Vice Principal UnOfficed
Join host Lisa Hill, a retired vice principal as she shares her funny, wild, and sometimes woeful public education school stories that will not only leave you feeling like you’re listening to a comedy special, but wondering how the American K12 educational system endures.
Hill is a former teacher, school counselor, college professor, and vice principal who never planned on having a career in education. But, thanks to her father, god rest his soul, she did!
So, listen in as Lisa Hill reveals the crazy and entertaining K12 school antics that she experienced during her lengthly career in public education And who knows? You might just pick up a little nugget of knowledge along the way.
Vice Principal UnOfficed
Pulling on a 'PUSH' Door: The Paraprofessional Experience
What's one job that every school needs, but not everyone wants to try, or should try to do? It’s the job of being a paraprofessional, or teacher associate, aide, assistant, helper, or whatever title you want to give the job. The job isn't always easy, but it does make for some funny stories that play out more like scenes from a paranormal sitcom. So, take a walk into the paraprofessional experience as host Lisa Hill shares some quirky tales about paraprofessionals, god bless ‘em.
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On this episode of Vice Principal Unofficed. Join me, lisa Hill, as I explain one job that every school needs but not everyone wants to do or should try to do. What is the job? It's the job of being a paraprofessional or teacher, associate aid, assistant, helper whatever title. The school gives the job. And this job ain't always easy, but it does make for some funny stories. So take a walk with me into the paraprofessional comedy experience as I share some quirky tales about paraprofessionals. God bless them. Now let's get laughing and learning. Attention, students, I mean listeners. The stories in this podcast are told from the host's personal and varsical point of view. All names and identifiers have been omitted or altered to protect identities. Now get to class and enjoy the show. Hello listeners, welcome back to Vice Principal on Office.
Speaker 1:Before we get started on today's stories, I have to tell you I am so happy that we are officially in the month of May. I love May because, as the song goes, it's May, it's May, the end of school, hooray. Yeah. I sang that little ditty since high school when the drama department performed the musical Camelot. I played the French horn for the musical and it wasn't too long after that my dad shuffled me off to college to major in music and become a band director, but that's a story that we'll have to wait for another day. Oh, I have a few interesting tidbits to share with you before we get started with today's show. First, I was recently a guest on the Narrow Divergent Synergy podcast. Narrow Divergent Synergy is a company out of London, england. Their work is focused on creating and designing supportive and inclusive spaces for neurodivergent individuals. I especially appreciate their dedication to helping families and schools create neurodivergent friendly spaces so all students can thrive. You can check out our conversation on the NeuroDivergent Synergy podcast. I've placed the link for this podcast in the episode's show notes. And secondly, I'm very happy to announce that Vice Principal on Office is nominated for Women Podcasters Awards in Comedy. I love putting this show together and appreciate your support, and I'd appreciate your vote for vice principal on office. The Women Podcasters Awards voting is now open until May 31st. I've included the link to vote on this episode's show notes. So thank you.
Speaker 1:In a kid, I had no idea what a paraprofessional was or that they even worked in schools. I knew about the usual jobs a policeman, teacher, doctor or, better yet, an astronaut. Keep in mind. I started school in 1969, when being an astronaut looked cool and fun and was the job every kid wanted. I mean, have you seen? I dream of genie? Oh, barbara, eden plus my mom.
Speaker 1:Let me eat space sticks for breakfast. What? Yes, back in 1969 the pillsbury company actually made an energy breakfast in the shape of a stick for astronauts, and I know this part won't shock you when I tell you that Pillsbury wanted to make money, so they sold their breakfast sticks to the public. I can still remember the taste of those space sticks. It was like a Tootsie Roll and a protein bar had an identity crisis and fused into one chewy space age snack. And of course, you had to chase your space stick down with some orange Tang. You know Tang right, it was, and still might be, the official drink of astronauts, six-year-olds on a sugar rush and people who trust powdered mystery substances. Someone needs to bring those space sticks back. My six-year-old brain remembers them being delicious.
