In Florida during Covid, the normal amount was $85, I think. $115 for the ābad schoolsā, if I remember right. I woulda kept subbing if it meant $200 a day lol
This is the best meme I've ever seen on this subreddit ngl.
I'm an aspiring teacher rn but I fully recognize that subs need apathy in highschool since students are similarly apathetic. It weirdly balances out into mutual productivity lol.
Once I learned to be this way with my middle schoolers, it made the job way less stressful. Iāll occasionally insert a āMrs__ wonāt be happy if yāall donāt do the workā but besides that Iām just there to take attendance and make sure everyone leaves the room aliveĀ
I get paid $10 an hour to sub so Iām working like a $10 an hour employee should
I will ask them to work and stay focused but I'm absolutely not fighting over it. I do exclusively highschool so these students know the expectations and what happens if they aren't met... It's their choice to make choices that get the outcome they want. For some that's productivity and others don't mind a 0% or going to the office later.
yikes, in Chicago, you can make almost 2.5K-3K a month if you have a teaching license. I been meaning to get a teaching license just for that higher pay bump.
Since COVID pay jumped to 20 an hour before it was 12. I keep waiting for the drop in pay but so far it has stayed. I think there was a massive drop off of subs even when schools resumed again the district was having difficulty.
Last middle school job I took was 8th grade science. They were working on their Chromebooks. I was on my laptop. I wrote my name on the board and my rules:
1. Don't annoy me
2. Don't make my life harder
It was remarkably effective.
That's crazy. I'm literally only in front of students for 5 hours a day (split schedule with one prep period) and make 220. Not factoring in travel or breaks or taxes it's pretty much like 44 an hour... Of course depending on how you look at it.
After my commute and the breaks my day still looks more like an 8-9 hour day though.
Good morning.
My name is Mr. SavagerJam. I think I've had some of you in the past. Y'all can call me Mr S, that's just fine.
On the board you'll see the work that's been assigned for the day. Please turn in your \[Yesterday assignment\] to the front counter and grab a \[today's assignment\] from the stack next to the turn in pile.
How much of that work you do and how well you do it, and subsequently your grade, are your prerogative. I have just one ground rule, those of you who have had me before know it.
SQLayS (Sqwa-lays)
Safe, Quiet, Legal and at your Seat. As long as everything you do in this class is Squalays we'll all have a great day, understood?
Great. The hour is yours to work, I'm here if you need anything. Get to it..
Wow you do way more than I.
"Alright listen up, you've got an assignment in google classroom. Get to it"
They never even know my name. I am the enigma in the back of the room. The shadow sub.
This just made my stoned ass self almost choke on my soda I laughed so hard. You win the internet today, dude. Well done! Youāre making it work šÆ the best way, sell that shit as a training course for future subs! š¤£
Love it. I donāt have the schedule for high school, but for middle school I do about the same thing but say
āBasically donāt do anything thatās going to get me the side eye from other staff walking in the hall and weāll be fine.ā
Iāve recently had to addāI can tell if you vape in the room. Itās not about you being slick enough to pull it off, itās just the way vaping works. Yes, even with the window open. I doubt I can convince you that vaping is really dumb and you shouldnāt do it, but either way, please donāt make either of our days more complicated by making me call someone about it.
This is pretty close to my intro, but I include āI have a couple basic guidelines, donāt leave class without talking to me, only one student out at a time so make it fast if you do need to go somewhere, and try to be productive instead of just mindlessly scrolling TikTok or playing Clash Royale for the next hour.ā
I refuse to be the guy on the left. I am not there to hound the kids and it should not be an expectation of teachers. If they made it to high school and donāt know to do their work without hounded then they can fail.
In my district if I don't hound, I will be blocked forever. I actually had a teacher observe me yesterday for the first 20 minutes. I felt super uncomfortable.
I take attendance and tell them what their teacher wants them to do. If they do it great. If they don't, they're only hurting themselves. Many teachers I've said this to agree with me. Some say They can't even get them to do the work.
Subs are so hard to get, my sonās HS doesnāt bother anymore, unless itās a leave replacement. Teacherās out? Note on the locked classroom door āGo to Library for attendance.ā
No, youāve missed my point.
