"Labor Day is a glorious holiday because your child will be going back to school the next day. It would have been called Independence Day, but that name was already taken." ~Bill Dodds
I hear that there are moms and dads out there who become giddy when school starts and they can send those kids back to school. There is no doubt in my mind that chasing little children all around and keeping track of teenagers every evening is exhausting. Secretly, moms and dads want their "me" time back. For me, there's something comforting in the routine of the school year. It's predictable. This year, my third child is graduating from high school. I know how the year should play out. Hopefully, the school won't move my cheese and do something different.
Let me tell you why I am just beside-myself-excited about the start of school. For the past couple of years, I have worked as a substitute teacher in the middle and high schools where my kids attend(ed) school. It's not really work, though. It is just nothing but fun! I absolutely love it. I love interacting with the students. In the high school, I'm reputed for rewarding good behavior with donuts or homemade chocolate chip cookies. More than one student has been heard to say, "That was the best cookie I ever put in my mouth." I'm known for my chocolate chip cookies at school like I was at the law firm! There is no down side.
I get a charge when I walk in the building in the morning and students who learn that I'm subbing for one of their teachers shout out with a teenager "YES!" (Sure, I know they may be cheering because their teacher isn't there, but I prefer to think that's not the case.) I believe they know that I'm the sub that doesn't "yell" at them. It's an opportunity to practice my "no yelling" philosophy. True, I don't have to teach or grade papers or prepare lesson plans. I'm not a "real" teacher. I just need to show up on time and maintain order. I do enforce good grammar. They're learning not to ask me if they "can" go to the bathroom. I tell them I'm not familiar with their toileting habits. I absolutely love it.
Bob, (my therapist), says that he has never seen my face more animated than when I talk about subbing. It energizes me. I really don't know why. It really doesn't matter why. I have fun. I'm completely jazzed when I show up in the morning and have Phil tell me he's glad I'm here because I'm his favorite sub.
You can see what subbing does for me - it enables me to move my focus from Parkinson's to something that is outright fun. It's not something for which I need to pack or plan. All I have to do is make sure I have something to wear to school the next day when I go to bed. When I'm called to sub, I can say "yes" or "no." It's low hassle. Oh, and, I get paid for doing it!
My wish for people who carry the weight of Parkinson's is that they can find their "thing" that will charge them - that will make them smile. If it involves people with lots of energy - all the better. I wish for them that they find something that makes them laugh, that makes them animated, that takes them away, even for just a while, from their Parkinson's. It feels good.
Let me tell you why I am just beside-myself-excited about the start of school. For the past couple of years, I have worked as a substitute teacher in the middle and high schools where my kids attend(ed) school. It's not really work, though. It is just nothing but fun! I absolutely love it. I love interacting with the students. In the high school, I'm reputed for rewarding good behavior with donuts or homemade chocolate chip cookies. More than one student has been heard to say, "That was the best cookie I ever put in my mouth." I'm known for my chocolate chip cookies at school like I was at the law firm! There is no down side.
I get a charge when I walk in the building in the morning and students who learn that I'm subbing for one of their teachers shout out with a teenager "YES!" (Sure, I know they may be cheering because their teacher isn't there, but I prefer to think that's not the case.) I believe they know that I'm the sub that doesn't "yell" at them. It's an opportunity to practice my "no yelling" philosophy. True, I don't have to teach or grade papers or prepare lesson plans. I'm not a "real" teacher. I just need to show up on time and maintain order. I do enforce good grammar. They're learning not to ask me if they "can" go to the bathroom. I tell them I'm not familiar with their toileting habits. I absolutely love it.
Bob, (my therapist), says that he has never seen my face more animated than when I talk about subbing. It energizes me. I really don't know why. It really doesn't matter why. I have fun. I'm completely jazzed when I show up in the morning and have Phil tell me he's glad I'm here because I'm his favorite sub.
You can see what subbing does for me - it enables me to move my focus from Parkinson's to something that is outright fun. It's not something for which I need to pack or plan. All I have to do is make sure I have something to wear to school the next day when I go to bed. When I'm called to sub, I can say "yes" or "no." It's low hassle. Oh, and, I get paid for doing it!
My wish for people who carry the weight of Parkinson's is that they can find their "thing" that will charge them - that will make them smile. If it involves people with lots of energy - all the better. I wish for them that they find something that makes them laugh, that makes them animated, that takes them away, even for just a while, from their Parkinson's. It feels good.
No comments:
Post a Comment