Speaker 1:Hmm, where was I? Oh, yeah, jobs. So I knew there were other jobs in schools besides teachers. I saw the school cooks, the secretary and the nurse, and of course I knew there were some kids who visited the nurse all the time, but I only saw the nurse.
Speaker 1:Once, when I was in eighth grade, I had nearly cut off the tip of my middle finger. In art class Yep, art class my teacher and the nurse were pretty sure I needed stitches because the chunk of skin from the tip of my middle finger was missing and was a bloody mess. The nurse called my mom, who then came to pick me up, and instead of taking me to get stitches, my mom slapped a band-aid on it and called it a day. Oh, lisa, you sure can raise my blood pressure. Sorry, mom, but that's what happened. Don't worry, I still love you, though I can still see a faint scar on that finger.
Speaker 1:Ironically, 45 years later, I snapped the end of that same middle finger while pulling up a knee sleeve over my old arthritic knee. Let me tell you, getting old is hell, you don't say. As for my busted middle finger, this time I took myself to the doctor and ended up wearing a tiny little blue cast on my knotty finger for six weeks. And I won't lie, I kind of enjoyed flashing my casted middle finger at people. And if they only knew what I was really thinking when I held't lie, I kind of enjoyed flashing my casted middle finger at people, and if they only knew what I was really thinking when I held it up. By the way, that was the last art class I ever took. Okay, I better get back to jobs.
Speaker 1:So I also knew there was a school custodian, but I always thought there was just one. It wasn't until high school, after some late night band concert, that I realized there was an entire crew of night custodians. Clearly, my thoughts about school ended the second that final bell rang and my grades would have agreed. As for paraprofessionals, I had no clue what that job was or that it even existed. In fact, the first time I heard the word, my brain immediately jumped to something scary from the paranormal world, like something from the Twilight Zone. For you youngsters, that was an eerie TV show from the early 60s, kind of like today's Black Mirror on Netflix. I know what can I say? I watched way too much TV as a kid and clearly I still do. Oh, lisa, you know.
Speaker 1:I also have to admit that until I became a teacher, I had no idea just how essential paraprofessionals were to student success in K-12 public schools. Hold on, depending on where you went to school, you might call this position a teacher's aid, assistant, associate or teacher helper, but for this episode I'm going to use the title paraprofessional. Why? Because back in 1965, president Johnson signed legislation that provided schools with extra funding to support low-income, struggling students. The idea was that additional help would allow these students to catch up academically with their peers. This legislation was called the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Was called the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and, like most changes in education, this act slowly evolved.
Speaker 1:Eventually, thanks to President Obama, the no Child Left Behind Act came along, revising the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and required schools to continue hiring paraprofessionals to assist struggling students. Much of this identification process was based on standardized test scores and a few other identifiers. Students needing support were often pulled out of class for their support time. But after decades, schools finally started realizing that struggling learners might actually benefit more from staying in the traditional classroom. I said might. There's a lot of factors that go into that might.
Speaker 1:Now, I think all of this is great, but here's the kicker. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act required public schools to hire paraprofessionals who, legally, could not teach students. Yep, you heard that right. The law stated that paraprofessionals could only support student learning under the guidance of a classroom teacher, which I say great, but get this to be hired as a paraprofessional, all a person needed was a high school diploma or GED. Yep, that's how I read it in the paraprofessional guidebook sent out by the US Department of Education, which now no longer exists. So paraprofessionals weren't, and still aren't, required to have extensive credentials to work with struggling K-12 students, which, again, I'll try to say great.
