22 August 2005

First day of school

For me, Monday is the first day of school. That is, it is the first day of substitute teaching.

I left this morning to find my car has a flat tire. So I took Laura’s car and went to school. I substituted for a sixth grade science class and we saw a 26 minute episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy introducing chemical reactions. Then I filled the rest of the time talking about chemicals and chemical reactions.

Being a substitute teacher is a nice job. It is a very poor paying job. And the pay is generally inconsistent. Substitutes start out every school year with $75/day. Once forty days of work have been completed, the pay jumps to $121/day. That’s just over $20,000/year. Plus, the job has no benefits whatsoever offered to substitute. But, if I could, I wouldn’t mind making a career out of it. I’m able to interact with a variety of different students and the subject matter is often varied enough that it keeps me thinking. However, the day a substitute is in the class is usually the day even the best student will break the rules. Sometimes it can be a challenge to manage the class. As the year rolls on and you visit a school more than a couple of times, children begin to recognize you and a rapport begins.

It’s a nice, poor life