Downtime

Sorry for the downtime, I've been out of town for the past week or so. I haven't been substituting, and therefore haven't had new experiences to share. In the meantime, this is what teachers make.

Too Much Free Time

Today is the 2nd day in a row where I have been unable to aquire a substitute teaching job.

My district uses Aesop, an online sub placement system. The requirement to become a substitute teacher is to have 90 or more college credits, however some schools in the district do requrie a teaching certificate. This means that any college students searching for education experience can get it before they graduate through Aesop.

In my opinion, there are pros and cons to this system.

Pros:

• It gives new teachers, like myself, a chance to prove themselves in the class.
• It streamlines the system. I do not have to individually register with schools or districts to sub in them.
• Teachers can request individual subs – I made a good impression last week, and as a result have a job lined up for this coming Friday.

Cons:

• Experienced subs probably don't like Aesop because younger punks like myself take away their seniority.
• It seems like there are a billion other subs out there competing for the same jobs. While good for schools, its tough for subs. An opening became available last night. I knew the teacher, school, and subject material. Within 5 seconds somebody else got the job.
• There is no longer the 5:30am phone call. To get jobs, I need to leave my computer on through the night and have Jobulator ring when a position opens. While its a good way to ensure a job for the coming day, it makes for very poor sleep.

Overall I'm happy with it, however it is frustrating that I am unable to work steadily. My presumption is that as the school year progresses, a couple things will happen:

1. Teachers will take more days off - unless its an emergency, most teachers are probably going to be at work for the first two weeks of school.
2. There will be less sub competition - I'm betting subs are likely very eager to take jobs right now. As the year progresses, I assume this will fade, especially as some of those 90 credit college students realize this job may not mesh with their schedule or stress intake.
3. Teachers will request me - When I do get jobs, I focus on making a great impression. I follow the plans, try to build rapport with students, and chat with the secretaries and neighboring teachers. Most importantly, I leave a detailed sub report on letterhead that gives my personal contact information - all of this with the hopes of getting called back in the future.

I realize this is just part of the trade, and not every day will be filled. It's frustrating, but as the weeks go by, I'm sure my body and frame of mind will adapt.

This free time has given me a lot of opportunty to search the web! Here are some great resources (teaching and otherwise) that I have stumbled upon:

• Two Writing Teachers: inspired teaching strategies that focus on how to successfully bring writing into the classroom
• Cool Cat Teacher Blog: A wide spectrum of engaging material, from the newest research to proven methods and ideas
• Education Week – Politics K-12: The most current news and analysis in national education
• This Is Indexed: Venn-Diagramming the social world on an index card. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heart-wrenching, always interesting. (Also great to throw into your Bag of Tricks!) Here is one of my favorites:

• Reflection Of Me: Highly entertaining, because a picture is worth a thousand words.

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I invite you to contribute by sending in questions, personal stories, thoughts, and articles about substitute teaching. Thanks for stopping by.

Post 1, Version 2 (with cynicism)

Thank you for bearing with my attempt at pretending I am a “real” teacher.

Yesterday I posted a satirical “first day of school” bit, welcoming you to my new blog to help you feel comfortable, engaged, and aware of expectations. I would have prepared for and done something similar this coming Tuesday if I had my own students to welcome to school.

But alas, I am a small fish in a large pond. After being spat out by the middle-to-upper level college bureaucracy with training in secondary education, I entered the job market. With the rest of you. Against the rest of you, all of you college-educated, certified, qualified, and unemployed teachers. We applied to the same jobs, went to the same interviews, and got denied by the same panels. Don't worry, you are not alone.

Its not hard to guess why I am now a substitute teacher – I chose a career that was in surplus five years ago and still is to this day. My choice to become a teacher was a conscious decision to do what I love.

While its not what I had in my plans, I can say, after much hesitation, that within the following days I am utterly excited to follow out my teaching ambitions as a substitute teacher.

Through this blog I hope to:

• create a solid resource for secondary substitute teachers, something the internet is in dire need of
• inspire, engage, and collaborate with fellow substitutes
• promote a community of teachers who take their job professionally and seriously
• provide a shared outlet for experiences and reflections on substituting
• occasionally post irrelevant yet hilarious YouTube videos

My end goal is not to be a substitute – like the rest of you college educated certified teachers, I am looking for a teaching job with a classroom I can call my own.

However, in the meantime, let us embrace the present. Let us master the skills. Let us do what we love. Let us enjoy The Substitute Experience.

To start this blog off right, here's a word of advice that also involves a hilarious video. The advice: don't do this.

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I invite you to contribute by sending in questions, personal stories, thoughts, and articles about substitute teaching. Thanks for stopping by.