Speaker 1:Now, before I dive into some wild paraprofessional tales, I just want to say most school paraprofessionals do not get the recognition they truly deserve. These incredible people, many of whom have never taken a single college class on teaching, do everything they can to help struggling students, and I mean everything. I mean everything Seriously. A paraprofessional's day might involve anything from changing the diaper of a 200-pound post-puberty teenager to managing a second grader's behavior plan as the kid literally tears apart the classroom while trying to bite a chunk out of the poor paraprofessional in between each destruction. I'm not kidding folks. I've seen a classroom go from intact to disaster zone in minutes, and yet these amazing please-never-quit paraprofessionals keep showing up to school. Why? Because they love working with kids, even through the messy, chaotic and downright observed moments. These people deserve an extra star in their crown. They really do. That's why when a school leader finds a gem of a paraprofessional, they'll do anything to keep them.
Speaker 1:But let's be real, the job is tough. So keeping paraprofessional positions fully staffed is like managing a revolving door. People take the job but then quickly step right back out when they realize what the job actually entails. To me it's a bit like the hokey pokey. Oh, you know what I'm talking about. You put your candidate in, you take your candidate out, you put another one in and you hope this one's devout Hiring a paraprofessional really causes me to shout.
Speaker 1:So I'm gonna go get soused. Everyone. You put your candidate, oh, you get the idea. But I bet there are a lot of school leaders out there who would join me in a sing-along, especially if the getting sous part came first. So I gotta say, while there are plenty of amazing paraprofessionals knocking it out of the park, there are also quite a few wackadoodles who somehow end up in this line of work.
Speaker 1:And let me tell you, friends, some of the crazy crap I've seen paraprofessionals do on the job makes me wonder if President Johnson ever stopped to consider any qualifications beyond a high school diploma or GED. Maybe he really thought the job had something to do with the paranormal, who knows? But I'm guessing Johnson didn't give two hoots about the job requirements. He probably just signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, because, well, he was in charge. And that's a whole other story because, shockingly, both political parties found fault with Johnson's act. Yeah, real shocker, right, american politicians disagreeing and stalling progress. You should know that, according to my research, one party argued the act gave too much control to the states, while the other claimed wait for it the complete opposite. I'm inserting my forehead. Slap here and come to think of it.
Speaker 1:Watching today's political leaders try to agree on anything about K-12 public education, or anything for that matter, is like watching a really bad episode of the Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. You pick which show you prefer. Because no matter what our political leaders eventually decide, if they ever stop dinking around and act like civilized adults representing the American people and modeling good behavior for kids, it's bound to feel like some kind of bizarre paranormal experience, which is why I titled this episode Pulling on a Push Door the Paraprofessional Experience. Of course, I really wanted to call this episode Hiring a Clueless Paraprofessional is like watching some poor soul try to open the door that says push by pulling. It's painful but you can't look away because you might miss the show. You know, kind of like watching our elected officials. I'm telling you people, you can't make this shit up, you just can't. Oh good Lord, lisa, I need a nap. I know, mom, I know. Sorry, but some of these paraprofessional stories often left me scratching my head and thinking to myself what in the hell did I just witness? Just wait, you'll understand what I'm talking about very soon. So, like I said earlier, as a kid I pretty much assumed that most of the adults I saw during the school day were teachers. But once I crossed over from being a student to a teacher, I quickly learned that there are a lot of moving parts required to keep a K-12 school running and, as I've said before, a school is basically a microcosm of society. Whatever happens in the real world also happens in a school. The only difference is a school is its own little self-contained society and a few administrators are responsible for making sure all those moving parts stay operational at all times, and that's a huge responsibility for K-12 school leaders K-12 school leaders.
Speaker 1:Throughout my career as a vice principal, I had to hire, supervise and, when necessary, fire classified staff, including paraprofessionals. Now that I think about it. I even sat in on paraprofessional interviews back when I was a teacher and counselor. Not sure why, maybe life was foreshadowing my future career path. I think I should have paid better attention. Anyway, supporting kids in a behavior classroom usually requires a teacher and sometimes multiple paraprofessionals. The only problem it's damn near impossible to get a paraprofessional to stay on the job, which is probably because the work is hard and the pay is low. But be that as it may, I remember one paraprofessional interview like it was yesterday. You see, once again the school needed to fill multiple paraprofessional positions, but the candidate pool was tiny. So I crossed my fingers, said a quick Hail Mary and hoped our interview team could find at least one hireable person for our behavior disorder classroom.
