Thursday, October 10, 2019

Another Unexpected Day


It was Thursday. I was expecting to cover a math class. When I checked in for the day, the secretary handed me the folder for an English class.

Again?

It happens from time to time. I was told I was covering one class only to show up to a different assignment. Sometimes the teacher cancels. Sometimes they need to shift subs to fill the classes. And I don't generally mind.

But it's happened four times in the last couple weeks. That's a lot.

Not that I'm complaining anywhere but here. Because the other option is for me to show up only to have my assignment disappear. (That doesn't happen as often as it did when I started out subbing.)

And sometimes it actually works out better.

On Monday I though I was covering a co-teacher who travels. (Doable, but on my gimpy ankle, not ideal.) I was switched to a very nice seventh grade science class.

On Thursday, the English class I got switched into... Well, the teacher took two of her classes with her on some field trip or other. So, instead of covering a full day, I only had three classes to sub. And I still got paid for the full day.

So, not complaining. Nope. Not at all.

21 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Not at all. Fingers crossed that all switches end up as nice.

      Delete
  2. I always liked it when the Maths teacher is absent...... so it will be an English class :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. You win some and...at least you won some when you really needed to.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's great that you got paid for the entire day! When I first moved to Alabama, I looked into substitute teaching. I only had most of a Bachelor's in English and History, and wanted something where I could be on the same schedule at my then-school-aged kids. I think I applied, but never pursued it past that. I was surprised to learn of all the opportunities there were for subbing in the county district, though. I thought it would be a day a week or so, but apparently you can almost make a full-time gig out of it.

    Kim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can work just a couple days a week, sure. I know some subs who do. But I pretty much work every day. Last year, out of 180 school days, I worked 163 of them. Or so. My year end stats post has the exact figure.

      Delete
  5. Getting paid for doing less, the American Dream.

    ReplyDelete
  6. How strange. Is it just one hand not knowing what the other one is up to? Or are the records wrong in the computer? I would want to get to the bottom of the mix up. Especially if it's happening regularly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are a few possibilities:
      1. The teacher I was supposed to cover cancelled the absence, and I was placed in the next class where the teacher called out.
      2. They moved another sub for reasons, and that displaced me.
      3. They're short a sub, and moving me makes it easier to cover everyone else.
      4. Teacher was out the previous day so they're keeping previous day's sub there.

      And those are just the ones off the top of my head. Today I got moved because the teacher requested a different sub. If I ask, I will get an explanation. Most of the time, it's not really that big a deal (and I have told them a few times that I don't mind being moved). It's just strange that it's happening a lot.

      Delete
  7. Getting paid for a full day with half the work is a good thing indeed.

    Betty

    ReplyDelete
  8. So are you considered a full time sub? In that you show up and get work, of some kind? When my daughter subbed before getting a permanent assignment she would receive a phone call at home for a specific class or number of days? But, I also remember her high school (not public school), had a permanent sub so she might sub throughout the day for several different teachers who might use the period to grade papers or attend a meeting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My first year subbing I was with a district that had a "building sub" that worked every day at a site, getting the first assignment available. My current district doesn't do that. I have to be called. But I'm pretty much called every day.

      Delete
  9. That is a nice switch and to be paid for full time...wonderful

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It happens. The good days rarely make the blog.

      Delete
  10. Bet you would still prefer the vagaries of subbing then the prep and grading etc of a longer contract.

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comments.

I respond to comments* via email, unless your profile email is not enabled. Then, I'll reply in the comment thread. Eventually. Probably.

*Exception: I do not respond to "what if?" comments, but I do read them all. Those questions are open to your interpretation, and I don't wish to limit your imagination by what I thought the question was supposed to be.