I find myself seated in the center of the second row in a nearly empty auditorium. Am I having a flashback to high school play auditions? Or is this a dream where I’m the director seeking a cast for my original short production?
Or maybe it’s neither.
It’s my other job…as a substitute teacher.
And it gives me plenty of flashbacks. Although the dreamlike-moments are far and few between.
An Easy Two Hours
The permanent teacher’s sub plans are the shortest (if not the sweetest) I’ve ever seen. “Hi there. Thanks for taking my classes. I have two amazing TAs who will run the class, so sit back, relax and make sure everyone keeps their phones away and no one dies.”
Seriously. Those are the exact words.
What would any writer do when told to relax?
Write, of course. So that’s what I’m doing. Because this blog needs content, and if I was home, I’d be working on the never-ending edits.
The TAs were responsible. They happily ran the classes (not like other TAs who balked when I asked them to step up to the plate for any reason).
Strangely Disconcerting
My brain rebels at the thought of sitting in a cushy chair while others lead in my place. Even if I’m clueless about what the class might expect.
After all, I’m getting paid for this. Shouldn’t I do something to earn the paycheck?
That’s one hundred percent my mother’s influence on my psyche. No one had a stronger work ethic than she did.
Industriousness isn’t reclining with an iPad on your lap, even if you’re spewing words that will appear on your website at a later date.
Burst of raucous laughter break my train of thought. They’re playing a game, acting off the cuff. Some have a bigger ham-bone than others. You can tell the ones who’ve spent more time onstage.
What about you? Do you find it disconcerting when something is much easier than you expected? Do you feel dishonest getting paid if you don’t really “work”?
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Yep, even an easy day at work, I feel guilty not being busier. On office days, I ask for lists of things to do. I much prefer the hectic days traveling from school to school working with my students!
I’m sure there are many people who like”easy” jobs like this, but I feel like time drags and I should be doing something. Not necessarily writing blog posts either (although that is a good use of time).
Busy is better. Not working hard is foreign to my upbringing 🙂