I worked for 10 years as a sub. I loved it. To this day, former students spot me in local stores etc and hug me. But… I worked in one rural high school, I worked almost every day, and the teachers knew and trusted me. If the teacher had no emergency or regular lesson plan, I had a few I could teach: some writing prompts, how to tie a tie, how to figure a restaurant tip in your head without visible hysteria, table manners… I also taught regular modules such as the Romantic Poets or a health class segment on gun safety. I’ve supervised assembly of rockets and car engines.
The big problem was the pay: $50 a day, whether you really taught something or whether you just kept them from killing each other.
I do know of abuses of the time off system. In the system in which I worked, you could retire a year or a half-year early but only if you had more than or equal to a whole year(180 days) or more than or equal to a half year (90 days.) one teacher had about 85 days, so the second half she worked one day every week or two and a sub worked the rest of the time. The kids in her class that year got screwed, big time.
I’m feeling pretty disgusted with the industry right now. Last year’s contract was not renewed, and since I got no real reason whatsoever (I didn’t grow enough–no specifics or explanation), and because of what I have since learned about that district, they didn’t want me to move up the pay scale. The town I live in has hired long-term subs to teach the first semester while kids finish student teaching. Here I am, certified, with many years of experience and a Master’s degree, and they won’t hire me. I’m subbing. For $70 a day. At this point in my career, I’m hoping to get jobs as a parapro until I am ready to retire. Very late.
I have thought about schools having a “teacher-at-large” who could do many things: teacher assistant, tutor, substitute, proctor for tests, whatever is needed. But thanks be to unions, that job would be too pricey.
I have many substitute stories. The high school in which the home economics teacher hurt her back and couldn’t come to school. For 2 years. And never wrote a lesson plan. I subbed for her many times, but I could do very little related to the subject. Those kids asked me every time I was there if we could start cooking. Schools and school boards chew up teachers and spit them out, and subs are even more expendable.
I’ve worked as a sub (two years) and as a classroom teacher (25 years). I hated to be out of my classroom, and it was a lot more work. Like Manda JO, my lesson plans were pretty minimal because I knew what I was doing.* When I had a sub coming in, though, they were step-by-step directions that took a long time to write. I usually went to school when sick, but if I couldn’t, I set my alarm for 4 a.m. so I had time to write detailed plans and attach handouts, etc. Some subs have minimal or no background in your subject matter, so you have to write plans accordingly/. If I came back and my plans weren’t followed, that sub was off my list. My students knew if they misbehaved and the sub didn’t give them consequences, I would.
Subbing is hard, and subs deserve more pay, but then, so do paras and teachers, If you want better subs, you’d better be willing to pony up in taxes.
*This year’s lesson plans won’t work next year. There are always improvements and updates to make, not to mention numerous variables.
A good deed never goes unpunished . . … never has it held more true for subs. A “Oh golly, I JUST got a phone call from a rival District and I already committed” reply every ONCE in a while never hurts, before rolling over and going back to bed.
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So I just finished my first two days substituting, one day at a middle school and the second at a high school. Both teachers I subbed for had serious family medical emergencies that were very last minute. And so there was only a bit of guidance waiting for me in the form of a lesson plan.
My wish list to see in a sub folder is just a general syllabus outline, and a print out of any material assigned to the students that is on the school computer network. Day two just had a note on the white board telling the students that instructions were online - but I had to wait for students to log on before I knew what they were covering.
What the district wants is some guy/gal off the street with a sub credential and what most subs have is a sub credential without any real pedagogical or organization skills. Because of that the pay is appropriate and everyone is happy (except the regular teacher but WGAF about them amirite?)
Honestly, while it might be nice to have “better” subs, I can’t think of much I’d be willing to cut to pay enough to really raise the bar on the quality of short term subs. I just don’t think most teachers are out so much that having high-quality instruction on the days they were would really have a big impact. I can easily think of a half-dozen places to spend money that would help more than that.
If anything, I wish they’d lower the requirements. What I want in a short term sub is reliability and conscientiousness. The pool of people who have college degrees and are willing to work erratically for $100/day is really, really shallow. I feel like opening it up would quite possibly raise the quality available.
I could be open to the idea that higher-quality long-term subs would have an impact on learning worth the investment. That system is totally screwed up . But that’s a really different thing.