I drove across the country over the holiday weekend. An experience I would encourage everyone to have at least once. It really gives you some perspective on how big our country really is and there's nothing like seeing the crappy middle of nowhere towns some people live in to make you appreciate where you live. I told Molly somewhere in Wisconsin that I kind of wanted to just go to someone's front door and say "You know you don't have to live here right? There are better places than this."
When I drove cross country the first time in January we took I-80 through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illonios, Indiana and finally Ohio. It was straight and flat and boring. Eastern Wyoming and Nebraska where the worst. Things got a little better through the I states. More of what you tend to think of when you think of Middle America: rolling hills, farmhouses, elephant eye tall corn etc.
On the way back Molly and I decided to take I-90 which took a little out of the way to the north so that we could see Mt. Rushmore. Something I've always wanted to do but knew I would never plan a trip there. Its very out of the way and in the middle of nowhere, you see.
Our first leg of the journey took us via the Ohio turnpike through Indiana and up through Chicago. We stopped for the night in Beloit, Wisconsin just over the state line. We ended up paying a little over $20 in tolls. Ridiculously infruriating. Especially to someone who has traveled miles and miles of good roads for free out west. Listen up you east side midwestern states: Take a look at whatever it is we're doing out here and copy it because driving through your states sucks.
Next day brought us Wisconsin, Minnesota (which boasts 10,000 lakes but I only saw a little pond) and finally South Dakota.
Whatever South Dakota lacks in natural beauty when compared to its neighbors it makes up for in quirkiness. The road was flat and straight but I got the feeling that the residences of the state didn't take themselves too seriously, and weren't afraid to exploit anything as some sort of attraction. I saw some pretty strange yard art (skeleton of a man leading a skeleton of a dinosaur on a leash) and a palace (read small indoor basketball arena) made of corn, but the most intriguing thing about the state was Wall Drug.
We hadn't been in SD for too long before we starting seeing signs for Wall Drug. We continued to see these signs for all 350 miles we were in the state. Some had cowboys on them, some dinosaurs, I saw rockets and Santa Clause all advertising Wall Drug. Is it a town? A store? As we neared our destination for the night (Rapid City) the signs became more frequent and I finally asked Molly to look up what Wall Drug was on her phone.
A google search revealed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Drug) that essentially Wall Drug is a big, old drugstore that had free ice water, five cent coffee and homemade doughnuts.
It is truly a testament of how stir crazy we must have been for this to cause the excitement it did. We were stopping. No matter what. We were getting our free ice water, home made doughnut and five cent coffee we wouldn't drink. We exited at Wall, SD. Followed the signs, excitment building and building. We were finally going to see the Wall Drug! We pulled up and parked. It was serioulsy half a block long. It was built in the style of the old west. So excited. We approached the door...and I wish I was making this up... I extended my hand to open the door...and...the lights went out. The door was locked. It was only eight o'clock at night! We had come so far! For the love! After all the build up and not even a free ice water. Biggest let down of the trip. So sad.
To add insult to injury we got some real crappy food at the cafe across the street.
Again sorry for the long post. I promised myself I would keep this short. Maybe because I wait so long in between blogs it builds up and all comes out at once like blog vomit.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Eaters of the World Unite!
So I just finished reading this book...
It fits into two new interests of mine; healthy eating and non-fiction. It got me pretty fired up. Poor W has born the brunt of it.
The book was In Defense of Food. It laid bare some very interesting points about the culture of eating we're caught up in today. Its killing us. Its really killing us. Due to modern medicine people today are dying less and less from infectious disease such as the bubonic plague or small pox but now we are dying of diet related illnesses: Obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Yuck right? These things can be hereditary but for the most part they are diet related. Is it a coincidence that these diseases have been on the rise ever since fast food, and processed food have taken the place of home cooking in our lives? I submit that it is not. Ever since we let the food industry, government , and Ronald McDonald tell us what to eat and kicked Mom out of the kitchen we've become the fattest and possibly the most unhealthy eaters in the world. Never before has such a well fed population been so malnourished. What a giant contradiction!
Why have we started listening to nutritionists and scientists to find out what we should eat when for thousands of years humans have flourished on trusting their own senses and eating what their mothers feed them? Why are we suckered into one eating fad after another? They tell us to eat a diet low in fat, low protein and high carb, then low carb and high protein, now antioxidants and omega 3s are all the rage. Could it be that scientists can't see the whole picture? Why do we keep trusting them when they are continually proving themselves wrong or at least finding out that they don't know as much as they thought they did.
