# Substitute Teachers? HA! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 26, 2006, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-teachers-ha/374284 "2006-09-26T23:09:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-teachers-ha/374284/21 "2006-09-27T03:21:15Z")
[QUOTE=Daffyd] Maybe your wife misunderstood… I think the sub was asking if any of the previous **teachers** had demanded to be put on medication. 😛 [/QUOTE] Nope, no misunderstanding. All the teachers **are** on medication already. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-teachers-ha/374284/22 "2006-09-27T08:56:52Z")
I was on the mental health unit in a hospital with really bad teacher burn out problems. The principal gave my substitute teacher the phone number for the ward so that she could call me to complain about discipline problems she was having. I was in the hospital for five weeks. I should have filed a grievance against the principal after my return. I had some great subs and I had some who just let the students dismantle the room. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-teachers-ha/374284/23 "2006-09-27T13:52:54Z")
I’ve been brain-vollying the idea of changing careers and teaching. I had also considered being a sub for the time it will take me to get through school. Now I’m scared. Oh, and I’m lower than a sub. I’m a \ PTA volunteer. When I come in to relieve the teacher for an hour or two so she can eat pizza in the lounge or relax with pot and porn or whatever the hell they do on the special PTA days the teachers always have a look on their face like they just smelled shit. I’m beginning to see why. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-teachers-ha/374284/24 "2006-09-27T23:27:08Z")
Maybe I’m missing something here, but **Master Wang-Ka** , subs have lower status than aides? I don’t understand. Aides aren’t teachers; as far as I know (which isn’t very far, admittedly), they don’t have to have any qualifications beyond a willingness to help out. Granted, when they’ve been there a while, they probably become much closer to actually being a teacher than they start out, but still, I’m not at all understanding the contempt you feel for subs. I’ve know quite a few who were qualified teachers who couldn’t find local jobs and for whatever reason couldn’t re-locate. Their qualifications were just as good as any other teacher, although, like any newbie, they’d need to learn their way around. A substitude aide, I grant you, would be the lowest of the low in the classroom hierarchy, but a substitute teacher? I’m confused! I know darned well you’re not an arrogant person, but if your OP was the only thing of yours I’d ever read, I certainly would have thought you were. That being said, this particularly guy sounds like a monumental asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-teachers-ha/374284/25 "2006-09-28T11:27:38Z")
Any updates? How did it go with the administrator? ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-teachers-ha/374284/26 "2006-09-28T12:23:26Z")
[QUOTE=Oy!] Maybe I’m missing something here, but **Master Wang-Ka** , subs have lower status than aides? I don’t understand. [/QUOTE] From experience, the sub is about as low on the food chain as it gets. You don’t even have your own name when you’re a sub. As soon as you walk in the door and get a school tag people start asking, “Oh, who are _you_ today?” At least an interim teaching job gives some stability to the classroom. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-teachers-ha/374284/27 "2006-09-28T12:26:47Z")
I meant to add, a capable sub who proves him or herself capable of handling difficult classes and following the teacher’s guidelines will usually gain a reputation as one not to be trifled with. This helps tremendously. ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-teachers-ha/374284/28 "2006-09-28T15:39:42Z")
I’m sure this differs from state to state and from county to county but where I live a person only needs a high school diploma to be a sub. No experience necessary if you can pass the background check. The pay is minimum wage. (I learned this when I looked into being a sub which, admittedly was about 10 years ago, possibly it’s changed) When **Master Wang-Ka** compares it to flipping burgers he’s not really very far off the mark. I’m hope they require the special ed subs to have better qualifications. I’d really like to hear what happened with the administrator. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-teachers-ha/374284.md?page=1)