a poem for Spring 🌷🌷🌷
Instructions on Not Giving Up
by Ada Limon
More than the fuchsia funnels breaking out
of the crabapple tree, more than the neighbor’s
almost obscene display of cherry limbs shoving
their cotton candy-colored blossoms to the slate
sky of Spring rains, it’s the greening of the trees
that really gets to me. When all the shock of white
and taffy, the world’s baubles and trinkets, leave
the pavement strewn with the confetti of aftermath,
the leaves come. Patient, plodding, a green skin
growing over whatever winter did to us, a return
to the strange idea of continuous living despite
the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. Fine then,
I’ll take it, the tree seems to say, a new slick leaf
unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I’ll take it all.
I sat outside watching the morning being born, sitting at my patio table. Listening to the world awaken, heard the voice of the wind playing among the wind chimes, the birds singing the sun up and celebrating the new day at hand. I felt the warmth of my coffee mug as I cupped my hands around it and watched the steam rise in the chill morning air. Breathed in the fragrance...savored the taste. As the sun climbed the sky I saw the colors of the redbud blooms as well as the forsythia and bridal veil spirea, the wispy mist of baby green leaves on the hardwoods and the rushing river of wind in the pines.
Saw my deer friends arrive to eat the breakfast feed I had placed out for them, the birds coming to the feeders and the faces of my pets watching from the window.(they had had their breakfast and walks earlier and then enclosed porch time) They know when I go out like this ... it's my time... to connect to my space here on Earth. The one thing that stood out to me this morning? I am blessed that I had this moment of Peace and all needs met fully present in the moment. A brief period of time in which to put aside the fears and the angst that is our country at this time.
Yes..it feels hard to be fighting the same evils and hatred we have battled for at least 248 years in this country. As I pondered on it ... I was struck by the realization.... should mankind succeed in removing itself from the face of the Earth.. the Earth and Mother Nature and most of the other life forms we share this planet with would thrive and we'd be a wound healed and a scar left upon their consciousness. We were charged to be better stewards of the wonders and resources of this planet... to love and care for each living being .... I hope and pray... we can do that. I believe with all my heart that all deserve food/shelter/healthcare and education, as well as respect for differences.
I have no idea where to post this, so I'll put it here. My mom somehow lost her keys somewhere in or around the house. She usually drops them on the kitchen counter when she comes in, but they're not there. We've searched the car, the garage, every drawer and cabinet in the kitchen, her entire bedroom and bathroom, the clothes she was wearing, the trash can, the recycling bin, even the refrigerator and freezers, and they're nowhere to be found. They have to be here somewhere because she obviously drove home yesterday, but we are completely at a loss, and I'm desperate. If anyone has any visions/remote viewing/whatever/anything that might help, I would really appreciate it because I'm at my wits end.
@tgraf66 okay for what it’s worth as I read your post I had a flash of a few brick steps, black wrought iron railing, and shrubbery to the left like boxwoods - evergreen- could not see to the right.
my viewpoint was as if I were standing in a doorway looking down at the steps. Maybe check around the dirt
have no idea if this is anything helpful. It came instantly so I decided to go with it.
good luck.
@tgraf66 also, ask St Anthony, patron saint of lost things, for help. (St. Anthony of Padua - he was Franciscan).
That’s what I do when I can’t find my phone. Am not Catholic but I inherited a St. Anthony medal on a bracelet. It found its way to the right person, chronic phone misplacer.
Thank you everyone for "looking" with me. Mom did finally find her keys...in the pocket of the pants she had worn to church the day before. 🙄 She said she remembered that she had to change clothes really quickly, and since she had only worn them for a few hours, so she just hung them back up in the closet instead of putting them in the laundry. Then she promptly forgot. *sigh*
I don't know where to put this so I am putting it here.
For the last week I've been getting signals that maybe I should apply to be a substitute teacher. I saw a big sign requesting people apply when I passed a school a few nights ago. Then for the last two nights I've had dreams where people said I should apply. I'm recently retired. I have plenty of credentials. Part of my job involved classroom teaching at college level (grad and undergrad). I also recently started a volunteer job at the visitor center at a nearby state park. Some of it involves selling stuff to raise money for the park and some of it involves answering people's questions about the park and the nature therein. I enjoy helping people learn, as long as they actually are interested.
