My beloved hubby teaches 10th grade English in a rural school. He can probably write a book on ups and downs of being here. I have my own things to laugh and get angry about. Here are some.
* Shon teaches only one grade, which means he gets new kids every year. And the kids are very curious about me. I mean very curious. Last Friday, a car full of 10th graders stopped at the library's parking lot next to us just so that the kids could get a look at me. On Monday, when I knocked on Shon's door to get a set of keys from him, several boys got off their chairs and ran to the door to see Mr. R's wife. It's funny and I do like positive attention.
* I help Shon grade whatever he brings home. Quizzes, tests, essays - you name it. I help him create tests, too. I guess he is lucky his wife has an English degree and knows the theory of grammar better than most native speakers (just the theory though!!). I wonder how often teachers get that kind of help from their spouses. Does anyone know?
* I get to read young adult literature (which I love almost as much as children books) as catch up on the classics I missed out. Also, I get to introduce Shon to Russian poetry - he even used some in class!
* For some reason, it's very difficult to reach my dear husband when he's at the school. Their email system is set up so that messages "from the outside" don't go through. Cell phones are not allowed. When I called the school the other day during the break (!), the secretary put me on hold for 5 minutes just to tell me Shon couldn't come to the phone, because he needed to stay in his classroom to see the kids off and welcome the next class in. I told her it was an emergency. She asked me who I was. A couple minutes later Shon was on the phone. He said she never called him the first time. It was important, but it was not an emergency. I hate to lie, but how else can I reach my spouse? By the way, parents are allowed to walk into his classroom at any time, even if their kids are not in there. Makes no sense to me!
* I get to meet other teachers. They are cool. I love the English department.
Yeah, give up on trying to reach Shon during school. Mike and I can email, but he's too busy during the day to do that much except for planning 1 time and maybe, just maybe, during lunch. It's run run run and usually no time for potty! Very few teachers get the help from their spouse that you give Shon. You are way more supportive than most!
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