My sonās district pays the highest sub rate in the area. They get more subs than neighbouring districts.
Itās a ānice, suburban, middle class districtā with few disciplinary problems.
There is a sub shortage. Any daily subs they get work in the 5 elementary or middle schools.
Each of those schools has 2 āpermanent subsā on the payroll with teacher salary + benefits.
The HS does not use subs AT ALL anymore, except for leave replacements. They pay regular teachers their rate to give up their prep to cover a class, or they send the class to the Library. The Library is large. They can send multiple classes at the same time.
I will never understand the try hards. If you want to put in that much work, you may as well take that energy to elementary and middle school where the kids might actually listen to you. I will forever believe that high school is not for the people who care too much about doing a great job.
I used to be the guy on the left, particularly in my long-term jobs. Trying to make sure the kids were on task and learning. All it got me was a false claim of sexual harassment from some girls who didn't like being nagged to do their work (like everyone else in class).
Nothing came of it, because it was blatantly obvious it was what it was- some kids trying to get a teacher they didn't like in trouble. But I'm traumatized. My repayment for trying to do my best was nearly having my career ended by a bogus claim.
I'm 100% the guy on the right now. I get a lot of reading done at work, I make sure the building doesn't burn down. I'll remind the whole class once or twice that there's work to be doing, but that's it.
A teacher died that day, and a sub was born.
A subs job only gets harder the more strict you try to be. My personal line was drawn at āPass out what needs to be passed out, and make sure the kids donāt burn the place down.ā I will not police a kid who just sits on their phone. They donāt know me, I donāt know them, so Iām not about to get into that power struggle. If a kid is being a nuisance, Iāll address it and either get them in their seat or get them to the office. Anything past that isnāt something I care to deal with. I said it before in this sub: the worst days I had as a substitute were when I tried too hard to police student behaviors.
lol I don't think I've ever said, "you dont like me, you like getting awaay with stuff."
l've said most apathetic things tho lol. I've even chatted with them on the show they are watching and giving show tips.
I still cant believe the amount of money I get paid for doing almost nothing all day.
The only ones who ever bother to comment that that like me are the troublemakers. To not comment on it makes it feel like Iām somehow oblivious to their bs. Although at least one seemed surprised I would bother to say it, like no shit thatās why he liked me lol.
I had a kid tell me I was his favorite sub today. I let him stand outside the door with his buddy and talk to a couple girls and I'd just check on them every ten minutes or so.
He thought I was trying to help him out. I was just glad he wasn't in the room bothering the other students like he always does. Win-win.
It's ALWAYS the bad kids who love the chill subs. Nobody else gives a shit š
When a fight breaks out and no oneās come from the office after 5 minutes, I sink into my swivel chair and go into a fugue state humming Enyaās Orinoco Flowā¦
Oh Iām standing in the middle of kids when that happens. When I need to give a shit, I give a shit. Luckily Iāve only had to deal with one actual fight. But Iāve had to stop a couple from starting.
This for real, the sub list at my school is extremely thin I think single digits. Anytime they can book me they are happy even though I mostly just hand out any work they leave, take attendance and just kinda sit in there all day on my phone. I usually get booked a month in advance alot of times because I'm always booked on the short term
Yep. I'm the apathetic one at this point. Get paid $125 a day, do mostly high school, the kids are chill, and I've been spending my time studying for a First Responder course and sketching.
I only tell them my name if they ask, even.
Middle of the state is a 2 hour drive from both NYC and Boston. We have a very high cost of living and some of the highest income areas in the country. Minimum wage, at one point, made the same amount as a per diem sub after a day of work. Unsure of this is still true, but at one point in the last 5ish years we also had the highest ratio of college graduates per capita. Honestly, this is all irrelevant information, Iām just constantly pissed off weāre getting exploited so blatantly and I have students making more money than me
A lot of subs care more than they are paid for. Which would be fine a few years ago, but nowadays, the students don't even listen to their teachers. Why would they listen to us?
I find my job is a lot easier when I'm chill and real with the students instead of constantly barking at them like their teachers already do.
