Chronicles of A Substitute Teacher: Why WOULDN’T Anyone Sign Up For This? – The Perks of Being A Substitute Pt. 3

^{Mother's Day Cards my students made this year.}

The actual work I do on a daily basis ranges from grade level, content area, and school, but it all has a familiar rhythm that I have grown to enjoy. Every day, I get up and make some coffee, fill up my water bottle, put together a lunch, and run a google maps entry to make sure I know the route to my destination school and what time I need to leave the house. Depending on the school, the time I arrive varies. Middle school starts earliest: between 7 a.m and 7:30a.m., while elementary schools start later: usually between 8a.m. and 8:45 a.m. Substitutes have to arrive at least half an hour before students so we can review the lesson plans, set up any materials, and familiarize ourselves with the layout of the school and emergency plans.

^{These ladybug took FOREVER! So much cutting and glueing.}

So, I take my coffee cup, water bottle, lunch bag, and emergency materials off to the school I am assigned to for the day and sign in at the office. Once I find the classroom I am working in, I make myself semi-comfortable (I am still a visitor in someone else’s territory; imagine you went to someone else’s office for the day and setup to do their job with their supplies and materials for an idea as to what this feels like). Then I begin reviewing the folder of material that will help me get through the day. Usually I get a stack of books/assignments along with an explanation for what the students are expected to do, along with a folder that has seating arrangements, attendance rosters, discipline plans, daily schedules, a school map, and emergency plans. It’s a lot of information to take in early in the morning on short notice, but you get pretty good at processing quickly and prioritizing.

^{A clean classroom is a safe classroom.}

The fun really starts when the students show up. Sometimes they have breakfast in the classroom, other times they have a bellringer or daily work page they are responsible for completing upon arriving to class to give me and the regular teacher time to take attendance and send it to the office. You can learn a lot about students during attendance taking: often the jokesters have a smart response when you call their name, the helpful ones will speak up if someone hasn’t responded but is here, and ones that are not thrilled about the day will growl-out a semi-coherent reply usually. This is not always the case, but again, you learn quickly to read your audience. And, make no mistake; you are on stage 100% while teaching.

^{This kiddo thought I was the BEST jungle gym! I thought hiding by the slide would make it harder to be found. Didn't work, obviously.}

Once the lesson starts, I take on a myriad of roles. Detective, artist, counselor/mediator, role model, comedian, nurse, cheerleader; whatever it takes to keeps students safe, on task, engaged, and excited about learning. Some days are movie days (usually in middle school, watching the same video six to seven times), other days have multiple transitions in teaching several different content areas. Once every blue moon I will be asked to grade papers during my plan-time without students. Most teachers don't trust subs to grade correctly or don't ask us to out of respect for our personal time. Some days are more physical than others; usually early childhood and classrooms with students who have multiple disabilities require constant lifting, predicting, preventing, and de-escalating aggressive behaviors, or one-to-one interactions at floor level. I am convinced that if a local massage parlor/spa would offer teacher discounts they would easily be booked solid throughout the year. Every day is a mental marathon of Olympic proportions. The numbers of decisions teachers make, along with multi-tasking and using withitness (a legit pedagogical term, see below) to stem any problems before they start, makes for an exhausted brain at the end of the day.

^{Image Source}

Some people hate the challenges of teaching, but I live for the opportunities I am given every day. I get to craft alongside students, I celebrate in their success with them no matter how big or small, and I never stop learning. I used to hate feeling put on the spot or would get embarrassed when some witnessed me make a mistake. Now I embrace being put outside my comfort zone and have learned to turn my mistakes into a teachable moment for the kiddos in class. Even better, I know that what I do is meaningful and making a difference in the lives of others. One of my favorite quotes about teaching that encompasses my daily work is from Dr. Todd Whitaker, a former teacher and principal who has now written several books such as What Great Teachers Do Differently.

“The best thing about being a teacher is that it matters.
The hardest thing about being a teacher is that it matters every day.”-Todd Whitaker

I hope you liked this blog and stay tuned for the next pieces in my series. I will start to focus on my recommendations to new substitute teachers and how I found success in my substitute job.

You can see my previous blogs for Chronicles of A Substitute Teacher below

June 11, 2017- Where Are My Fellow Educators?
June 12, 2017- How Did I Even Get Here?
June 13, 2017-How Many Times Do I Have To Give The FBI My Fingerprints?
June 14, 2017- The Challenges of Being A Substitute Teacher
June 15.2017- Perks of Being A Substitute Pt. 1
June 16, 2017-Perks of Being a Substitute Pt. 2

Stay awesome,

@tltran