So here's the skinny (pun!):
If it has a health claim on it you should avoid it. For real. Take margarine for example; when margarine hit the scene it was hailed as a miracle because it took the place of butter but cut out all the reasons butter is bad for us. Fast forward 30 years and scientists are finding that the heart attacks they thought margarine was saving you from its actually causing. Because, think about it this makes a lot of sense, once the "bad fats" that are in butter are eliminated they have to replace it with something else. This something else turns out to be something synthetic, man made. That's right, a man engineered fat that is far worse for you than the original fat (which actually turns out to be good for you) in butter. Whoops. How could the human body be expected to deal with something that doesn't occur in nature better than something its been eating forever. So really if it claims to be low or reduced fat...stay away from it...you're better off with whatever nature provides...
Which brings me to my next point. Fruits and veggies can't make health claims. The biggest sin we might be commiting in our diets today is the sin of omission. Vegetarians aren't healthier because meat is bad for you they are healthier because they eat more fruits and veggies. Our poor diets might be less the result of what we ARE eating but more a result of what we ARE NOT eating. If you've got a 12oz steak on your plate is there much room for anything else? Poor fruits and veggies can't wear shiny labels that say "Now with more vitamin C!" or something to that effect. A carrot is a carrot is a carrot and it will always be good for you.
So much of what we are eating is the result of clever marketing. The food business is just that: a business. They are not interested in your health they are interested in making a profit. And the worst part is is that not even the government is looking out for you! Companies will pay big bucks to get the FDA to label something or word something a certain way in their favor. When nutritionists found out that eating grains where good for us (duh!) Cold cereal makers hit the big time. Its all about money. And we fall for all of their marketing ploys.
Another thing that was startling to me is that today the average American is getting somewhere near 80% of their calories from only three sources: corn, wheat and soy. This is a scary thought when you consider we are omnivores. We require a diverse diet to get all of the nutrients we need. If it comes in a box or a bag you can count on it having one of those three grains in them. Yikes.
So how do we avoid all of the traps laid for us? Follow these simple rules:
1. Don't eat anything your great great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. When I read this I thought of Cheetos. Would someone who hasn't been alive for the past twenty years know that a Cheeto was edible? I don't think so. The book cited Go-gurts. You could tell Grandma it was yogurt but if you look at the ingredients is it really just yogurt?
5. Don't eat alone (if you can help it). One of the things that has changed dramatically from our greatgradmothers time is not just what we eat but HOW we eat. We eat increasingly on the run. In our cars...quickly in between tasks at work. Its not healthy. We're losing our food culture. And our society is suffering as a result. Think of all the things that are/can be/should be taught at a family dinner table. How many families really take that opportunity? Also if you don't eat alone you are more likely to be aware of how much you are eating because of those around you.
6. Cook more. The book pointed out that never before has a society spent so little time and so little money on what it eats. Think back 150 years ago. If providing food for yourself and your family wasn't your full time job (farming) it was the second most time consuming element in your day. By spending a little more time and a little more money everyday we will be eating healthier. If you cook for yourself you never have to wonder what's in what you're eating. After having a frustrating experience in the kitchen W asked me why I like to cook. I told him its because I like being able to enjoy (and have others enjoy) something I created. When put like that he could see how it could be rewarding. But besides work what should take up the most time in our day to day? Food of course! But does it? DOES IT?!
So that's it for the most part. I'll climb down from my soap box. Since reading the book I definitely haven't kept to these guidelines 100% but I am more aware of what I'm eating and that's the first step to being healthier.
Sorry my posts are so long. If I were you I don't know if I could make it :) Thanks for reading.
It fits into two new interests of mine; healthy eating and non-fiction. It got me pretty fired up. Poor W has born the brunt of it.
The book was In Defense of Food. It laid bare some very interesting points about the culture of eating we're caught up in today. Its killing us. Its really killing us. Due to modern medicine people today are dying less and less from infectious disease such as the bubonic plague or small pox but now we are dying of diet related illnesses: Obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Yuck right? These things can be hereditary but for the most part they are diet related. Is it a coincidence that these diseases have been on the rise ever since fast food, and processed food have taken the place of home cooking in our lives? I submit that it is not. Ever since we let the food industry, government , and Ronald McDonald tell us what to eat and kicked Mom out of the kitchen we've become the fattest and possibly the most unhealthy eaters in the world. Never before has such a well fed population been so malnourished. What a giant contradiction!
