It's funny, the variety of statements from the kids that I must sift through and sort each day. A winner for the week, pursuant of nothing: "Ms. D, I have a scab on the outside of my ear and another one on the inside!"
That one defies categorization.
***
I administered reading tests this week, which I generally have mixed feelings about. Sometimes it is a relief to set up shop in the hallway with my assessment binder and accordion folder and get a reprieve from the classroom grind.
Other times that feeling is overshadowed by a certain anxiety level, inversely proportionate to the substitute's ability to communicate in English and/or manage the captive hoard of pre-pubescent wildebeests that I've loaned her for the day. (It is hard to concentrate on Running Records when you fear that your room is being shredded to bits just an arm's reach away.)
Sometimes it is a mixture of frustration and anger, when the kids aren't showing enough "progress," or when I start thinking of the percentage of time out of this so-called noble profession that is devoted to paper-shuffling, book-cooking, and meaningless pencil-pushing.
But this time around it was immensely positive. I enjoyed having a few minutes to spend with the kids away from everybody else, one on one, there was a competent sub, and they seemed to make good progress! Again I was astounded by the fact that this "education" stuff actually works - my gosh! Something's happened! It's sinking in! You couldn't read this three months ago, and now you can... could that really have had something to do with me??? It seems weird to take credit for stuff that's going on inside somebody else's brain. But it is kinda cool to see evidence that, one way or another, learning has occurred.
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