Substitute @ Timpanogos HS

Today I've started my first day as an official long term substitute at Timpanogos high school. I'm currently writing this blog during my free period of the morning. I've had one class so far and it went great. The classes I'm teaching today are the 11th and 12th grade lifetime fitness classes. Didn't really do much fitness with them other then a few exercises and then played basketball. I had the class do a few stretches then run two laps around the half of the gymnasium...funny, one girl tells me "we never run" I told her, "well, your running now!" What the heck?, how is a class called lifetime fitness and you never run?...Anyway.

School is alot different out here in Utah from California. I'm so use to the last names, Garcia, Rodriguez, Perez etc...all over my rosters. Now I have Baker, Hortman, Nielsen, Riggs etc...with a few of the Flores's and Castaneda's. It's almost like a culture shock for me...nah, not really. The students here however, are much more mature, respectful, polite, honest(so far) and sincere. It's nice going through my whole day at work without hearing the "F Bomb" every minute come out of a students mouth. And can you believe it, not one boy sags his pants below his waist line. I just love it...no ghettoness to the students here. There are definitely some over grown young boys and girls here too. Man, I don't know what they feed these kids out here, but they're tall and some of them look like men already...LOL...that coming from someone who's use to seeing short mexicans everyday. There are a few Polynesian students here, but other then the ones in my Volleyball class, I haven't really seen any yet.

I think I'll like it here at Timpanogos HS. The school population is not that big and it's very personal here between the adults and students. The school spirit is awesome and I love it! I don't see immature kids trying to gang bang around school grounds. I like the fact that I can come to work, not put on my tough face(the I'm gonna kick your ass look if you try me), feel safe walking on to the campus. I thought I'd never be in such an enviroment as a teacher. I'm really grateful for my teaching experiences I've had in California. Through those experiences, I know that I can handle any tough situation I'm put in out here in Utah. Although there probably won't be any tough situations out here that would match ones I've faced in California.

I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity to teach and coach here in Utah. I look forward to having a wonderful teaching/coaching career her at Timpanogos High School. Maybe sometime in the near future I'll be a permanent teacher, if not here at THS then at another high school.

GO T-WOLVES!!!