No Phone

Making breakfast this morning, "No Phone" by Cake was on the radio ... appropriate because my phone hasn't rung with sub work since last Tuesday.
To be fair, Wednesday was a holiday, so this is my third day in a row with no work. The first day this happens, I'm usually really glad to chill on the couch, play with the internet, read, etc. The second day in a row? By that point I'm feeling a little bored and quite guilty for doing nothing, so I will check my to-do list and do errands, cleaning, set-aside projects, and all those pesky business-hours-only phone calls.
But the third day? Now I'm working on half-baked conspiracy theories about the sub office, my unlucky sub number, and swine flu. I'm checking my cell phone's battery life every five minutes. I'm running calculations with my bank account balance, my expected paycheck from last month's work, and what I could possibly earn this month what with the slow phone calls, and the holidays and parent-teacher conference days that are coming up. It's not pretty.

Found items and gifts

One of the best things about subbing are the kids who are excited to see you and glad you are there. Sometimes they tell you flat out that they want you to be their teacher all the time, sometimes they even give you little gifts (usually pictures or cards but I've also been given little yarn bracelets and other stuff.)

Here is one drawing gift:


Accompanied by the explanation "This is my rabbit. I love him more than anything. He's going to die soon."

Oh. Thanks.

There is also the equal joy of the found item. Doodles, notes, secrets all created during class, guarded carefully, then left behind as soon as the bell rings:

So unintentionally hilarious. And it's now MINE!

So Bored

So I was back at AHS today (those business cards and the principal's rec really paid off!) and the kids were soooo good I got BORED! Thank goodness the regular teacher left his computer logged in so I could obsessively check e-mail and news updates. I was almost hoping someone would act out, if only to give me something to do.

I find it quite amazing that they seem to have trouble getting subs, or at least good subs. I don't know if things have been worse in the past, if subs are hanging up when they hear the school name out of misplaced stereotypes, or if the staff is just really really picky, but this was the easiest day in memory.