But I don't want to walk into a classroom full of kids who don't want to be there and who get their jollies taking advantage of a sub. I don't need more stress in my life. I am not desperate for the income (though with t and minions destroying the economy and threatening social security, that could change.)
I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about this? Any experiences (good or bad) acting as a sub teacher? Any vibes about whether the universe is actually speaking to me or whether my brain is just processing daily info?
@ana one thing to think about if/when you apply is whether you have a preference for long term (weeks/months) or short term (come on over this morning as someone has called in sick).
Longer term the class becomes yours and short term you work with whatever lesson plans are there for you.
Also grade preferences. High school with the changing classes? Elementary where you mostly have the class all day?
Seems like you would be wonderful in a classroom! ( Speaking as a retired counselor K-12)
It sounds like you are being drawn to substitute teaching and certainly, there is no big downside to it. A day or two investment will tell you whether it is for you or not. Still, to optimize a successful venture, it seems like a good idea to prepare yourself.
My granddaughter has an elementary teacher this year who is considered a master teacher; she is often pulled out of the classroom to educate other new teachers so if you could search online for techniques and approaches that work better than others, the ones master teachers use, it would help you get prepared. For example, in going into school for special events, I have observed some simple, respectful ways teachers and administrators use to manage groups (unlike the yelling that was used in the 1960s)---discovering those could be helpful.
I don't know how much control you would have over which kinds of classes you would get called for but many variables could affect your experience; the age group, subject, socioeconomic background, number of students in a class, etc.
(@DannyBoy, tips?) I believe that the "realm" speaks to us via urges, which you are experiencing so even if the sub path doesn't work out, following this inclination could lead you somewhere interesting.
I was both a regular teacher and a substitute many years ago.
The plus about being a sub is you get to choose when you want to work. You also chose which subjects and grade levels you will teach for the day, few days or long-term position. You don't have to grade the students work either unless it is long term. If teaching H.S. you might enjoy subbing in AP/Honor classes as students tend to want to be in those classes. Any of the arts classes might be good as well. Once teachers get to know you, they will ask for you specifically. You can probably let them know your subject background as a college teacher. Science teachers love subs who have a background in science and so on. If you have a difficult experience subbing for a particular teacher, you don't have to ever teach that class/those classes again. A big plus.
Whatever the grade level, let students know you are a former college teacher. That will by you some credibility, especially with older kids but even younger ones will think of you with some awe. haha.
It seems as if you are being giving a message. Why not follow it and see what happens? Even subs can make a big difference in the lives of the students they interact with.
Hi, for what it’s worth, retiring can be a bit daunting, a bit of now what do I do. Everyone is different. I was happy to retire, did it from the first day I was entitled to. I played bowls before I retired so upped that to 2 days a week, got involved with a Probus (social club) group on the committee. Now also play cards, mahjong, exercise group and walking. The thought of working never enter my mind. My husband needs to feel he is working in some way, from volunteering in Marine rescue and doing all the courses for advancement, to building a boat, and making models and so on. Others just vegetate.
You need to think what is it you actually want from my retirement, is it just to keep working? Enjoying learning new fun things, making new friends from other backgrounds? A mixture of both. Is working part time actually something you want to do? Or is it can’t think of anything else to do.
Happy mulling over.
Regards
Matildagirl
@ana - First huge thank you @raincloud for tagging me as I have been distant from the forum lately with so many plates in the air. This is exactly the type of prompt I would love to weigh in on as a 25 year educator who has served in a variety of settings!
@ana - substitute teaching is literally the lowest stakes for getting your feet wet in education because you can do it and if you hate it, you don’t ever have to do it again and you walk away having let no one down by trying it for a day and deciding it’s not for you.
That said, that’s a bold statement I just made so let me tell you a few things I’ve learned over the years that may help guide you farther.
1). Every day in education is different. I work with enough districts and have looked at their behavior data to tell you the day with the most referrals isn’t Monday or Friday - it’s actually Tuesday (and since we started collecting this data, every principal has a theory to why. End of the day it doesn’t really matter) The wider lens though is that you will have behavior problems and a lot of those kids don’t want to be there. The behavior problems are not the result of anything you did (or didn’t do) by being there. All of them started (depending on the age group) years ago and have nothing to do with school. School is where it all boils over. That mindset has really helped a lot of my teachers remember to practice the reset rule - deal with the consequences one day, but treat the next like a fresh slate. Kids need that.
