Tuesday, September 22, 2009

50 euros and third grade by k

i found out last weekend what 50 euros can get you in barcelona: a used bike, a helmet, and lock, and a box of baking soda and can of baking powder! quite a deal.

i had put an announcement on a listserve for the barcelona women´s network saying i was looking for used bikes to buy. i got several responses and on saturday i went to one woman´s apartment to collect the bike she had shipped to spain from the u.s. only to never use it. she threw in the helmet and lock too, and then we started talking about baking. she is planning to move back to california in the next few months and realized that she won´t need all the things she or her friends have schlepped over here. so i now have arm and hammer baking soda and a container of whatever the big baking powder brand is...quite a deal!

and here i am for my second day being a third grade substitute teacher in dorian´s class. someone else was supposed to do it because they thought it would be better not to have me in dorian´s class, but then her son got sick and here i am for three days. what´s the link to 50 euros...well that is the whopping payment i get each day! a pittance for all my hard work, but i have to admit that today my load has been very light. the kids have had two spanish classes with other teachers, p.e. and they´re in art as we speak. i even managed to do a coaching session with one of my clients during p.e., so i really shouldn´t complain.

it has been good to get to know dorian´s class more and see what he´s up to all day. i think overall this school is very good, but i do see that things could be more challenging for dorian. i´m planning on speaking with his teacher when she´s back to see if we can find some ways to keep him a little more engaged.

we have another long weekend...thursday and friday off for the barcelona city festival...the merce. too many long weekends! and then we head to venice next wednesday...poor planning on our part. arel has a school trip, so unfortunately he will miss venice. it´s really too bad, but it´s not worth it for him to come for just one day. ah, the problems of living abroad!