Today I'm writing for the first time in many months. Creatively frustrated, I've finally decided to start one of these "blogs" as a way to share personal anecdotes and experiences and log my memories. As a quarter-life "crisee" and daily substitute teacher in Los Angeles, lord knows I need some kind of creative release.
Nearly every working day I find myself before 20 to 30 children, with a lesson plan on a messy desk and a solid six hours of substitute teaching stretching before me. I never know what kind of situation I'm heading into until I unlock the classroom door and the students walk, or shuffle, or run screaming in. Every day is different from the one before. On a Wednesday I could be sent to play prison warden in a cement madhouse, locked in with rude, hopeless students shooting spitballs at the ceiling and scrawling "cunt" and "asshole" on the wall. But Thursday could substitute Wednesday's spitballs, cement, and mayhem with paper origami, benches under oak trees, calm, polite children, and a great lesson plan: watch Unforgiven, High Noon, and Fistful of Dollars.
Substitution. The exchange of one thing for another. Creativity exchanged for three hours of computer solitaire, or intense mind chatter, or compulsive thrift store rummaging, or long phone conversations. All for the endless pursuit of something.
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5 comments:
Great Kara! This must be very rewarding. Keep it going!
Yay, this is glorious news, you have your own blog, welcome dear! Looks nice, I like the calm and nostalgic brown patterned background.
Is there really an origami class (or is that a metaphor)?
Kara - I think this is a great idea, and I look forward to reading your future posts. Hope you have a day under the oak trees tomorrow.
I think this is great, especially for long distance friends to see hear what your up to. Please post pics too!
I have read this.
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