We're Cursed

After finally being rid of our oft-absent flake Aide D, I was at least relieved that Aide L (no matter how nosy or...frantic, I think is a good word for her) was very consistent in her attendance last year when subbing for Aide S.

Until she didn't show yesterday.

Or this morning.

So, our frantic office clerk (our office manager was out yesterday and today) was trying to deal with at least 3 other aide absences, but eventually called her.

She missed the part where it said the job was more than one day.

Yeah.

Meanwhile, in the continuing Aide K saga, I made the kids their own checklists for "Catch Up Day," including Boardmaker pictures and listing the color of the appropriate folder.

That is, it said:

Catch Up Day

Go in order.  Check each folder on the list and make sure all the week's work is done.  Check off each one as you finish it.

1.  Agenda book.

2.  Journal.

3.  News-2-You (Orange)

4.  Literature (Green)

Etc.

Not only did Aide K not understand it (I heard her muttering about whether Angel should go in order), Angel had to explain it to her.

My student.

A girl in my special day class.

Had. To. Explain. A. Visual. Checklist.

To an aide.

Ouch.

That, however, was topped by the moment when she went over to Aide S with Angel's agenda book.  Angel had a brain freeze on Monday and instead of writing the date in each box in her agenda book, wrote:

Monday, September 24, 2007.

Monday, September 25, 2007.

And so forth.

Aide K asked Aide S if that was correct.

Not, should she fix this?  But if it was supposed to be that way!

You know, it took Aide ME (the one who talked all the time) four tries, purportedly, to pass our district's aide test.  Aide ME wasn't exactly firing on all thrusters, but she was more with it than K.

Which leaves me wondering: how in the name of all that's holy did this woman pass the aide test?

On the plus side, it bodes very well for Former Student A (who was reclassified -- correctly -- last year as having learning disabilities and a processing disorder rather than cognitive disabilities), who would make an excellent aide.  I always worried about her passing the test, but if Aide K did, there's no way A wouldn't.