Worked This Week

Whew! What a week! The last three days, I was in the same high school class. It was a trip...let me tell you.

First, let me back-track. We moved back "home" in March 2004. I am a home-body and am working on a quilt everytime I sit down, but since all my friends are still working, I wasn't having the contact with them that I wanted. I started subbing at our public library and also signed up to sub for the school district. I see quite a few people I know in both places. One of the fringe benefits is that one of my high school classmates now teaches at our old high school. We knew each other "back in the day," but weren't friends. We have developed a friendship. Isn't "growing up" grand?! She's teaching me to knit. This summer I will help her start making a quilt out of her deceased husband's bluejeans.

When I started subbing, my initial thought was - NOT high school...no way...no how! That changed after I had the same fourth grade class two days in a row. LITTLE ANIMALS! I decided I would try high school and if it didn't work out...I would just go home.

I enjoy high school! Believe me when I say that the kids are not like we were back when our parents told us if we got paddled at school we would get another when we got home. Back when we said, "Yes, ma'am" or "Yes, sir" and did exactly what we were told when we were told. We didn't pout and make comments about our "rights." We, ahem, also weren't so blatant about the copying and cheating that I see now.

Which brings me to what happened... the teacher left me a copy of the principal's memo about students and their internet usage. She also taped a copy of the memo to each and every computer monitor in the classroom. The students can use the internet for class work only - no personal business, e-mails, games, music, videos. One young lady told me that they couldn't do that. She had rights. I advised her that the only right a student had was the right to a decent education IF the student put in the effort. A few minutes later as I walked around the room monitoring the computer activity, this young lady's neighbor was looking at prom dresses! I told her to get off the internet. She looks up innocently, "But this is for school." I asked her which class required that she do research on the cost of prom dresses. When she tried to argue and her neighbor once again brought up the rights issue, I offered to let both of them go discuss this with the principal. The rights girl hushed and the prom girl got off the internet.

If I talked like that to any adult at school my parents would have killed me!