Gettin' a Paycheck!

I'm once again employed outside the home... and earning some cool cash! I kind of fell into the job by accident. After being at my daughter's school every day for a week doing PTO and other volunteering, I remarked to the office secretary that I needed to be on the payroll. She mentioned they were actually hiring for a PARA (paraprofessional - no college degree required) position. I put it into my "follow up file" in my brain, and then did just that. It's a part time position, during lunch and recess hours, but perfect so I can work the same days when Erica is in school. It's been 7 years since I actually received money as compensation for my time and effort. Let's just say I'm ready!


My first day - Monday - went just fine, and with a few minutes of instruction from the principal, my teammate and I were ready to take on the 1st & 2nd graders in the cafeteria. Not only noisy, they are pretty messy too. I can't believe the waste of food! But the good thing is that they are expected to show good manners, and ask to be excused from the table and then wipe up their place with a rag before leaving. Often we can get them to pick up pieces of trash as well. Then it's out to the playground, and watching 100 or so first and second graders run around is not as easy as it would seem! Mostly we correct behavior, and keep the peace between them. It takes me back to when I was in school, and when I see the kids who are off alone with no friends to play with I feel a bit of sadness... that was me on occasion. But there is no way to fix that - some kids need to just live through it. The weather has been good enough, and it's nice the kids have had the 15 minutes to run off all the energy built up now that they don't play much outdoors after school. But the bell rings, and in they go, and I'm off to the cafeteria and to monitor the 5th graders. They are the best in the cafeteria - using good manners, no yelling, polite. But oh, on the playground - or more likely, under the big cottonwood tree at the edge of the school grounds - that's when they get wild. And I mean like a pack of wild dogs. Literally, that seems to be the game they are playing! One boy runs around on all fours, one girl barks and whines - it's funny to me since these are the same games my 1st grader plays!

In all, my first day was pretty cool - the kids were easy on me, but then most of them have seen me around school and probably thought I already worked there. The two hours I worked went by pretty fast. Good thing I got those comfortable shoes!