School

Summer is over. Tomorrow is my first teacher workshop before kids show up in my room the day after Labor Day. The question everyone asks is, what exactly do you do at these workshops? Don't worry: that's not what this post is about. Suffice it to say that I am entering my 8th year, so I've experienced this coming week 7 times already.

What I have not experienced is having to leave my classroom at a moment's notice. You know, to like witness the birth of my child or something. Many other jobs, you would just high-five your boss on your way out the door. Teaching, though, I can't exactly just up and leave my classroom. My kids would start learning without me, and a mind is a dangerous thing when unsupervised by the man.

So my plan is to find emergency coverage for each class I teach. In other words, someone in my department must have their prep period 2nd hour. Well now they'll be my 2nd hour go-to person should the baby be so discourteous as to arrive then. And so on throughout the day. I'll bolt, and they can take over the riveting semi-colon interpretive dance or whatever's going on that day. We'll need a signal, though, like the bat signal only with a silhouette of a woman's water breaking.

Then I'll have 3-5 days of sub plans at all times for the subsequent days. If my kids have an essay due and the baby arrives, automatic extension. Test that day? Postponed. I can see it now: "Mr. K., I like didn't study because I was sure that Mrs. K. would have the baby and you wouldn't be here today."

"I guess it kind of sucks to be you, huh?"