Why have we started listening to nutritionists and scientists to find out what we should eat when for thousands of years humans have flourished on trusting their own senses and eating what their mothers feed them? Why are we suckered into one eating fad after another? They tell us to eat a diet low in fat, low protein and high carb, then low carb and high protein, now antioxidants and omega 3s are all the rage. Could it be that scientists can't see the whole picture? Why do we keep trusting them when they are continually proving themselves wrong or at least finding out that they don't know as much as they thought they did.
So here's the skinny (pun!):
If it has a health claim on it you should avoid it. For real. Take margarine for example; when margarine hit the scene it was hailed as a miracle because it took the place of butter but cut out all the reasons butter is bad for us. Fast forward 30 years and scientists are finding that the heart attacks they thought margarine was saving you from its actually causing. Because, think about it this makes a lot of sense, once the "bad fats" that are in butter are eliminated they have to replace it with something else. This something else turns out to be something synthetic, man made. That's right, a man engineered fat that is far worse for you than the original fat (which actually turns out to be good for you) in butter. Whoops. How could the human body be expected to deal with something that doesn't occur in nature better than something its been eating forever. So really if it claims to be low or reduced fat...stay away from it...you're better off with whatever nature provides...
Which brings me to my next point. Fruits and veggies can't make health claims. The biggest sin we might be commiting in our diets today is the sin of omission. Vegetarians aren't healthier because meat is bad for you they are healthier because they eat more fruits and veggies. Our poor diets might be less the result of what we ARE eating but more a result of what we ARE NOT eating. If you've got a 12oz steak on your plate is there much room for anything else? Poor fruits and veggies can't wear shiny labels that say "Now with more vitamin C!" or something to that effect. A carrot is a carrot is a carrot and it will always be good for you.
So much of what we are eating is the result of clever marketing. The food business is just that: a business. They are not interested in your health they are interested in making a profit. And the worst part is is that not even the government is looking out for you! Companies will pay big bucks to get the FDA to label something or word something a certain way in their favor. When nutritionists found out that eating grains where good for us (duh!) Cold cereal makers hit the big time. Its all about money. And we fall for all of their marketing ploys.
Another thing that was startling to me is that today the average American is getting somewhere near 80% of their calories from only three sources: corn, wheat and soy. This is a scary thought when you consider we are omnivores. We require a diverse diet to get all of the nutrients we need. If it comes in a box or a bag you can count on it having one of those three grains in them. Yikes.
So how do we avoid all of the traps laid for us? Follow these simple rules:
1. Don't eat anything your great great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. When I read this I thought of Cheetos. Would someone who hasn't been alive for the past twenty years know that a Cheeto was edible? I don't think so. The book cited Go-gurts. You could tell Grandma it was yogurt but if you look at the ingredients is it really just yogurt?
2.Which leads me to the next guideline: Don't eat anything packaged with more than 5 ingredients. Take bread for example. Bread is made from flour, yeast, water, salt, maybe some butter or oil. Next time you buy bread check out the ingredients label. What is all that stuff?!
3. Don't eat anything you can't pronounce. If you can't pronounce it you probably don't know what it is. If you don't know what it is how do you know its good for you?
4. Stop snacking. Its a lot of calories, a lot of food we don't need. Never sit down with a box or a bag.5. Don't eat alone (if you can help it). One of the things that has changed dramatically from our greatgradmothers time is not just what we eat but HOW we eat. We eat increasingly on the run. In our cars...quickly in between tasks at work. Its not healthy. We're losing our food culture. And our society is suffering as a result. Think of all the things that are/can be/should be taught at a family dinner table. How many families really take that opportunity? Also if you don't eat alone you are more likely to be aware of how much you are eating because of those around you.
6. Cook more. The book pointed out that never before has a society spent so little time and so little money on what it eats. Think back 150 years ago. If providing food for yourself and your family wasn't your full time job (farming) it was the second most time consuming element in your day. By spending a little more time and a little more money everyday we will be eating healthier. If you cook for yourself you never have to wonder what's in what you're eating. After having a frustrating experience in the kitchen W asked me why I like to cook. I told him its because I like being able to enjoy (and have others enjoy) something I created. When put like that he could see how it could be rewarding. But besides work what should take up the most time in our day to day? Food of course! But does it? DOES IT?!