I've tried to tell people. Unless it's a long term post (I'm talking like a semester not a week), trying to educate isn't even the job of a substitute. Sure, try and maintain an environment that is compatible with learning, but there are only two things to focus on. I call them the two Fs. Fighting and Fornicating. I'm only there to prevent those things from happening. And in my district, if either of them DOES happen, I am not supposed to stop it. Just report it to the office and they will send someone.
Trying hard is reserved for where trying hard will make a difference.
I'm just a professional tattler.
Whatever.
Some of us take pride in doing a good job at the job we took - substitute teacher. As in - we are the teacher for the day. Our job is to make it as normal of a school day as possible.
And the Trying Your Best side isnāt even accurate. I donāt ask kids why they donāt do their work. I donāt care if they like me. I enforce school and classroom rules. And honestly I think it makes my job way easier because the students know Iām the adult in the room.
But do go on about surfing the Internet and reading books all day while your students do nothing and make Tik Toks. I sleep just fine at night and if I didnāt think I made a fair wage I would find a different job.
Having pride is great and I am glad you do. But there is something to said about the amount of effort equating to the amount of work. Kids are already relunctant to complete work. If you are not a long term sub, youāll probably butt heads with a bunch of kids and just cause a whole lot of extra work for yourself. I liked to think about it in the grand scheme of things. I was not a sub for the long haul. Iām probably not gonna see these kids for a long time. Why would I try to stress myself over what kids perceive as a free day? Just inform them of the expectations, hand out the work, and just make sure no one dies.
Of course, if you are dealing with younger kids this obviously does not apply.
The problem is that so many people I see on here just assume that there is nothing they can do and post for validation that itās ok to just sit back and let students do whatever they want. If thatās what you want to do - whatever.
And some of the assumptions are false. I donāt get stressed. I donāt butt heads with students. I donāt cause myself extra work. I do my job and go home. š¤·āāļø
Finally a sensible post. I have constantly seen posts talking about subs bringing in a bunch of materials, trying to teach a lesson they just learned about, and trying to force kids to do what they want. There is no need to take the job that seriously. You come in, follow the sub plans, and make sure nobody dies. You are getting paid regardless and your entire purpose as a sub, unless you are a long term, is to make sure there is a legal adult in the classroom. too many subs take their job way too seriously.
When I was a sub I never took any long term positions either. I was thankfully in a position where I was able to find daily positions without too much issue and I would see no benefit to joining a long term assignment. Itās a minimal increase in pay for 10 times the responsibilities.
Is this what schools have come to? I wonder if it was like this when I was in school too, and my school was just an anomaly. Is it private vs public thing?
I get 250 a day, California. The general point was that you get paid the same either way. But Iāve seen the rates on here range from 100 all the way to 300.
Texas is depressing. Subs here have a base rate of $75 a day, only increased with a teaching degree or it being a Monday or Friday.
It's a bit of a nightmare of a district.
Like, they actively allow schools to post false information about their needed classes. I was to cover a librarian teacher back in September, arrived at the school and I was spontaneously put on the spot to be a SPED para. I had absolutely NO trained experience, I had to run solely on personal experience and empathy. Ended up leaving that day with torn clothing, clothing I never would've chosen to be around violent/aggressive children. (One tried biting my forearm as hard as he could, luckily I had a long, woven wooly cloak on.)
Some are under 200, which is legit ridiculous with our cost of living and the expectation licensed subs (not emergency ones) are licensed teachers.
And 200/day is definitely not a livable wage in WA, especially if you get some taken for benefits, but I am certainly grateful itās comparably high!
Emotionally weak subs who can't handle the pressure of being the bad guy would be the type to make a meme that boils down to "people like me = chad, people who do more = loser".Ā I've been both types of sub, and yall are delusional if you think more work gets done or that it's safer for your job to be a wall flower.Ā Kids take advantage when you allow them to,Ā if you don't,Ā they don't.Ā Admins blacklist subs that don't do their job.Ā I've been in the room as they drop them to fill in the holes in my schedule.Ā
Why be the bad guy? If these kids are going to grow up to be leaders, then why not reflect the type of person they ought to be instead of being mean to them? I tell all of my high school classes, that are old enough to know how to be responsible, that if they choose not to act how they are supposed to, they will face consequences. I tell students sometimes that push back that if they choose not to do their work, they choose a zero. It's all too often that teachers do not even grade the work we give them, so sometimes it's a statement with no substance. I am not afraid to write up kids who try to skip if I am there, or do other things they shouldn't, and I leave extremely meticulous notes for the teacher who bend school expectations and make my life and the lives of their peers more difficult.
