Today, I am super thankful for YouTube and flexible students. Not flexible in a bendy way (though this may be true as well.. I'm not sure, though, because I don't teach PE) but as in willing to go with the flow.
This cold I've been fighting has officially taken over my body. I had a terrible night's sleep, during which I had to wake up my mother, whining for a decongestant to relieve the pressure in my sinuses so I could sleep. Thanks to her cocktail of drugs (did I already mention how glad I am to have her home again), I was able to enjoy a few more hours of slumber before school.
If I wasn't a sub, I might have stayed home today. But without a salary, I feel as though I should be on my death bed in order to stay home. So, I sucked it up... and here I am. Well, in body, at least. It's kinda hard to stay focused when I'm battling a dripping nose and disruptive cough all day.
I looked at my lesson plans for today and just knew I wouldn't be able to make it through an entire day of instruction. I decided to give myself a break in the middle of my day, during 8th grade US History. Thankfully, I came across a cartoon series on YouTube that shows the Boston Tea Party, which we just finished reading about on Friday. I explained to the girls that I just didn't have it in me to read and discuss a lesson today and that we would watch the cartoon instead. Thankfully, they were happy to have a day off of reading and willing to roll with my new plan.
Truth be told, I didn't even preview the video like a good teacher would. I just hoped it would be okay since it's a cartoon. The good news is that it wasn't only appropriate, it was entertaining. And I even overheard the girls connecting things in the video to our previous readings. In fact, I made a mental note to use this series again... it was that good!
Not bad for a non-plan, huh? Thank you, YouTube, for giving me a much needed break today!
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