baptized there. The Philippines and the people there have a place in my heart forever.

At the recesses throughout the day several students came to me and asked me about my military service. Some thanked me and others were just plain surprised. Teachers and office workers thanked me and shared their stories of being dependents of someone in the military or working on a base. It was quite a day for me at Rainier View Elementary School.

I love America and all that it has stood for over the years. I pray that our country will maintain it's freedom and liberty for all.

HAPPY VETERANS' DAY !!




ANCHOR'S AWAY!!

The New Life of This Working Mom

Oh to be back on this day again. Drinking a mocha, standing in a cool water spray at the park near the street fair.

Some of you may know that I'm a substitute para educator. The first job I picked up is a long term situation with no defined ending date. So I'll just keep working this job until I pick up a permanent position. The school and all of the people I have come in contact with are very nice and complimentary. I know I'm appreciated and needed because the hours really stink.

I'm not complaining because I'm so glad to be working, but I have the strangest shift. I only work two hours and forty minutes a day, but it's strung out over seven hours. I have four breaks that all range from one hour to an hour and 40 minutes.

I pretty much stay at the school because if I go home it uses so much gas. I may run an errand or two, but I stay in the teacher's lounge and read or go for a walk for the most part.

Yesterday I started volunteering in the all day kindergarten class. This helps make the time go faster. I'm learning so much about how they teach. I can use this in Sunday School. Modifying behavior is going to be a good tool and some of the songs are going to be helpful too.

I have applied for the same type of job, permanent position, at a school closer to my home which pays $1.00 more per hour and it is a four hour a day position. I'm hoping that the Lord is opening this door to me. If not, He's got something even better.

Since I come home very tired every day (I haven't worked out of the home in 14 years)
I've been neglecting my blog and my following. Thank you to those of you who still stop by even when I don't visit you. God bless you all. I hope to get used to working and I hope to not be so tired every night. Have a very nice weekend.