Speaker 1:So with my interview team ready to roll, I went to greet our first paraprofessional candidate, who at first glance looked to be about 60-ish and honest to God like hell. But me being me, I still welcomed them with a handshake and a warm smile, something I always did to help ease an interviewee's nerves. Interviews can be nerve-wracking for some people. I then explained the interview process, though in the back of my mind I couldn't help but notice that the person looked completely exhausted but at the same time they were wound up tighter than a squirrel on hazelnut espresso. They were wound up tighter than a squirrel on hazelnut espresso. Seriously, this candidate was so amped up you could almost see electricity sparking off of them, and I was pretty sure it wasn't just caffeine fueling the level of energy.
Speaker 1:The whole vibe reminded me of Wren. You know the lanky, lunatic chihuahua from Wren's Stimpy Show. If you don't know what I'm talking about, do yourself a favor and Google it. Anyway, before we even started the interview, I had to ask this candidate if they were okay Because, aside from being all cotton candy and no carnival, their low scoop shirt made it impossible to miss a huge patch of white gauze taped to their chest. Yeah, some people make some interesting fashion choices for interviews. I've seen candidates show up in crocs, shorts, skirts way too short and t-shirts with some weird ass saying plastered across the front. My all-time favorite t-shirt saying Easy that was a candidate who walked into their interview wearing a t-shirt that said I live in a van down by the river. We actually hired that person and it turned out to be a great hire. But most of the time I can't help but wonder did they even glance in the mirror before leaving the house.
Speaker 1:As for the interview with Wren, the humanoid chihuahua, well, I could look past the white gauze, but their ability to interview, that was a whole different problem. You should know I'm freaking good at interviewing people. Ask anyone who's ever sat on an interview team with me. If a candidate is nervous and struggling to answer questions, I help them out by prompting them to elaborate, and I smile and nod Anything that helps them shake off the nerves Because, honestly, that's just the right thing to do. But holy shit people, that interview with Wren was one of the fastest interviews I've ever conducted, and I don't mean to sound mean, but I immediately knew this turbocharged candidate had no business working with school-aged kids and, surprise, surprise, my hunch was confirmed during the required reference check.
Speaker 1:Luckily, we had a couple other candidates lined up for the paraprofessional position, because there was no way we could hire old Ren, I mean that candidate and, truth be told, I know some school leaders who never check references or even do a little digging into the adults they're hiring to work with students. Good lord, school leaders do better. Anyway, we did find a solid candidate for the paraprofessional job, but hiring is just step one, because once a school leader brings in a paraprofessional, they have to train them. Like I said, a new paraprofessional may or may not have any experience in working with kids and, of course, training takes time and money, two things that schools never seem to have enough of. So, as you can probably guess, k-12 paraprofessional training is limited. Most paraprofessionals just learn on the job with the help of the classroom teacher and, hopefully, a supportive administrator.
Speaker 1:And, like any new employee, a new paraprofessional may hit a few bumps along the way, but shit happens, and this kind of shit usually just required me to check in and make sure our new hire was okay or asked if they needed any help. And while we're on the subject of employees hitting a bump in the road, I'm proud to say that I never got mad or pulled the I'm the queen of the world act with staff by yelling or degrading staff. Why would I? One, it takes up too much energy. And two, 99% of the time just asking or listening works. And then school life falls back into place. Life falls back into place. However, every now and then you get a paraprofessional who's a few fries short of a happy meal, which makes for some interesting vice principal correction conversations, and one such conversation well, let's just say it involved underwear. Well, let's just say it involved underwear.
