March 4, 2004
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I have been subbing for my husband the last two days. He teaches junior high English. Even though that is not my area of certification, I am able to teach English, so I am actually doing some teaching, which is rare for a sub in our schools.
Usually, teachers do not know who will be subbing and whether or not they can actually teach the subject matter, so they tend to leave assignments that students can do on their own and subbing becomes a matter of keeping order in the classroom so that those who are trying to work can work. In addition, subs are paid about half what a regular classroom teacher is paid, so many of them are not willing to actually teach and very few are willing to correct work. To be really honest, that gets very boring, so I am always grateful when a teacher leaves me something I can do with students. I have been correcting writing assignments and having conferences with students to assist them in improving their writing.
Some of these kids are really very accomplished writers, better than most senior high students and many adults. I am impressed with not only their ability to tell a tale, but also with the length of their pieces. Many of them are ten or more typed pages, a pretty impressive output, especially for junior high. They are working on narrations. Some of them are factual; some are fictional. They have the usual problems with comma placement and occasionally with subject-verb agreement, but, overall, they are well done and fun to read.
One of the things I have to monitor in myself as I correct is a tendency to encourage rewrites which sound too adult. The writing of a 12 or 13 year old should read like the work of someone that age. They really are at a delightful stage of life and their writing should reflect the joys and angst of junior high. Over-correcting can destroy that. On the other hand, I have deleted the word like multiple times from some papers. I wonder how people, like, communicated, like, before we could say, like, like?
It has been an enjoyale couple of days. I have been able to work with some students whom I have known for years. I will miss them when I am gone.
______________________________________________I seem to be stuck on the topic of death lately. Yesterday I got the sad news that one of the bridesmaids at my son’s wedding was probably dying. I have not heard what happened, but based on what I was told, I think it is likely that she is no longer living. She was a very delightful young woman in her mid-twenties. I had the opportunity to get to know her at the time of the wedding because I made the bridesmaids’ dresses. I have seen her since then at many gatherings. I enjoyed knowing her very much. It’s a very sad event.
Comments (9)
My kid is 12 and I try not to rewrite his work, but like, he likes like a lot more than like needs liking or using too.
Actually I don’t mind. I think communication is all. The net is about people and if English is to be the lingua franca, which it is anyway) then we must accept that for most people it is a second language and many will have just picked it up from the net and the media.
I’ve just read a book, Tower of Babel, on the world’s 6,000 languages and the development of language from the proto-world one to this day. A process that is being artificially held back by the media as what is written is what is accepted as ‘the standard’. A rather new development in language which always varied locale to locale. So maybe, like, we are on the way to using like and other words, know what I mean, for no terribly good reason other than convention, much as we end prayers with the hebrew Amen, meaning (perhaps, no one is sure) something like ‘so be it’.
This is almost a blog in itself, sorry, apologies, I don’t seem to know when to stop this morning.
I always fell down in english as I was far ahead thinking what to write and still writing down what I wrote a second before and with my spelling it was not my fav subject . Sorry to hear about the young woman so sad
I am sure Dan enjoyed having you as a sub.
I am so sorry to hear about Jess’ friend (I assume that is the relationship anyway). It sounds very sad. I am a bit overwhelmed still with my mother’s issues and my issues and pretty much everyone’s issues.
I hope, other than that, things are going pretty well for you.
Take care.
Wow, like, really? LOL! I bet you are a wonderful teacher!
It is certainly better to teach than going to the supermarket ! ( is this sentence correct Mrs the subbing teacher ?
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I understand your joy to teach . I did.
Sorry Nancy to hear rhe sad news about this poor bridesmaid .
Love
Michel
When I teach students poetry I always tell them to write out what comes straight into their heads (dada-style) show me the results then with my help create a poem from it, that means like the children in your school I have seen something raw. That way also I get a chance to observe talent like a Clare Moolin who at 20 is writing beautifully, I am trying to get her to send some of her poetry away to get published, if only because I don’t want her to give up writing as she’s a natural.
English? bleh. lol
luv your kitty pics.
so sad about the bridesmaid. what happened??
~janny
Oh, Nancy, to know someone that young has died, how sad. It seems especially so when they are young. I remember when my girls dad died, my dad said, “Why couldn’t it have been me?” Well, two years later, it was. That really broke my heart!!
sorry about the sad news .