Just a Sub Part 2

All names have been changed.

I mentioned in “Why Sub?” that all new substitutes in my county are required to be certified teachers, and I should clarify that substitutes who have been working since before that rule was created were “granfathered in” and still work as substitutes.

That being said, being certified does mean you are qualified to sub long-term when the need arises, and of course, this really just gives you the privilege of being put into incredibly difficult situations.

This has happened to me four times now, each one with varying degrees of insanity. Among these, the easiest was filling a vacancy for a high school English teacher who had suddenly resigned and moved out of state; they were a great group of kids, and it was my favorite subject.  And hey, it was a job opening that I was qualified for!

But nothing’s that easy. No, it just can’t be.

To begin with, I walked in, and they explained the situation. The teacher had left. They didn’t know what the plans were yet. So on and so on....I was excited. I was ready to get started.

I asked the head of the department what I should do. Her Instructions? “They need to read The Iliad.”

Okay then. It was slightly short notice, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. I was determined to prove that, and I think I did.

 I created a mini-unit based on the excerpts from The Iliad in the textbook and taught it, assigned work and took it up. The majority of the kids seemed engaged, except for three girls in one class who were still bitter about their teacher leaving. They started to ask if I was staying permanently. They always do in those long-term sub situations. I never have an answer until the last minute.

In the meantime, I was sure to let the administrators know I was interested in the job. I spoke to the assistant principal who had taken it upon himself to help me, asked the head of the department what the plans were because I was interested and gave my resume to the principal.

I got the same answer each time: “We don’t know what we’re going to do, but we’ll let you know.”

Riiiiigghhhht. The day before my last day, they let me know. They let me know they had hired someone who had interviewed with them for a job earlier. Translation: They knew all along who they wanted to take the job.

I wish I could say I was surprised, but it wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last. You roll with the punches.

What really stung was how that administrator chose to tell the kids. He came to each class the last day I was there and gave a little speech:

“As you all know, Mrs. Carter has left us. She had family obligations in Alabama, and as much as we hate to see her go, we definitely wish her the best.

Now, we have been blessed to have a sub here who has done a wonderful job, but the other administrators and I feel we owe it to you to find a teacher…’

Where do those kids get it from, huh? Just a Sub Part 1

Thanks again, Kelli