Speaker 1:Now, I've already told you about behavior disorder classrooms, but there are also classrooms that help students with not just academics and employability skills, but everyday living skills like learning to cook food in a kitchen or how to use the toilet independently, or even basic daily tasks like cleaning up after oneself or talking on the phone. Everyday living skills are something everyone needs, but some students just need a little extra help learning them and, honestly, from what I've seen in today's society, there are plenty of adults who could probably use a freaking refresher course on these skills too. Anyway, these special classrooms are filled with wonderful students who just need some extra support, which usually requires a teacher and a few paraprofessionals to implement individual student plans that track student progress, which is fantastic, actually collecting data to determine next steps. See, when we know better, we do better most of the time. Which brings me to a classroom I supervised.
Speaker 1:This classroom was staffed with a teacher and a few paraprofessionals all great people, even the kids wonderful people but one paraprofessional, who shall be referred to as Barbie, took things to another level without even trying. Barbie was a tiny, confident and undeniably cute person. Her makeup and hair were always perfect and she had a wardrobe full of short dresses and high-heeled shoes Again with the high heels. At this point in my life I couldn't even try heels without collapsing. Now most of the paraprofessionals in the classroom wore jeans, t-shirts and tennis shoes.
Speaker 1:Because the job was physical. The paraprofessionals changed diapers, assisted students from wheelchairs to toilets and helped them onto the floor for needed stretching and class activities. And help them onto the floor for needed stretching and class activities. So one's common sense would dictate dressing appropriately for the job, but not Barbie. She always showed up in a dress and high heels.
Speaker 1:Well, one fine day Barbie arrived in a flimsy, almost seethrough dress and, of course, high heels. The adults in the room were a bit concerned because the dress was incredibly shorter than Barbie's usual dress attire. But things got a little awkward when it was time to sit on the floor for a class activity. When Barbie sat down, her underwear were on full display. The teacher tried to address it, but Barbie didn't think it was a big deal that everyone could see her underwear, so I was called in to handle it. When I walked in, the room went deadly quiet and of course the adults tried to look busy, but I could tell they were eagerly waiting to see how I would handle the unexpected underwear rebellion. I'm sure there was a bet on whether I'd act with grace or not. As for Barbie's underwear fashion style, let's just say Barbie wasn't wearing granny panties. You can decide for yourself what style of underwear Barbie chose to wear under her tiny little dress. As for me, as gracefully as I could, my old arthritic knees and I knelt down and whispered in Barbie's ear. Knees, and I knelt down and whispered in Barbie's ear. I told Barbie that I could see her underwear and that she needed to go home and change immediately. With a perky okay, she jumped up and went home to change. After that, barbie never had another underwear incident, at least to my knowledge. And not too long after that Barbie decided to leave her paraprofessional job behind and as far as I know, she was not cast as an extra in Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie, but she definitely fit the part.
Speaker 1:Of course there are other people who take a paraprofessional job because they want to work where their child goes to school, but let's be honest, some of these paraprofessionals are just missing their high school days and want to live vicariously through their DNA trophy. One such paraprofessional was a person who desperately wanted to work at their child's school, but unfortunately they look like they could have starred in a public service announcement. For why not to do drugs? This ragged paraprofessional looked like they had just crawled out of a music festival pit and decided to keep going, because who doesn't want to rock that look five days a week? But, to the paraprofessionals credit, they were kind to kids and content with their paraprofessional work, as long as it wasn't in a traditional classroom setting. You see, the problem was the minute this paraprofessional had to support a struggling student in, say, an English class or a math class where the teacher spends a little time delivering whole group lecture, sleepy Pete would fall asleep Yep, you heard it right, sleeping on the job. One fine day, while Sleepy Pete was perfecting their napping skills in class they actually wait for it fell out of their chair and landed on the floor and, as expected, the kids burst out laughing while the teacher got angry because their riveting lecture had been interrupted. It wasn't too long after that nap that Sleepy Pete decided to call it quits and moved on to become a sleep coach. No, I'm kidding. I have no idea what happened to Sleepy Pete, decided to call it quits and moved on to become a sleep coach. No, I'm kidding, I have no idea what happened to Sleepy Pete.