So that's it for the most part. I'll climb down from my soap box. Since reading the book I definitely haven't kept to these guidelines 100% but I am more aware of what I'm eating and that's the first step to being healthier.
Sorry my posts are so long. If I were you I don't know if I could make it :) Thanks for reading.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
An Open Mind
An Open Mind
Recently I had someone I care about tell me that it didn’t take him very long after meeting me to realize that I was a religious person. He worried that because he thought that I was religious there was a good chance that I would be close minded…
When did these two ideas become associated with each other?
And from what I understand about religion shouldn’t this be the other way around? I am religious therefore I am open-minded? Doesn’t someone believing in something greater than themselves, putting their trust and faith in something unseen, being humble enough to admit that they don’t know all the answers or have control over everything sound pretty open minded? Is this not a good description of a religious person?
For me, someone who can’t see beyond himself /herself or has to see something to believe it…that is a close-minded person.
What determines a religious person anyway? Their values? How much faith they exhibit? The ordinances they participate in? How often they go to church?
What’s funny is that before I moved away from Utah I never considered myself to be a religious person. I know that that sounds crazy to some people who know me but I really didn’t. If I imagine a friend describing me to someone it would go something like, “she’s kind of tall, likes to read, big family, doesn’t drink or swear, history major, teacher, makes a mean batch of muddy buddies…” but not “She’s religious.” Maybe it’s because the culture I come from is religious…I couldn’t see the forest for the trees or something. I’ve just always considered myself a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but not a “religious person”. Once I moved away though I realized that I was unique. Not because I had a religion but because I was a DEVOUT member of that religion. I was surprised to learn that not everybody who is religious is devout.
So maybe I’m a devout person but not a religious one?
I try to be an obedient person. Maybe that’s what makes me religious. To me obedience isn’t and never will be a bad thing. I tend to cringe at the term “blind obedience” which is something that people of my faith are often accused of. Is it so hard to believe that I live my life a certain way because I KNOW it will make me happy? I don’t think that it might, or guess and cross my fingers, or (worst of all) ignorantly follow a kind, old, charismatic leader. I KNOW it’s right. And even if I don’t have a full understanding I have faith that someday I will. And I guess that’s what gets me about debates over issues where religion is on one side and “open-minded” people are on the other…I feel like non-religious people never take into consideration the fact that there is an element of faith to our reason. There is an unseen power that you can’t begin to understand unless you’ve felt it for yourself. And most critics of religion don’t take that into account let alone try to really understand it.
Religion doesn’t stick to tradition because its all that it knows and is scared to progress. Is it so hard to believe or consider that traditional values are good because they are founded on true principles? And its my humble opinion that in the scope of human history tradition often becomes progressive.
Truth is truth no matter where you encounter it. Its not right or wrong, good or bad. You can’t have an opinion on it, or make excuses for it. Its truth.
Maybe instead of open or close minded a more correct term in this situation would be tolerant or intolerant?
Last thing I want to say is that I know some really terrible things have been done in the name of religion. And that makes me sad because some things people do in the name of God I know God would never put his name on. Hatred, fear, violence, these are things God would never approve of let alone endorse. I believe He is incapable of such ugly feelings. He is by definition, love.
I asked a lot of questions in this post which may have seemed rhetorical. If you feel however that have the answers to some of the things I asked please way in.
Oh and once I saw a t-shirt that defined a liberal as someone so open minded their brain had fallen out. Harsh but clever!
Monday, June 22, 2009
The Best Part of My Day
"Are you guys ready to go swimming?"
Half the four year olds sitting on the side of the pool respond with an enthusiastic "YES!" or "NO!" while the other half don't respond at all.
"Alright well I'm excited! Go ahead and get in the water safely the way I showed you."
The kids proceed to roll on to their little bellies and scoot their little bums down into the water.
"Now that we're in the water what comes next? What do we do now?"
Crickets...
"We've got to get our hair wet! Like this..." I make an exaggerated show of holding my breath, submerging, and jumping out of the water with wet hair and a smile on my face.
"What's that called? What do you guys need to do?"