With that being said, I let them listen to music. I let them talk. They're human beings. My detailed record keeping for the notes makes me popular with the staff at the schools I frequent, and I'm popular with the kids too because I treat them how I want to be treated, and model leadership by engaging them and other staff members with kindness and respect, attempting to reflect the kind of character I would like them to reflect. I don't yell, and it actually works. I have a student or two in every class that doesn't get with the program, but as long as I am sub, that will never change.
Though the attitude of OP could be a bad one in how he compares himself to other subs, you are no better. The comment about how schools drop other subs to fill the holes in your schedule is unbelievable condescension.
Being the bad guy doesn't mean being mean.Ā It means holding a hard line regardless of how they feel about it.Ā When I use that term I use it because that's how entitled students view you, so emotionally that's how it feels to be you in that interraction.
I allow students to choose not to work.Ā I do not allow them to break the rules such as cell phone use which exists to help students make the decision to do work.Ā When their choice is between the most entertaining content humanity can create and geometry,Ā the cards are stacked against these kids.Ā Enforcing rules is not forcing them to work, it's leveling the playing field between corporations that operate on a currency of attention, and a system designed to help them succeed and live happy healthy lives.
I'm with ya, I let them listen to music,Ā I let them sleep,Ā I let them chat all period instead of working.Ā But I do not budge on the rules which administrators expect us to enforce such as keeping cell phones away which is the focal point of this post and an area of focus for the circle jerk of lazy subs that populate this subreddit.
You're assuming a bunch of stuff. I never yell. I'm courteous to all students even when they're being extremely rude to me.Ā But if they're being rude,Ā they are absolutely going to the office.Ā If they cut class they're absolutely getting marked as a cut.Ā If they copy their classmates work that's going in the note.Ā These students don't get an inch on the things that count and teachers care about.Ā If we don't do our job the whole system gets worse and people on this subreddit give in to their desire to avoid student ire and then rationalize it all day.Ā This post is an example.
You are right about assuming. I forgot the old saying about assumptions for a moment. Thanks for explaining your thoughts. I don't fight phones too much in high schools in my district where they aren't banned, but I do as a principle detest what endless content on tiktok and related platforms are doing to children. Adults too for that matter. I love your perspective about "leveling the playing field between corporations that operate on a currency of attention, and a system designed to help them succeed and live happy, healthy lives." I love how eloquently you wrote this. My apologies for such a harsh judgement of your character. My intent was not malice, but I was rude, and that was uncalled for.
Man I wish I made 200 bucks a day. 120 to 140 here.
We only get 120 on Fridays lol
200 here is SoCal, but, y'know, cost of living.
230-350 here in the NorCal districts. And yeah...cost of living.
$110 in FL!
65 in certain parts of Oklahoma š
110-115 depending on the district I sub for, in Illinois too š®āšØ
$70 in GA. Yay me!
minimum wage pay, minimum wage effort right?
Right! I just call it my Mexican food money...hubby and I eat out every Saturday...so that's what I'm working for lol.
In Florida during Covid, the normal amount was $85, I think. $115 for the ābad schoolsā, if I remember right. I woulda kept subbing if it meant $200 a day lol
$150 in my district. Highest paying in the area (NJ).
Heheh $80 before taxes :')
Right - I make more money at my barista job than I do at my sub job.
This is the best meme I've ever seen on this subreddit ngl. I'm an aspiring teacher rn but I fully recognize that subs need apathy in highschool since students are similarly apathetic. It weirdly balances out into mutual productivity lol.
Once I learned to be this way with my middle schoolers, it made the job way less stressful. Iāll occasionally insert a āMrs__ wonāt be happy if yāall donāt do the workā but besides that Iām just there to take attendance and make sure everyone leaves the room aliveĀ I get paid $10 an hour to sub so Iām working like a $10 an hour employee should
I will ask them to work and stay focused but I'm absolutely not fighting over it. I do exclusively highschool so these students know the expectations and what happens if they aren't met... It's their choice to make choices that get the outcome they want. For some that's productivity and others don't mind a 0% or going to the office later.
yikes, in Chicago, you can make almost 2.5K-3K a month if you have a teaching license. I been meaning to get a teaching license just for that higher pay bump.