Speaker 1:Oh, I should probably mention that some schools hire paraprofessionals outside the scope of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act paraprofessional guidelines. These paraprofessionals are paid from a different pot of school money and their job description requires them to work with all types of kids. They usually end up doing tasks like helping kids open milk cartons at lunch, covering recess duty or supervising study hall duty, or supervising study hall. In fact, one paraprofessional I worked with was hired specifically to supervise in-school suspension. Remember when I said in an earlier episode of Vice Principal in Office how detention duty was one of the easiest jobs I had ever subbed for? Well, in-school suspension is a lot like that. The adult supervising in-school suspension basically just needs to keep the kids quiet and ensure they stay awake enough to do their schoolwork and possibly get them more schoolwork when needed.
Speaker 1:Truth be told, some kids in in-school suspension are way behind on their assignments due to their good old avoidance behaviors. Anyway, one paraprofessional I had the pleasure to work with could be found reading a book while supervising in-school suspension, which I get it, but I don't ever think I saw the book boss of isolation actually walk around the room to ensure students were completing their homework or needed more work or, for that matter, even needed help with an assignment. I'm serious. The book boss of isolation always and I mean always sat at their desk with their nose buried in a book. However, when an administrator or counselor came in to check on a student, the book boss of isolation always shared a glowing report about how well the students were doing with their behavior and their work. But here's the head scratcher were doing with their behavior and their work, but here's the head scratcher. If the book boss of isolation never walked around the room, how in the hell did they know if the students were actually being productive? I swear some people will lie about anything to avoid doing their job.
Speaker 1:Eventually, the counselors and admin team figured out that we needed to stop by the in-school suspension room at least once a day to see what was really going on. And thank god we did, because I'm telling you folks, kids will try anything if they think no adult is watching or, worse, they'll model the behaviors they see coming from adults. Well, one day the book boss of isolation was doing a fantastic job of modeling how to read a book for the in-school suspension kids, which in theory is great. But I think the book boss of isolation forgot to have a conversation with the students about appropriate reading material while serving an in-school suspension, because when a counselor walked through the room she immediately turned around and ran to find me. Without much explanation, she insisted I follow her back to the in-school suspension room so I could see for myself what one particular student was reading.
Speaker 1:I quickly followed the counselor and together we quietly entered the in-school suspension room. Casually, we made our way around to see what students were working on. Then we stopped at one kid's desk. I glanced at the counselor. She gave me a look that screamed you see it right. The kid was deeply engrossed in a book titled how to Make Love Like a Porn Star. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to burst out laughing. I then quietly knelt down beside the student and whispered what are you reading? Naturally, as most high school kids, the kid was completely unfazed by my question and, without saying a word, held up their book to show me, to which I then quietly asked think you could maybe do some homework instead the student shrugged and nonchalantly said I already finished everything, just waiting for the book boss of isolation to bring me some more schoolwork. Now I can't fault the kid for reading, but that book Not exactly ideal for in-school suspension. And, as you can probably guess, I pulled the book boss of isolation aside for a little boss to employee chat and, as you can also probably guess, the book boss of isolation assured me that they would step up their game of monitoring the students in in-school suspension, which I say great.
Speaker 1:But unfortunately that was not the last conversation I had to have with the book boss of isolation, because one day a panicked teacher rushed into my office asking me to check on a student in the in-school suspension room. The teacher had stopped by to explain an assignment but found the student completely sound asleep and impossible to wake. Of course I hightailed it down the hall and found the kid slumped over their desk, dead to the world. Since this wasn't my first rodeo, I took one look at the nearly empty clear water bottle on the floor next to Sleeping Beauty and took a sniff. Yep, not water. The kid wasn't asleep. They were passed out drunk on vodka. I then turned to the book boss of isolation and barked, call 911. We need an ambulance and call the office to let them know what's going on. You wouldn't believe how often an ambulance shows up at a school's main office and no one there even knows there's an emergency happening somewhere in the building.
