substitute

I work as a substitute teacher from time to time. I am working now as a substitute teacher in the Resource Room, which is the special education department here.

I have a kindergartner who has arrived with his work sheet of the __ip family of words. He is supposed to write the words. He says, he can do it himself! After asking a few times about working on it together, I finally agree. Of course you can do it yourself! I say. Let's see who can get done first. I will do my work over here (I point to the desk next to his table) and you can work there (point to his table). Who will get done first?

So I begin to write some journal entries, and he gets as busy as can be. I think we didn't do it quite right-- I think I was supposed to read the words, rather than his working on copying, but whatever. He is excited to finish his work before I finish mine!

I'm done! he exclaims.

Oh, darn! I say. I was ALMOST done! Let me see.

I check his work and find some errors. You need to fix it here, here and here, I say.

No I don't! he says.

GOOD! I say, then I can still beat you! -- and I turn away and he makes the corrections.

I'm done! he exclaims.

Let me look, I say. Oh! I say, you fixed it all! But I see you didn't put your name on it! I still have a chance!

And I turn back to my work, and he puts his name on his paper, and

I'm done! he says.

I look at his paper.

You won! I say.

I think to myself:

We won.