Subbing Always brings me Something
Teaching is definitely my passion. As a child I grew up in a house that had an expansive attic. The original blueprints listing this area as "maid’s quarters". For a child it was a wonderland of the imagination, a winding staircase with a large wall/ledge in the middle to display things on like a museum, which in turn led to a long hallway. To the left there was a small room with shag carpet (not in line with the rest of the almost 100 year old home), to the end of the hall to the right was a 1920s black and white bathroom with a claw tub and pedestal sink. On either side of the hall next to the bathroom were large storage areas constructed with wood beams, the one on the left housed a fan that at my age seemed to be a 30 feet tall groaning monster ready to devour my hands if I stepped too close (in reality it was a whole house fan that circulated area around the house with a created breeze when the windows were opened) – spooky none the less.
Countless hours of my childhood were spent up there surrounded by my childhood friends; Kirby the Safari Kangaroo, Mertle the Turtle, and others, and a small A-Frame chalkboard given to me by our neighbor. I would spend days with a child’s rubber type setting kit making small newspapers to distribute, or lecturing my stuffed friends on the alphabet and basics of addition. I spent so much time up here playing "school" and doing "school work" that my parents had a meeting with my first grade teacher to inquire why in the first grade children were receiving up to 3 hours of homework a night and on weekends. The truth being we weren’t, I just kept saying I was doing schoolwork because I was playing at being a teacher in school – the two being synonymous to me – I learned better as I got older.
This passion for teaching has guided me to my path of teaching yoga and wellness/fitness classes. When I finished my degree with a minor in secondary education I even thought of substitute teaching for a while (the job market for English teachers was tight when I graduated) but never could seem to get down to the courthouse to register as a sub.
Now, in my current job I sub whenever I get the chance. It gives me the opportunity to meet new people, share my teaching style briefly with new students, and always results in an interesting story or learning experience for me. It seems as though I regularly get to sub at a local Assisted Living Residence. The students are a mix of those who pay to come to class through our group and residents of the facility.
This past Friday I arrived about 25 minutes early and was met in the recreation room by a woman on the treadmill. She apologized, saying she would try to be done soon, but she had to get 25 minutes in before class started. I explained we would not be disturbed by her and she had plenty of time.
The conversation moved on to include how in her day they didn’t have things like this (yoga), and especially not for women in my state (pregnant), but she always managed to take care of her body – and now she makes sure that twice a day she does 25 minutes on the treadmill.
I jokingly said "You should get a picture of the outdoors to look at with all this walking so you feel as though you are going somewhere. "
Her reply was, "I’d prefer photos of hot naked men."
Ha. I had to laugh, "Well maybe for the holidays you could ask for one of those steamy fireman calendars…", "Hey, you’re pregnant, you shouldn’t be thinking like that!"
"How do you think I got this way for a second time".
She smiled and our conversation went on. She said walking on the treadmill was rather boring, but everyone should get 10,000 steps in per day and at her age walking outside could result in a fall, which she wanted to avoid, so instead she walked on the treadmill, the only person in the facility she knew of who did. I suggested she talk to fellow residents since she seemed very knowledgeable about fitness and health (she confessed to seeing a ob/gyn regularly after surviving ovarian cancer, a podiatrist and her GP yearly to stay healthy in addition to eating well/exercise) her reply,
"No I’m a lone wolf, I like it that way. I don’t get involved with other people. I walk in the morning, go out for errands if I need to, have my meals, walk at night and then go upstairs and fool around…by myself…l fool around by myself. I’m not a tramp!"
Again I had to chuckle.
"How old do you think I am?"
I’m terrible at this game and I told her so…
"Next year I will be over 92 years old".
"I would have guessed 75, " I say.
"That’s where everyone starts. Well, I’m done here. It was nice talking to you, " she gives me a sly look, "my you are fat pussycat. You know you have to have fun, there is no reason to be old and crabby like a lot of these people. You don’t have to be crabby when you get old you know, I’m not. See you around."
The best part? She takes the emergency stop cord with her, making it impossible for anyone else to use the treadmill. She has it on her personal key chain and I have to wonder if she truly wants to be the only one who can use the machine, or she doesn’t know that it needs to stay behind.
Although I don’t have any friends, I am a very social person. I love to meet new people and learn about them, and in turn learn more about myself. This woman truly helped me to see aging as not just an inevitable biological process to be feared, but as a process that can be mediated by a healthy attitude and an excitement for living.
