Insights into the High School Psyche: Confessions of a Brand New Substitute

Having substitute taught only three times, I have only recently re-entered the high school world. However, as in most life threatening situtations, I have quickly become familiar with my surroundings. My initial insights are as follows.

Three days in, I have learned the following about high schools students:

1. Like elephants, lions, bears and tigers, (oh my) high school students can smell fear.
2. Nagging, while ineffective with husbands, is extremely effective with the unmotivated student.
3. No student really likes to look unintelligent.
4. A high school student's reputation is precious. Damaging it through humiliation is deeply painful and should be avoided in almost all circumstances.
5. Often when you say "please" and "thankyou," your students will too.
6. The ability to laugh at oneself is a powerful weapon.
7. The dean will always scare a student more than you will (at least when you're 5"3'). Let him (or her) do the yelling.
8. A student would rather avoid a situation than fail in it, whether it is an assignment, a question or a discussion. Creating a safe environment for failure is essential to the learning process.
9. Students are prepared to hate substitutes long before they are prepared to like them.
10. Eyes in the back of your head are unreservedly necessary.

Three days in, I am totally glad I'm having this experience. I will never call substitute teaching easy, nor will I call it fun, but it is a great job and an incredible learning experience. I can now efficiently write my name in calligraphy, balance chemical equations and sufficiently explain the plot of Antigone.

Reconnecting

Interestingly enough, living in Waukegan is feeling more "home-y" than I had ever expected it to. Something about knowing we will live here at least three years gives our lives some permanence, and thus gives my heart permission to love the people and places that are a part of our daily routine.

I think the easiest part of our transition back here, and by far the coolest, has been our ability to reconnect with Jonah- the best man at our wedding and Kenyon's childhood best friend- as well as his wife, Katie. They are good friends, and within the last couple of weeks, we've been able to spend some quality time with them, which really makes this place feel like home.

At Trinity, I've also had the opportunity to make a great friend. Like me, Madison's part of the AP MDiv program and has placed in the same language classes I have. She's smart and fun, and I feel so fortunate to have her- we females are few and far between over there :)

God continues to provide quality people in our lives, and we feel oh-so-blessed to find them everywhere we go. Waukegan, apparently, will be no exception.