Weather-wise
“Rain, rain, go away; come again some other day…” the children would chant when home, but at camp? We found it didn’t matter…too much. Rain usually blessed our trip, both …
English Class
Grammar. Literature. Essays. Writing devices. Story plots. I am in my own personal Heaven. English class, whether I am diagramming sentences with grade school students or reading complex text with …
The Laundress Gets No Rest
We didn’t notice it at first. The longer camping trips brought it to our attention. At first it only ran around the trailer, like the children, scurrying under blankets, burrowing …
The Grade School “Brain”
Have you ever encountered the grade school “brain”? Each class usually has one, and this time it is usually a boy. You know the type. The boy who doesn’t need …
The Snake Encounter, Part 2
As I stood before the snake, trembling like a baby about to take her first step, I couldn’t help but wonder why my family wasn’t coming to my aid. The …
Teaching Foreign Languages
As poor as my Spanish and French speaking abilities are, I forget how much more I know than those I am substitute teaching in middle school or high school, so …
Disturb Nature: Camp with the Family
As the children became more accustomed to hiking in nature,through forests and deserts, in mountains, along craggy coastlines, and over bogs, their chatter increased. Suddenly, the silence of nature was …
The Noise Level
Can I keep every class quiet? Notice that I used the adjective “every” in the preceding sentence. Therefore, the answer to that question is absolutely not. I am a substitute, …
Keeping the Peace with Schedules
Yes, camping is all about family togetherness. Yes, you need to coordinate schedules to achieve this. But sometimes just a few extra schedules can mean the difference between a peaceful …
High School P. E. Class
It never ceases to amaze me, when I substitute for a high school physical education class, that the students dressed in their gym uniforms, shorts and white tee-shirts, never want …