We've done the same thing in the same order for the past five days. The kids know what they're supposed to do. They even know the name of it the move. They are just being shy.
"What's this called?" I show the kids the skill again.
I think of all the ways I could prompt an older audience to give me the name of the skill I just demonstrated...
We do it with apples at Halloween...
Danny Tanner of Full House: ______ Saggett
Hairstyle worn by Flapper girls in the roaring 20's
Lorena _____it
Finally Adam who is bigger than the other kids but is generally pretty timid gets brave and yells
"KEBABS!"
Half the four year olds sitting on the side of the pool respond with an enthusiastic "YES!" or "NO!" while the other half don't respond at all.
"Alright well I'm excited! Go ahead and get in the water safely the way I showed you."
The kids proceed to roll on to their little bellies and scoot their little bums down into the water.
"Now that we're in the water what comes next? What do we do now?"
Crickets...
"We've got to get our hair wet! Like this..." I make an exaggerated show of holding my breath, submerging, and jumping out of the water with wet hair and a smile on my face.
"What's that called? What do you guys need to do?"
We've done the same thing in the same order for the past five days. The kids know what they're supposed to do. They even know the name of it the move. They are just being shy.
"What's this called?" I show the kids the skill again.
I think of all the ways I could prompt an older audience to give me the name of the skill I just demonstrated...
We do it with apples at Halloween...
Danny Tanner of Full House: ______ Saggett
Hairstyle worn by Flapper girls in the roaring 20's
Lorena _____it
Finally Adam who is bigger than the other kids but is generally pretty timid gets brave and yells
"KEBABS!"
Monday, June 1, 2009
Dear Cleveland,
I'm really sorry about the Cav's loss. I know you had a lot of hope riding on them what with the disappointment that the Browns and the Indians are.
Let me be so bold as to make a suggestion...that you fill that void, that emptiness and disappointment, with something much more lasting and powerful than Lebron James could ever be...something that will never abandon you or let you down, or trade owner's hands...
Come be a part of a team that will never lose...
www.mormon.org
(rolls eyes at self) For reals though, if Clevelanders have a common deity it is athletics. And the amount of faith they show in teams that fail them is staggering. I know there is a better bank to invest in so to speak...
I'll stop before I get going.
Luv.
Let me be so bold as to make a suggestion...that you fill that void, that emptiness and disappointment, with something much more lasting and powerful than Lebron James could ever be...something that will never abandon you or let you down, or trade owner's hands...
Come be a part of a team that will never lose...
www.mormon.org
(rolls eyes at self) For reals though, if Clevelanders have a common deity it is athletics. And the amount of faith they show in teams that fail them is staggering. I know there is a better bank to invest in so to speak...
I'll stop before I get going.
Luv.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Earth Day
First up I'm home and so is Ryan and its awesome.
Secondly, yesterday was Earth Day. I subbed for a social studies class and the teacher left a video on global warming. In a few of the more mature classes I started a discussion on global warming and what they thought about it. Typical of teenagers there was a wide range of opinions all of them super dramatic...
some had no concern for any of it real or not...
some didn't believe it was happening at all...
some believed that it will soon destroy our earth and our lives...
some believed that it was a hopeless situation and there was nothing that could be done to stop it.
I asked the class how they personally could help reduce global warming and when I suggested walking, or riding the bus instead of driving everywhere they scoffed...how lame...when I suggested a bike one girl pointed out that bikes were made in factories and that factories cause lots of pollution (good point)....I countered by telling her that once a bike is made there are no emissions when you use it...smart aleck (but clever) girl says:
"Well don't we emit carbon dioxide when we exhale?"
Me hesitantly, "Yes,,,"
"If I rode a bike everywhere I'd breath heavier, that'd be bad for the environment."
10 points for that girl.
So all that thinking and talking got me thinking about my own solution for global warming and I think I came up with a pretty solid one that will make the maximum amount of people happy.
Complete annihilation of the human race.
Its a quick and efficient solution to our problem...Conservatives will be happy because they'll go straight to heaven because they were right all along. Liberals will be happy because its dramatic and lasting and a complete departure from traditional methods. With humans gone the environment wins.
Polar bears will rule the earth.
So simple. I bet you're embarrassed you didn't think of it.