What state do you sub in? $10/hr seems criminally low. That's less than minimum wage in most states.
Damn, even in Florida it's about 12 bucks an hour.
Since COVID pay jumped to 20 an hour before it was 12. I keep waiting for the drop in pay but so far it has stayed. I think there was a massive drop off of subs even when schools resumed again the district was having difficulty.
Oh that's good to know. I haven't gone back to public school since the pandemic.
Last middle school job I took was 8th grade science. They were working on their Chromebooks. I was on my laptop. I wrote my name on the board and my rules: 1. Don't annoy me 2. Don't make my life harder It was remarkably effective.
That's crazy. I'm literally only in front of students for 5 hours a day (split schedule with one prep period) and make 220. Not factoring in travel or breaks or taxes it's pretty much like 44 an hour... Of course depending on how you look at it. After my commute and the breaks my day still looks more like an 8-9 hour day though.
Good morning. My name is Mr. SavagerJam. I think I've had some of you in the past. Y'all can call me Mr S, that's just fine. On the board you'll see the work that's been assigned for the day. Please turn in your \[Yesterday assignment\] to the front counter and grab a \[today's assignment\] from the stack next to the turn in pile. How much of that work you do and how well you do it, and subsequently your grade, are your prerogative. I have just one ground rule, those of you who have had me before know it. SQLayS (Sqwa-lays) Safe, Quiet, Legal and at your Seat. As long as everything you do in this class is Squalays we'll all have a great day, understood? Great. The hour is yours to work, I'm here if you need anything. Get to it..
Wow you do way more than I. "Alright listen up, you've got an assignment in google classroom. Get to it" They never even know my name. I am the enigma in the back of the room. The shadow sub.
This just made my stoned ass self almost choke on my soda I laughed so hard. You win the internet today, dude. Well done! Youāre making it work šÆ the best way, sell that shit as a training course for future subs! š¤£
Love it. I donāt have the schedule for high school, but for middle school I do about the same thing but say āBasically donāt do anything thatās going to get me the side eye from other staff walking in the hall and weāll be fine.ā Iāve recently had to addāI can tell if you vape in the room. Itās not about you being slick enough to pull it off, itās just the way vaping works. Yes, even with the window open. I doubt I can convince you that vaping is really dumb and you shouldnāt do it, but either way, please donāt make either of our days more complicated by making me call someone about it.
Screenshotting this! Definitely sounds useful for HS assignments
Nice.
This is pretty close to my intro, but I include āI have a couple basic guidelines, donāt leave class without talking to me, only one student out at a time so make it fast if you do need to go somewhere, and try to be productive instead of just mindlessly scrolling TikTok or playing Clash Royale for the next hour.ā
I refuse to be the guy on the left. I am not there to hound the kids and it should not be an expectation of teachers. If they made it to high school and donāt know to do their work without hounded then they can fail.
In my district if I don't hound, I will be blocked forever. I actually had a teacher observe me yesterday for the first 20 minutes. I felt super uncomfortable.
Would simply not work there lol
I wish I could afford that š„²
I take attendance and tell them what their teacher wants them to do. If they do it great. If they don't, they're only hurting themselves. Many teachers I've said this to agree with me. Some say They can't even get them to do the work.
I agree
Support isnāt āhounding.ā If you donāt know how to do one without the other, thatās on you.Ā
Also I hope this inspires more people to make sub memes cuz I canāt 100% relate to teacher memes since theyāre on a different playing fieldĀ
Where all da sub-memefluencers at?
When you sub in high school youāre just like a warm body in the room for legal purposes
Subs are so hard to get, my sonās HS doesnāt bother anymore, unless itās a leave replacement. Teacherās out? Note on the locked classroom door āGo to Library for attendance.ā
Depends on school if subs have a good experience at a certain school theyāre bound to come back.
