The Great Aide

I thought that I was all finished with my firsts in this job, but I wasn't. Today I got my first student aid. It happened so suddenly. This girl, a senior, came up to me and asked if I needed an aid for my conference period. It turns out that she was struggling in Calculus, wanted to drop it and needed something to take its place, so she had been shopping herself around to all the teachers. That's what I like to see. A kid with a work ethic.

My first thought was to decline the offer. I like to unwind a bit during my conference period--take off my shoes, pick my teeth and whatnot, so it's not like I want company around for that.

Then I thought that there certainly should be some advantages to having a student aid. She could do my dirty work. With her I don't have to endure going to my mailbox and getting stuck in a 15 minute conversation with another teacher about professional development anymore. Now I'll have somebody to go fishing in the change return of the vending machines. And, of course, I'll have another pair of eyes to wander the hallways looking for abandoned cardboard boxes. Really, there are countless opportunities for... for...

Crap. What's her name again? That's just one more thing I'm going to have to remember. Maybe I can just call her Calculus.