2). As someone whose role has cast him into subbing from time to time you have to remember that I taught for 9 years before moving into the supporting coach role I have now and after being that far removed from an actual classroom for 15 years before getting the chance recently to begin going back in - I am completely in your shoes. Teachers are frogs in a pot of constantly temperature rising water and they acclimate as their students change. For me to move from this role ot one where I model lessons in rooms where the teachers often take off (hence me being the sub for the day) I had to learn completely different strategies for dealing with some of the kids. But I did it. You’d be surprised how surprised kids are when the stranger in the room walks over to a kid playing games on a Chromebook during a lesson and tells them politely but firmly, as I did two weeks ago “Hey, we aren’t using those now, so I need you to close the lid please.” Before walking away. They did it. They were surprised I noticed and called them on it and that shock and surprise gave a slight idea to them that maybe they shouldn’t try to get one over on me. The lesson here is you don’t go in at screaming, you go in at polite but firmly and escalate accordingly. But if your’e in any grade above sixth you’ll have a new group in the room and of course they all talk. “Yeah, that Mr. DannyBoy guy is in there, just do the thing because he’ll know if you don’t.”
(A mistake I see teachers make is not calling small behaviors out because they want to befriend. You can be kind and empathetic and compassionate to kids while still letting them know behavior won’t fly.)
3) There are high fliers now that we didn’t have to deal with to this degree years ago and in some cases you may get a kid that’s angry, belligerent, and taking down an entire classroom. You send a message to the whole class when you treat the behavior at the level it comes at you, and while that doesnt mean “throw a table” - it means you call the office and send the kid out. Most principals won’t return them to you that day.
4) If these things sound bad it’s because they are, and you shouldn’t go into things thinking it will be like an episode of Boy Meets World where you’re teaching Mr. Feeny’s class and everything will be peaches and roses. There are plenty of good things. You’ll make a kid smile by doing something silly and it might be the first time they do that that day. You’ll recognize an issue you yourself had once in a kid and be able to give them a little unsolicited advice that might make all the difference in the world. You’ll get them of to lunch which for some might be the only meal they get that day, ensuring they’re fed and watered. You’ll have a room with the best lesson plan every that’s easy to follow and flow, and you’ll have rooms where you’ll be glad you brought a copy of Caddyshack on DVD with you since the teacher had nothing ready for you. You won’t make a ton of money doing it but you will make a difference somewhere and that can be all you need some days.
I’m exhausted from attending and running our statewide conference this past few days so if you want to ask me more direct questions, maybe when @jeanne-mayell has a few minutes she can connect you with my email address and you can ask more direct questions and I might be less exhausted than I am right now :-)
But I always listen when the universe changes the font size and changes the text to “BOLD” and it sounds like that may be happening for you.
@lovendures I think I would be more comfortable in AP science since science is my field-- but I could also manage history. Since I have almost exclusively dealt with college students, high school would likely be best, or even middle school. (Some college students act like they're in middle school and I'm pretty good at shutting down that kind of behavior-- at least in older students.) Still it scares the heck out of me. My main motivation would be to enlighten and inspire. But I am an introvert.
I have plenty of things to keep me interested and occupied in retirement but I feel I have not made enough use of my gifts in my lifetime. If I can inspire and inform more young people, that would be one way to use a gift. But it is scary. The first time I was put in front of a classroom as a graduate teaching assistant I was terrified. But I did OK .
@dannyboy Since I posted a couple of days ago I haven't gotten any more messages from the universe about sub teaching. I think I will put in an application, though, and see what happens. THank you for all your comments and opinions.
My most challenging teaching experience was teaching summer geology field camp for senior-year college students. It was just me, a couple of TA's and around 15 students aged 19 to late 20's, mostly male --- and me-- at the time-- a 30 something 5'2" 100 lb woman having to lead them up hills and over scary rope bridges then turn around and smile at the top of the hill or the end of the bridge like the effort was nothing at all. ( I'm not a natural athlete so I had to train for these situations.) And I learned never, ever to change my mind about plans. If I said we were going to stop for lunch at place A, I better not decide instead to stop at place B, even if I had learned in the meantime that it might be a better choice. Doing so would cause a severe loss of credibility. "Never show weakness" had to be my mantra. But of course I always did my best to be both fair and kind. I was the only female field camp instructor who never had a lot of problems with these overage "kids".
But I don't know how well that sort of attitude would translate to younger students. Or whether I would find it more stressful than it would be worth.