Secondly, yesterday was Earth Day. I subbed for a social studies class and the teacher left a video on global warming. In a few of the more mature classes I started a discussion on global warming and what they thought about it. Typical of teenagers there was a wide range of opinions all of them super dramatic...
some had no concern for any of it real or not...
some didn't believe it was happening at all...
some believed that it will soon destroy our earth and our lives...
some believed that it was a hopeless situation and there was nothing that could be done to stop it.
I asked the class how they personally could help reduce global warming and when I suggested walking, or riding the bus instead of driving everywhere they scoffed...how lame...when I suggested a bike one girl pointed out that bikes were made in factories and that factories cause lots of pollution (good point)....I countered by telling her that once a bike is made there are no emissions when you use it...smart aleck (but clever) girl says:
"Well don't we emit carbon dioxide when we exhale?"
Me hesitantly, "Yes,,,"
"If I rode a bike everywhere I'd breath heavier, that'd be bad for the environment."
10 points for that girl.
So all that thinking and talking got me thinking about my own solution for global warming and I think I came up with a pretty solid one that will make the maximum amount of people happy.
Complete annihilation of the human race.
Its a quick and efficient solution to our problem...Conservatives will be happy because they'll go straight to heaven because they were right all along. Liberals will be happy because its dramatic and lasting and a complete departure from traditional methods. With humans gone the environment wins.
Polar bears will rule the earth.
So simple. I bet you're embarrassed you didn't think of it.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Best of Substitute Teaching
Here's some highlights and low lights of my time working as a sub in the Lakewood City School District:
1. 2nd grader coming into class and gasping, "A sub!? She's beautiful." And then running and giving me a hug.
2. Having a high schooler ask me if I was white.
3. An elementary school folk dancing assembly which ended with me in a chain of fourth graders doing the bunny hop.
4. Playing catch with a severely autistic student with one of the those big plastic grocery store balls.
5. Being caught off guard by another severely autistic student when he emerged from his napping space completely naked from the waist down after having peed everywhere.
6. Playing the piano for a choral class. (smithishot@hotmail.com)
7. Disappointing a Spanish class by actually speaking Spanish.
8. Boring a history class with a discussion on Communism vs. Capitolism when all they want to do is get to the assignment their teacher left them.
9. Watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air with a class of under achievers.
10. Having angel classes with awesome plans and being able to read ALL day.
11.Knowing probably 50% of the 7th grade students names at Harding Middle School and having them be excited to see me.
12. Being totally ignored by off task High schoolers.
13. Students recognizing me and saying hello around town.
14. Using the same activity with 7th graders that I did the day before with 2nd graders and having them both be excited and engaged in it.
My biggest complaint with substitute teaching is the inconsistency. Except for that its not a bad gig. I still get to feel kind of like a teacher but without all the work and responsibility. On good days its like teaching. On bad days its like extreme babysitting. I don't want to have to do it for too much longer (I can't afford to really) but it hasn't been all bad..
"Hey teacher leave those kids alone!" -- Pink Floyd
1. 2nd grader coming into class and gasping, "A sub!? She's beautiful." And then running and giving me a hug.
2. Having a high schooler ask me if I was white.
3. An elementary school folk dancing assembly which ended with me in a chain of fourth graders doing the bunny hop.
4. Playing catch with a severely autistic student with one of the those big plastic grocery store balls.
5. Being caught off guard by another severely autistic student when he emerged from his napping space completely naked from the waist down after having peed everywhere.
6. Playing the piano for a choral class. (smithishot@hotmail.com)
7. Disappointing a Spanish class by actually speaking Spanish.
8. Boring a history class with a discussion on Communism vs. Capitolism when all they want to do is get to the assignment their teacher left them.
9. Watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air with a class of under achievers.
10. Having angel classes with awesome plans and being able to read ALL day.
11.Knowing probably 50% of the 7th grade students names at Harding Middle School and having them be excited to see me.
12. Being totally ignored by off task High schoolers.
13. Students recognizing me and saying hello around town.
14. Using the same activity with 7th graders that I did the day before with 2nd graders and having them both be excited and engaged in it.
My biggest complaint with substitute teaching is the inconsistency. Except for that its not a bad gig. I still get to feel kind of like a teacher but without all the work and responsibility. On good days its like teaching. On bad days its like extreme babysitting. I don't want to have to do it for too much longer (I can't afford to really) but it hasn't been all bad..
"Hey teacher leave those kids alone!" -- Pink Floyd
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