The Other Side of the Desk

One thing we don't have a lot of at our school is available substitute teachers. Meaning sometimes everyone just has to pitch in! Our 5th grade teacher's mother recently passed away and her funeral was today. Our middle school science teacher was also out, at camp with our 7th graders. We had a sub who was able to step in for 5th grade in the morning and someone else who was going to come for 5th grade in the afternoon. Unfortunately that sub was unable to make it, and our principal needed someone to sit with the 5th grade for the last hour of the day. Usually at this time I'm teaching 7th grade, but since they were not at school today, I volunteered to take on the 5th grade for the end of the day.

Those kids -- what a delight! So well behaved and polite. What was so weird is that the 5th grade teacher was also my 5th grade teacher. Needless to say, I left the teacher a note, telling her how nice her class is and how much I look forward to having them next year in 6th grade. But, of course, I also had to tell her to please not put me on the clipboard (our discipline system) for sitting at her desk -- and using her computer! It's in inside joke we've had for a while. Not that I ever got in trouble in school, but I got on the clipboard once in 5th grade for talking, and I told this teacher at the beginning of the school year that hearing her say the word "clipboard" still strikes fear in my heart!

This teacher teaches in the same room, at the same desk. It felt so weird to be on that side of the desk in that classroom. I absolutely love this teacher. As I sat in her room, at her desk, and looked around the room, I almost teared up thinking about how funny it is how things work out sometimes. How God must smile when we're 10 years old and in 5th grade, knowing where He'll have us 20 years later when we're 30. Amazing, isn't it?

Love you Mrs. Cole! (I mean ... Patty. I'm still working on it!)