"If I Run Too Much, I'll Die" and other classroom adventures

I've been subbing for 2 weeks now and have really been enjoying it. Each day brings new adventures, new faces, and new places. It's sometimes nervewracking to go up in front of a classroom of students I've never met before and request their respect, but I manage okay and I have had a good experience every day. A few funny things have happened along the way, the most recent one being a quote I heard today in my gym class. Yes, you read that right, I was a Gym teacher this morning for some 1st graders!

One girl was sitting out and I went up to ask her why. She said she wasn't supposed to run a lot. I asked her if she had asthma, and she said "No, my mom just says that if I run too much, I'll probably die." How can I argue with that? Needless to say, I let her sit out.

Last week a 9th grader asked me how long I had been subbing. I didn't want to tell him "3 days" because I thought that would only give him reason to give me a hard time. I said, as any good person dodging a question would, "Why do you want to know?" He replied with "Well, you just smile so much and you're so happy. It seems like you haven't been doing this very long."

Just thinking about that again I have to laugh out loud! Please stop me before I get so grumpy that people think I've been subbing for years!

I've had a few moments where I've felt like I've really connected with a student or some students. Yesterday I helped a little guy find the right bus, Monday I was able to encourage a few high schoolers to pursue their dreams, Last Wednesday I helped a student see a situation from another point of view, and today I encouraged students in a way that made them hold their heads higher with pride. That's pretty cool. So far, very good!

I didn't tell you the best thing yet...I got my very own whistle. I think this means I've reached teacher stardom. Here's a picture, just so you can see that it's the real deal.