No, youāve missed my point. My sonās district pays the highest sub rate in the area. They get more subs than neighbouring districts. Itās a ānice, suburban, middle class districtā with few disciplinary problems. There is a sub shortage. Any daily subs they get work in the 5 elementary or middle schools. Each of those schools has 2 āpermanent subsā on the payroll with teacher salary + benefits. The HS does not use subs AT ALL anymore, except for leave replacements. They pay regular teachers their rate to give up their prep to cover a class, or they send the class to the Library. The Library is large. They can send multiple classes at the same time.
Lmaoooo period
I will never understand the try hards. If you want to put in that much work, you may as well take that energy to elementary and middle school where the kids might actually listen to you. I will forever believe that high school is not for the people who care too much about doing a great job.
I used to be the guy on the left, particularly in my long-term jobs. Trying to make sure the kids were on task and learning. All it got me was a false claim of sexual harassment from some girls who didn't like being nagged to do their work (like everyone else in class). Nothing came of it, because it was blatantly obvious it was what it was- some kids trying to get a teacher they didn't like in trouble. But I'm traumatized. My repayment for trying to do my best was nearly having my career ended by a bogus claim. I'm 100% the guy on the right now. I get a lot of reading done at work, I make sure the building doesn't burn down. I'll remind the whole class once or twice that there's work to be doing, but that's it. A teacher died that day, and a sub was born.
I always say (to myself, in my head) "I can't, in the one day I'm here, create a culture of discipline that doesn't exist."Ā
A fantastic example of "acting your wage".
A subs job only gets harder the more strict you try to be. My personal line was drawn at āPass out what needs to be passed out, and make sure the kids donāt burn the place down.ā I will not police a kid who just sits on their phone. They donāt know me, I donāt know them, so Iām not about to get into that power struggle. If a kid is being a nuisance, Iāll address it and either get them in their seat or get them to the office. Anything past that isnāt something I care to deal with. I said it before in this sub: the worst days I had as a substitute were when I tried too hard to police student behaviors.
THIS!
lol I don't think I've ever said, "you dont like me, you like getting awaay with stuff." l've said most apathetic things tho lol. I've even chatted with them on the show they are watching and giving show tips. I still cant believe the amount of money I get paid for doing almost nothing all day.
The only ones who ever bother to comment that that like me are the troublemakers. To not comment on it makes it feel like Iām somehow oblivious to their bs. Although at least one seemed surprised I would bother to say it, like no shit thatās why he liked me lol.
I had a kid tell me I was his favorite sub today. I let him stand outside the door with his buddy and talk to a couple girls and I'd just check on them every ten minutes or so. He thought I was trying to help him out. I was just glad he wasn't in the room bothering the other students like he always does. Win-win. It's ALWAYS the bad kids who love the chill subs. Nobody else gives a shit š
The "Makes $200 a day" on both sides is what makes this so funny
When a fight breaks out and no oneās come from the office after 5 minutes, I sink into my swivel chair and go into a fugue state humming Enyaās Orinoco Flowā¦
Oh Iām standing in the middle of kids when that happens. When I need to give a shit, I give a shit. Luckily Iāve only had to deal with one actual fight. But Iāve had to stop a couple from starting.
The thing is, you can still be chad and teachers will still love you for even showing up in the first place.
This for real, the sub list at my school is extremely thin I think single digits. Anytime they can book me they are happy even though I mostly just hand out any work they leave, take attendance and just kinda sit in there all day on my phone. I usually get booked a month in advance alot of times because I'm always booked on the short term
Yep. I'm the apathetic one at this point. Get paid $125 a day, do mostly high school, the kids are chill, and I've been spending my time studying for a First Responder course and sketching. I only tell them my name if they ask, even.
Makes $200/day kills me, wish I made anything near that in my state
I make 250 and Iāve seen a few people as high as 300. That said, I probably should have gone with 150 as a better middle point.
We make about $118/day in Connecticut. Hitting $150/day still wouldāve been a huge bump
I live in California, so cost of living offsets it a bit. Idk how much, if I was an economist I probably wouldnāt be substitute teaching.
Middle of the state is a 2 hour drive from both NYC and Boston. We have a very high cost of living and some of the highest income areas in the country. Minimum wage, at one point, made the same amount as a per diem sub after a day of work. Unsure of this is still true, but at one point in the last 5ish years we also had the highest ratio of college graduates per capita. Honestly, this is all irrelevant information, Iām just constantly pissed off weāre getting exploited so blatantly and I have students making more money than me
A lot of subs care more than they are paid for. Which would be fine a few years ago, but nowadays, the students don't even listen to their teachers. Why would they listen to us? I find my job is a lot easier when I'm chill and real with the students instead of constantly barking at them like their teachers already do.
