A Taste of Diverse Teaching

6 May

After my dad and Micky helped move us in to our apartment the last weekend of September, we felt more at “Home”. It was so great to see them both. Not only did I need my own space and our things, but I needed to see family. They weren’t here long, but Micky would be back for my birthday in two weeks!

Lawyerboy started his week off like always, going to class and coming home and studying. I applied for a job at Super Target. I wasn’t getting called to sub and I was beginning to panic. We needed an income. Wouldn’t you know it, the first week of October, I got a call to teach. It was Inver Grove Heights. I had never even heard of this suburb! Lawyerboy turned on the computer and got the directions from Google maps for me. He wrote them down while I showered and got ready. He tried to explain to me how to get there before I left. The school started at 8:30 so I had plenty of time to get ready and get lost. I had to call Lawyerboy on the way because I wasn’t sure if I was going the right way. I had my directions in my lap, but hated to take my eyes off the road in case I missed a sign! I eventually got there. It was a third grade classroom. She had an aid named Rasha. The teacher had done her lesson plans, but they weren’t real specific. Most of the students were Somalian. They didn’t have name tags, and they had names that were unique to me. They were in uniforms, so that made them look-alike. The girls wore hijabs which made them look even more alike than the boys because I couldn’t even decipher them by their hair. I had a hard time telling them apart. It was interesting for me to see such diversity and I enjoyed learning a bit about their culture.

However, these children were not well-behaved. The principal came in the morning right when class was starting to tell me this was a tough class and he warned all of them to be good or that they would be sitting with him. Great. I introduced myself and set my guidelines. A lot of the girls kept telling me how pretty I was and that they liked my outfit. It was very sweet. Thank goodness Rasha was there because I would have had no idea how the routine of the room works. I have enough experience that I can teach the lessons without lesson plans, but the routine and schedule were not laid out. I made it through the day and then Rasha told me she has never seen them that well-behaved. What?!? I thought they were out of control!! Yes, they listened when I taught, but when they were to be doing independent work, there were a lot who were off task and needed constant reminders.

Lawyerboy got an earful when I got home! He told me not to take another job there if I didn’t like it. I knew I needed to be working and would make the most of whatever was sent my way.

I also wrote an e-mail about my day to my mom and all my teacher friends back home! Is this what substitute teaching is like? I also wrote to the lady who had called me to substitute. She wrote back and said that was a hard school for a lot of people and I didn’t have to go back. I said I would maybe give it another chance, but would prefer to try other schools first. Low and behold, I had a different school to try the next week! This school was a mix of cultures. The students at this school were Latino, African-American, Caucasian, and some students that I thought were Asian. I would soon find out that they weren’t Asian!

I taught 7th and 8th grade science. The teacher had left very well laid out lesson plans. I wrote in my journal that my morning was excellent, but after lunch, the students were not good. The next two periods were better. I was definitely willing to give this school another chance, which happened the next day. I was the physical education teacher. It went pretty well. I had the next day off. On Friday, the day before my birthday, I got called back to the same school to teach 7th and 8th grade social studies. They were chatty and needed a lot of reminders, but way better than my first experience!

So, I went from not subbing, to subbing one day my first week, to subbing three of five days the following week. I spent part of the day thinking about my old school back home. When it was someone’s birthday, one of the teachers or staff made something special to eat in the teacher’s lounge. My mom usually made something for my birthday. The year before I left, the business manager, Tammy, who is a dear friend and has three amazing children that I babysat for when I was in middle school and high school, made me a cheesecake. She used my mom’s recipe. My mom brought in her frozen peaches and strawberries to top the cheesecake with. It was scrumptious!

Baked Cheesecake Bars:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees – Prep Time: 20 minutes – Bake Time: 50 to 55 minutes – Makes: 12 to 16 pieces

1 1/4 cup crushed graham crackers ( I use close to 2 cups; I like graham cracker crust!)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 (8 ounce packages) cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

1/4 cup lemon juice

I use one package of graham crackers. There are nine in a pack. Put them in a Ziploc bag and roll a rolling-pin over them until they are nice and crushed. Melt a 1/2 cup of butter, half of a stick, and add 1/4 cup of sugar. Mix together. Next add the crushed graham crackers. Dump into a 9×13 pan. Spread evenly and pat it down. Set aside while you mix the cheesecake together.

Place two packages of cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Add a can of sweetened condensed milk and beat together. Next, add the three eggs and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Blend until you get a smooth consistency. Pour on top of the graham cracker crust. Put in a 300 degree oven. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Test it after 50 minutes with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it is done.

Let it cool. It can be cut into 12 nice sized square pieces or 16 smaller pieces. It is great after it has cooled, but even better if you give it time to chill in the refrigerator. Enjoy it plain, or with any fruit topping you like!

You can use a cheesecake pan. This is just how my mom does it, so of course I follow suit!