dress rehearsal

Days off from school are a mixed blessing. While it's great to have a day away, preparing for a sub is much more labor intensive than preparing myself for a day in the classroom. Everything has to be spelled out. You can't really introduce anything new. It's a struggle to find a balance of real work (as opposed to busy work) and sub-proof plans. I've been a sub. I was a highly -equested sub. I was a very good sub. But, here it's hard to find those kinds of subs.

I also have to prepare my kiddos. They're only seven. They worry tremendously if I'm not in plain sight as they walk up the stairs each day. If I've stepped into another classroom it's cause for alarm. So, not showing up all day with no prior warning would be very unsettling. (Besides, I have to give them that teacher-look and impress upon them that the rules of second grade are unchanged in my absence. They must still be kind and helfpul, respectful and responsible, building a good reputation for themselves, our class and our school. I don't care who is in front of the class, their behaviour must remain unchanged. I expect a good report on Monday.)

This afternoon I told my class that some of them knew and some of them didn't that I was in the middle of something very exciting. I was adopting a little girl from here in Russia who didn't have a family. I told them that tomorrow I would have to stay home so someone could see my flat and ask me some questions to see if I would be able to give a child a good home.

Suddenly the protests about my being gone and the claims that they wouldn't come either ceased. There was an uproar. (It was really snowing all day today, so we were close to the edge anyway. And one student had decided to be a mouse all day. This news just pushed us over the edge.) The classroom was buzzing. Most students were excited and all were curious. I got to practice answering questions that are likely to come up in tomorrow's visit from my own group of "international social workers" including:

• Will she come to our school?
• Why do you want to have a little girl?
• Why don't you just get pregnant?
• What will happen when you get married? Because, I mean, you will get married. And then you will have a baby. Or twins. Or triplets. And then you will have FOUR children!
• When you have "your own" children, what will you do with the girl? (Think this questioner might be a future judge in Russian family court, perhaps?)
• How old will she be?
• Why didn't you want a baby?
• Why a girl and not a boy?
  
• She can't just stay home. What will she do when you are at school with us?
• If she is not old enough for our school, where will she go?
• What will you name her?
• How will you teach her English?
• How are your Russian lessons?
• Will she sleep in your bedroom?
• Do you have clothes for her?

And there were lots more... Some were concerned about why she didn't have a family. One child had very negative things to say about orphans and adoption. Most wanted to know about her--who she was, what she would look like, when they could meet her, if she could come to school the first day I had her, etc. Everyone was very excited to meet her. Meeee, too!

Big thanks to my second graders for the dress rehearsal today. ;>