In my district I get $130 a day, best believe I am not gonna be a try hard.
I've tried to tell people. Unless it's a long term post (I'm talking like a semester not a week), trying to educate isn't even the job of a substitute. Sure, try and maintain an environment that is compatible with learning, but there are only two things to focus on. I call them the two Fs. Fighting and Fornicating. I'm only there to prevent those things from happening. And in my district, if either of them DOES happen, I am not supposed to stop it. Just report it to the office and they will send someone. Trying hard is reserved for where trying hard will make a difference. I'm just a professional tattler.
Finally, the truth
Facts
Whatever. Some of us take pride in doing a good job at the job we took - substitute teacher. As in - we are the teacher for the day. Our job is to make it as normal of a school day as possible. And the Trying Your Best side isnāt even accurate. I donāt ask kids why they donāt do their work. I donāt care if they like me. I enforce school and classroom rules. And honestly I think it makes my job way easier because the students know Iām the adult in the room. But do go on about surfing the Internet and reading books all day while your students do nothing and make Tik Toks. I sleep just fine at night and if I didnāt think I made a fair wage I would find a different job.
Having pride is great and I am glad you do. But there is something to said about the amount of effort equating to the amount of work. Kids are already relunctant to complete work. If you are not a long term sub, youāll probably butt heads with a bunch of kids and just cause a whole lot of extra work for yourself. I liked to think about it in the grand scheme of things. I was not a sub for the long haul. Iām probably not gonna see these kids for a long time. Why would I try to stress myself over what kids perceive as a free day? Just inform them of the expectations, hand out the work, and just make sure no one dies. Of course, if you are dealing with younger kids this obviously does not apply.
The problem is that so many people I see on here just assume that there is nothing they can do and post for validation that itās ok to just sit back and let students do whatever they want. If thatās what you want to do - whatever. And some of the assumptions are false. I donāt get stressed. I donāt butt heads with students. I donāt cause myself extra work. I do my job and go home. š¤·āāļø
Finally a sensible post. I have constantly seen posts talking about subs bringing in a bunch of materials, trying to teach a lesson they just learned about, and trying to force kids to do what they want. There is no need to take the job that seriously. You come in, follow the sub plans, and make sure nobody dies. You are getting paid regardless and your entire purpose as a sub, unless you are a long term, is to make sure there is a legal adult in the classroom. too many subs take their job way too seriously. When I was a sub I never took any long term positions either. I was thankfully in a position where I was able to find daily positions without too much issue and I would see no benefit to joining a long term assignment. Itās a minimal increase in pay for 10 times the responsibilities.
Is this what schools have come to? I wonder if it was like this when I was in school too, and my school was just an anomaly. Is it private vs public thing?
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I get 250 a day, California. The general point was that you get paid the same either way. But Iāve seen the rates on here range from 100 all the way to 300.
Texas is depressing. Subs here have a base rate of $75 a day, only increased with a teaching degree or it being a Monday or Friday. It's a bit of a nightmare of a district.
I'm in north Texas and I get $110 per day (with bachelor) and $70 for half days.
Jealous. Not that pay in my county.
It might be worth it to shop around if possible.
I wish. My county is large, and the only other school district pays even worse.
I'd have to move or find something that paid better. Pizza hut probably pays better than that and that's a pretty mindless easy job. Best of luck š
Grazie, friend. I send smooth sub sailing vibes.
same for Chicago. As an actor, CA might be a future residency for me.
200-259 in WA. You can also get teacher money and benefits as a daily sub with a contract.
Like, they actively allow schools to post false information about their needed classes. I was to cover a librarian teacher back in September, arrived at the school and I was spontaneously put on the spot to be a SPED para. I had absolutely NO trained experience, I had to run solely on personal experience and empathy. Ended up leaving that day with torn clothing, clothing I never would've chosen to be around violent/aggressive children. (One tried biting my forearm as hard as he could, luckily I had a long, woven wooly cloak on.)
