“Know first who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly." - Euripides
Last night I didn't sleep as well as I should have. Although my family planned to spend the day in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which would be a great way to enjoy Labor Day, I knew the evening would be spent getting the children and me ready for school. This year, I've decided to set my alarm for 5:25AM, so the sub line never awakens me.
It's near 9:00PM, so I'm sure if I do get phoned, it won't be until morning. I assume most teachers don't call in sick the first day, unless Cambridge has recently been badly hit by swine flu. The only other reason I'd be called, is if there's a position that one of the schools hasn't yet filled. Although I'd be happy to begin earning money again, it would admittedly be easier if I could take my children to school for their first day.
I've always laid out my clothes for the next day when I've worked. When I became a substitute on March 11, 2009, this routine became trickier. If I didn't have a call by evening, then there was no guarantee that I'd be working, so in addition to my work outfit, I also picked casual clothing. If no call came by the time I came out of the shower, I put on jeans and shirt.
Then on March 27, 2009, the selection of clothing became even thornier - I got a call to teach Physical Education. That day, I decided to with my casual outfit, and learned two lessons; jeans are not comfortable to teach gym and real sneakers are required. When I was called for Phys Ed again on April 8, 2009, I wore yoga pants (since I don't own sweatpants) and proper sneakers that I purchased five years ago. If I hadn't become a Substitute, those sneakers would've disintegrated before they were ever worn. Finally, on May 8, 2009, I also realized that I need a whistle. It's too hard to speak over screaming kids and bouncing balls.
So now, I have my work outfit, casual outfit, yoga pants, three pairs of shoes, and a whistle. Who said to dress for the job you want and not the job you have? That person obviously wasn't talking about being a Gym sub.
Thanks for writing this! I just googled subbing for physical education, since I got called to do that tomorrow. Well, because of this post I ran out quickly to sports authority to pick up a whistle before they closed! :D
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to help, Stephanie. After making my voice hoarse calling over screeching kids during tag and the bouncing balls, I realized a
ReplyDeletewhistle is a better way to get the students' attention. Good luck.
Yoga pants? Googled. Aha, looks comfy.
ReplyDeleteDo you practice Yoga asanas? Or do you just like the pants? : j
Alesa, I have taken yoga, but not in a few months.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I had similar exchange with Eryl just recently. I have always practiced everything by myself with only occasional visits to clubs to check if what I was doing was viable.
ReplyDeleteMy lover also does Yoga independently... It's quite feasible to work on and improve by one's self. Not too time consuming either. A couple of sun salutations before showering in the morning only takes 15 minutes. ; j
BTW, I'm not pushing yoga specifically, which would be very weird considering the fact that I don't do yoga and that it feels like a pre-workout warmup to me.
As I suspect you well know keeping the body healthy helps the keep the mind running... So I'll stop preaching to the choir now.
-Hey you! In the back! Spit out that gum, or you'll choke on it when we get to the bridge! You can't sing and masticate at the same time!
; j
Alesa, some of it is just stretching, but some is really hard. And I'm amazing how much more limber I am at the end of class. And sore for days!
ReplyDeleteI'd choke on my gum!