Substituting

    Imagine a job where you can choose when, where and how often you will work. Imagine walking into a completely strange place every day and having to pick up on the people and schedule and find your way around within the first few minutes. That is substituting. I have been subbing in the public schools off and on for the past five months. Mainly it's just to carry me over until a better paying job comes around. It's not a bad way to earn money. You have complete control over your schedule. If you're a student as I am that is helpful. The hours are easy as a full day is just below 8 hours. Not many people though could support a family on $65 a day. My school system uses a temp agency. Here in Indiana if you have 60 college credits and can pass both a criminal records check and a drug test you are good to go.

    The classroom experience varies. My first assignment was a first grade class and I wasn't quite prepared for what it would be like, chaotic. The day couldn't go fast enough. After that I stuck to Middle and High School and for the most part had good experiences. Basically teachers leave work for them to do and I let the students know that if they do the work they are free to talk quietly. It usually works well. Recently I ventured back into the elementary level and found I was enjoying myself.

    Classes, especially in elementary, have their own personalities; there are the calm, studious ones, the loud ones, the chaotic ones and of course the ones with attitude. The last are generally found in the lower high school grades. My favorites are the higher grades especially college track classes. The students are so involved with their work they barely notice subs. While I have not chosen teaching as a career path I have found subbing to be an eye opening experience. I would recommend it to anyone considering teaching as a career as it allows you a peek into the educational system.