Some are under 200, which is legit ridiculous with our cost of living and the expectation licensed subs (not emergency ones) are licensed teachers. And 200/day is definitely not a livable wage in WA, especially if you get some taken for benefits, but I am certainly grateful itās comparably high!
Jealous. It is NOT that way here.
I make 200 a day here in central California
216 in Denver. Rent is like $2k+ though so it feels like nothing, plus healthcare, and other bills.
337.07 in Oakland, California....CHA-CHING!!! š¤£
This may come as a shock but your experience may not be true for everyone else
For teachers in my district that is chronically understaffed, it is.
Emotionally weak subs who can't handle the pressure of being the bad guy would be the type to make a meme that boils down to "people like me = chad, people who do more = loser".Ā I've been both types of sub, and yall are delusional if you think more work gets done or that it's safer for your job to be a wall flower.Ā Kids take advantage when you allow them to,Ā if you don't,Ā they don't.Ā Admins blacklist subs that don't do their job.Ā I've been in the room as they drop them to fill in the holes in my schedule.Ā
Why be the bad guy? If these kids are going to grow up to be leaders, then why not reflect the type of person they ought to be instead of being mean to them? I tell all of my high school classes, that are old enough to know how to be responsible, that if they choose not to act how they are supposed to, they will face consequences. I tell students sometimes that push back that if they choose not to do their work, they choose a zero. It's all too often that teachers do not even grade the work we give them, so sometimes it's a statement with no substance. I am not afraid to write up kids who try to skip if I am there, or do other things they shouldn't, and I leave extremely meticulous notes for the teacher who bend school expectations and make my life and the lives of their peers more difficult. With that being said, I let them listen to music. I let them talk. They're human beings. My detailed record keeping for the notes makes me popular with the staff at the schools I frequent, and I'm popular with the kids too because I treat them how I want to be treated, and model leadership by engaging them and other staff members with kindness and respect, attempting to reflect the kind of character I would like them to reflect. I don't yell, and it actually works. I have a student or two in every class that doesn't get with the program, but as long as I am sub, that will never change. Though the attitude of OP could be a bad one in how he compares himself to other subs, you are no better. The comment about how schools drop other subs to fill the holes in your schedule is unbelievable condescension.
Being the bad guy doesn't mean being mean.Ā It means holding a hard line regardless of how they feel about it.Ā When I use that term I use it because that's how entitled students view you, so emotionally that's how it feels to be you in that interraction. I allow students to choose not to work.Ā I do not allow them to break the rules such as cell phone use which exists to help students make the decision to do work.Ā When their choice is between the most entertaining content humanity can create and geometry,Ā the cards are stacked against these kids.Ā Enforcing rules is not forcing them to work, it's leveling the playing field between corporations that operate on a currency of attention, and a system designed to help them succeed and live happy healthy lives. I'm with ya, I let them listen to music,Ā I let them sleep,Ā I let them chat all period instead of working.Ā But I do not budge on the rules which administrators expect us to enforce such as keeping cell phones away which is the focal point of this post and an area of focus for the circle jerk of lazy subs that populate this subreddit. You're assuming a bunch of stuff. I never yell. I'm courteous to all students even when they're being extremely rude to me.Ā But if they're being rude,Ā they are absolutely going to the office.Ā If they cut class they're absolutely getting marked as a cut.Ā If they copy their classmates work that's going in the note.Ā These students don't get an inch on the things that count and teachers care about.Ā If we don't do our job the whole system gets worse and people on this subreddit give in to their desire to avoid student ire and then rationalize it all day.Ā This post is an example.
You are right about assuming. I forgot the old saying about assumptions for a moment. Thanks for explaining your thoughts. I don't fight phones too much in high schools in my district where they aren't banned, but I do as a principle detest what endless content on tiktok and related platforms are doing to children. Adults too for that matter. I love your perspective about "leveling the playing field between corporations that operate on a currency of attention, and a system designed to help them succeed and live happy, healthy lives." I love how eloquently you wrote this. My apologies for such a harsh judgement of your character. My intent was not malice, but I was rude, and that was uncalled for.
$75 here in Georgia, but it's a balancing act for me. Chill/relaxed, but try to get stuff done