Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Substitute Teaching Sucks!
I've been a substitute teacher before and I've just started back again (today was my first day back). I always hated it, but man it was awful today. I was in one third grade class in the morning and a different third grade class in the afternoon. The one in the afternoon was my son's class, but as previously noted, my son was absent today. I have no doubt that I could teach things to children, but they will not listen to substitute teachers at all! However, one of the other teachers suggested that they don't behave too well for the regular teachers either. The whole experience makes me really want to finish graduate school and move on to something else. Soon!
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16 comments:
This is a horrible time of year to be have been in the classroom, for that matter.
There are so many things about teaching that ruin the profession it boggles the mind!
The childishness of the staff.
The stupidity of the principal.
The assholeness of the parents.
Bratty kids.
I substitute teach too but I think just about anything would be better than going to school 6 years for a 20K+ job.
I too teach and have subbed. I absolutely hate it!! It is hard to believe that kids can be so disrespectful and rude. I think having a chair thrown at me and a student spitting in my face was pretty much the last straw for me. I did some research and conferences with the local community college and discovered that with an Associates degree in Engineering, I could earn $33,000 to start--with an Associates Degree--I can't earn that teaching full time with my Master's Degree! I could earn close to $32,000 in Human Resources, if I wished to go in that direction. It boggles the mind!!
Needless to say, I start community college this fall so that I can get a job I will enjoy and can earn a good living without dealing with classroom management issues, being assaulted by students and dealing with parents who tell me that 'he's at school, so he's your problem now' and administration that will not back consequences.
Did I mention it pays more than teaching?
Ya know, If you hate teaching... that is probably why the students hate you! Stop subbing NOW and find another career!!
First of all, no one said they hated me. In fact, I think they liked me well enough.
Second of all, teaching and substitute teaching are two totally different animals.
Lastly, I teach now at the university and I enjoy it pretty well. I think that the students are rather happy with me, too.
Yes, the guy didn't say they hate him, Anonymous. Don't take it so personally if you are a teacher, btw. Everyones experience is different. I have grown to dislike subbing but not everywhere. There are schools I've gone to where teaching is a JOY. But at the majority of schools, it's not. It's horrible with parents running the school and admin not backing you up. Why is the sub always the bad guy? We get called names and cursed at, are subjected to tantrums and have jokes played on us meant to make us look stupid. Subs are second class people, don't ya' know? The districts want the certain daily supply but they don't want to treat you like a real employee with benefits, how discriminating is that? People who sub full-time (I'm not talking to you retired teachers who do it for your friends once in awhile): Do something else with you talents now before you burn out from the constant disrespectful abuse all around you. And they say there are jobs Americans won't do? Ha! This is one of the hardest jobs in the nation and we're doing it!
Good posts, folks, except for anonymous who incorrectly interpreted that the students hated the sub...Maybe some subs are more successful than others because they have effective skills in handling and dealing with the challenging situations encountered in this occupation, but I can sympathize with everyone's frustrations with substitute teaching and wish I knew that there was a better way.
Substitute teaching is much like full time teaching in that the most important factor is finding a school that is a "good fit" for the teacher. I have subbed and I have taught full time.
Most schools have atmospheres that are reflective of the community they serve. Urban schools can have students with severe dicipline problems and parents who don't care. Suburban schoools can have spoiled brats with "helicopter" parents who are hovering to defend their kids at the drop of a hat.
The point here is that you need to find a school that you are happy with. I know that where I live there are schools that are so awful that they struggle to get subs. At the same time there are other schools that every sub wants to work at. Sometimes it's just a matter of personal preference. The key is to find a school that you are happy with or you will be an unhappy teacher and this will make teaching unpleasant for you and your students.
Substitute teaching still sucks...I've seen from "bad"/"tough" schools, to the so called "good" schools in 2 different US states...and a big problem that is contributing to this is having classroom student:teacher ratio too high(probably due to economy/monetary difficulty hiring adequate number of teachers. Impossible to manage effectively a middle school classroom with 35 students in a 50 min. period and then there is more than one student that is acting-up. Together with subbing for students where such students are at an age range where disrespectful attitude and behavior toward the sub is amusing. And the sub is the one frowned upon for complaining to administration where admistration would argue "oh, this sub can't effectively maintain classroom mgmt. among the students, let's place this sub on the Do Not Call List...Schools, you know which ones you are, you know this is BS!
I agree with the comment above. I am also a substitute and although I don't care for the behavior of the students or attitude of the administration most of the time; I like my job because of the freedom it affords me. I can work where and when I please, take days off when it suits me and if things get too bad in a particular class, I go home.
that's how it should be done, absolutely walk out on classes/schools if you find it necessary. It might cause you to be put on the "Do not Call List", but it's a small price to pay for your self-respect and to send a message with your actions to these condescending schools ..