Speaker 1:It's like common sense takes a personal day. When chaos strikes, fight or flight. Folks Fight or flight. Anyway, the in-school suspension room quickly turned into a full-blown chaos carnival. But don't worry, the book boss of isolation remained firmly in their chair, unmoved by the spectacle taking place before them. Of course, the other adults, who didn't shy away from work, quickly got the totally tanked teenager the emergency help they needed and made sure the rest of the in-school suspension students were both sober and emotionally okay after witnessing what had just gone down.
Speaker 1:As for the water bottle of vodka, I have no idea what brand it was, but I can tell you that dumbass teenagers don't exactly have refined tastes. They drink whatever is cheap and gets the job done. Of course, in my distinguished adulthood I've become a bit of a vodka snob and prefer a high-end vodka that is smooth on the palate. Though, let's be real, a good buzz is always welcomed. And as for the book boss of isolation, they opted to call it quits on their paraprofessional gig and find some other line of work as a certified couch librarian. I'm kidding, I have no idea where the book boss of isolation landed. Bless their little heart.
Speaker 1:As you've heard today, the paraprofessional experience can be very entertaining and at times, a little odd. And thanks to President Johnson, k-12 schools get to keep hiring paraprofessionals for jobs candidates may or may not be qualified for. So until the next US president decides to revise or, worse yet, eliminate the school paraprofessional position, support your school leaders and sing along. You put your candidate in, you take your candidate out, you put another one in, and you hope this one's devout Hiring a paraprofessional really causes me to shout. So I'm gonna go get soused Better yet I'm gonna go see if I can find some space sticks to eat. Well, kids, the dismissal bell is ringing. So until next time on.
Speaker 1:Vice Principal on Office, push in your chair, put your name on your paper, be kind to your classmates, put away your phone and use your indoor voice, or not. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed the tales from Vice Principal on Office as much as I enjoyed sharing them, and it is also my hope that you were not only entertained by this episode, but that you walked away with a little nugget of knowledge that gave you some insight on how working in a school is not for the faint of heart. And don't forget, life is short. So you got to do the best you can to leave the world in a better place than when you got here. And, of course, for the love of God, see the humor in life. It's a lot more fun and a little easier to get through the ick in life with a smile on your face. Trust me, with what I've experienced throughout my career, I'd be like a scrappy aged lady with enough sass to knock over a bookshelf with just one look, if I hadn't decided to smile through the ick Next time on.
Speaker 1:Vice Principal in Office. Join me your host, lisa Hill, as I recall some very memorable substitute teachers and the quirkiness they brought to the classroom, from puking to magic shows. There are some substitute teachers who seem to be able to do it all, except for the one thing they were hired to do Teach. So tune in May 20th to hear substitutes gone wild while students just smiled. Until then, keep laughing and learning. Hey, students, I mean listeners. Thanks again for tuning in and if you've enjoyed today's show, please leave me a review. It really helps grow the show. And don't forget to hit the follow button so you don't miss an episode. Trust me, you don't want to be late for this detention and listeners. If you've got a school story of your own that you think would fit Vice Principal on Office, I'd love to hear it. Just head to my podcast website and email me your story and, who knows, your story might even get a shout out in a future episode. Thanks so much for listening and for your support.
Speaker 1:Vice Principal on Office is an independent podcast with everything you hear done by me, lisa Hill, and supported through Buzzsprout. Any information from today's show, along with any links and resources, are available in the show's notes. So if you want to do a little homework and dive deeper into anything I've mentioned, head over to my podcast website and check it out. And a big thank you to Matthew Chiam with Pixabay for the show's marvelous theme music. And, of course, a huge shout out to my mother. This podcast is for the purpose of entertainment only, like the recess of your day, and not a platform for debates about public education Though you never know, you could learn something. And just a reminder that the stories shared in this podcast represent one lens which is based on my personal experiences and interpretations, and also reflect my unique perspective through humor. Names, dates and places have been changed or admitted to protect identities and should not be considered universally applicable. Until next time, keep laughing and learning.