Barbara: Subbing is the worst the majority of the time. Lesson plans are sometimes inadequate and dont get me started on kids. I once had 7 boys throw their books out the second story window and leave. Trying to keep or and attention is next to impossible and the staff many times act like you should read minds and your not even there.
My Wife recently graduated from college (3.95 GPA) with teaching and special education certifications for New Jersey. She's subbing until a full time position comes around. In this area, all subs are hired through Source4Teachers. The rate of pay varies but is generally about $85 per day. Considering that the school year is 180 days, the maximum she could earn would be $15,300. That's not really possible because there won't be a suitable job available every single day. At best, she's looking at up to 120 days. That's a maximum of only $10,200 per year with no health insurance or other paid benefits. As a comparison, the first year starting salary for a teacher is around $45,000. She limits her jobs to those within about 15 miles. That's a lot of school in our heavily populated region. Though many subs she has met have an attitude that they don't really care, my Wife really does her best. She's certainly not just a daily babysitter for High School and Middle School student. Yesterday, she accepted a 5-day assignment. At the end of the 1st school day, she got an email saying that they had cancelled the next two days. WHAT??? The school figured that they could save a few bucks by switching some things around. Once she accepts an assignment from S4T, she can't cancel it. Apparently, that doesn't work both ways. One of her recent assignments was for 6 weeks. The school had just been filling in with daily subs. The kids hadn't learned anything for the first 5 month of the year and most were failing. It took a lot of effort to gain their attention but she got them all back on track. The improvement in grades in such a short time was unbelievable. It's a shame that the number one priority for "the system" is to save money. What's best for the kids is not. In my opinion, substitute teachers should get paid more like $250-$300 per day to offset the fact that you won't be able to work every day, you may have to travel long distances, you may have to get up very early to check the jobs board, you don't get health insurance or benefits, you may be treat disrespectfully by the students, etc., etc. After all, most industries pay a premium rate for people "on call". For example, an on-call plumber will charge 4-5 times the rate of someone who works on staff for a construction company. Hope she gets a full time position soon as her pay is barely enough to cover student loan repayments, car loan and travel expenses.
I am a retired teacher who was sent home from an elementary school in an affluent area where I was subbing in a third grade class because a student (probably the one who was throwing spitballs at her classmates that I asked to sit at a separate table) told the assistant principle at that I pushed her, although I am not sure because I was ambushed by the AP when I went to pick the students up at lunch and asked to come to her office to speak of an "incident" that happened that day. Stupid me- I thought it had to do with the students. She had a legal pad and went through a list of other false accusations. The guidance counselor then escorted me to the class to get my belongings, as if I were a criminal. I was sent home in the middle of the day.I guess that is the reason that most retired teachers stay away from the classroom.
I assume the students disliked me because I was not going to give them a free day of play. Obviously, they knew that their false accusations would "get rid of the sub."
Speaking of horrible things that happen to a substitute... I too am a retired teacher with a Master's Degree in Special Education. I started to sub just a short time ago. I subbed in a 2nd grade class yesterday where the teacher left very poor and short lesson plans. The class was tough and very chatty. Other teachers that I met in the halls said "good luck with that bunch". I worked so hard to get and keep their attention, and actually taught! I could tell that I was getting real teaching done! Coming back from lunch, one of the boys was badly misbehaving walking in the halls. I gave him several reminders on the proper way to walk in the hall, which he promptly ignored. We reached the outside of our classroom. I wanted to make sure that he understood that his bad behavior would NOT be tolerated inside the classroom. I evidently commited the unforgiveable sin of TOUCHING his arm, and removing him from the class line as I reprimanded him. Yes,I was angry at him, and I definitely was being firm. We entered the room as a class, and I conducted another rather successful lesson that the children actually enjoyed. I was curious when a strange woman walked in and began looking around the classroom. I was feeling proud because I was teaching. Imagine my shock what she said to me, "Please get your belongings and follow me now." I did as she said as the class was saying to me "Why are you leaving. We'll miss you." They were all waving and showing that I had done a good job. Anyhow, I followed her to her office. She was the Vice Principal. Some 5th grade girls had reported to her that I had "pulled a boy out of line" and he looked afraid. When she came into the classroom, she asked the boy if he had felt afraid. He said that he did. She then said that teachers should NEVER touch children, especially in anger. She told me that I would be blackballed from the district, reported to the teaching agency that I use, and ESCORTED from the BUILDING by a SECURITY GUARD. I have never felt so knocked down and humiliated. I drove home supressing the tears. That is my LAST DAY as a substitute teacher. The system has become too insane and filled with ridiculuous rules for me. Subbing-- adieu...
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