Subbing

I subbed today. One of our teachers is out with a cold-turned-sinus infection-turned something nasty. He *almost* came in but with enough prodding was convinced to stay home and visit the doctor instead.


I felt for him, man. There is nothing worse than having to come in to work when you feel miserable. My first year as a teacher ran my immune system up and down. My second year (last year) was just as bad because I was getting used to new germs and kids and habits. My body hated me and at one point last winter just shut down and refused to go into work. I had a nasty cold(ish) that just refused to go anywhere. I had tremendous sinus pressure and my nose was completely stuffed and I was absolutely miserable, but the stupid cold just wouldn't drain (TMI). It was a Sunday night and I called my boss almost in tears because my head killed and no matter what sort of OTC drugs I pumped into myself the stupid cold wouldn't go away, or even give me a few munutes of relief. I really felt for the teacher I subbed for. He hates to miss work and he really needed to be convinced to stay home.


I don't *like* missing work, I really don't. It almost ends up being as big a pain as it is to come in sick. I took a mental health day a few months ago because I was just physically exhausted. I felt okay, but mentally and physically I was drained. The winter took a lot out of me, and one morning I just....couldn't. I felt better when I returned on Monday (I took a long weekend), but I was still so behind when I came back. Missing a day or two really throws your groove out of whack. A good sub can help, but sometimes you still feel like there wasn't a sub at all.


Admittedly I'm not the most organized teacher. I have various piles of papers and handouts in a few corners of my room, and heaven help me if I can find a pen or pencil when I need one. That's a problem when I need a sub. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't called in, called for a sub, and was lying sick in bed when the phone rang at 5 minutes before my first class with the sub begging me to tell him/her where I kept my stapler. I help out, I created obsessively detailed sub plans. I do mean obsessive. I've got a seating chart for each class, 3 pages worth of notes for "What ifs" and "Just in cases". I've got extra lesson plans in case I happen to be gone on a day when a project is due or a class is supposed to start a lesson. I've got a draft of an email ready to go so I can send it when I need to. The draft says, "Disregard the plans left for __________ class. Instead, they are to continue working on [fill in the blank] project with (or without) their partner." I've got bathroom passes tucked in there, and an extra lab sign out sheet with a post-it note attached that asks a sub to hang it outside the room and tear down the old sheet if I happen to be absent on a Monday (the day the sheet's supposed to be hung up. I've even got an extra "Word of the Week" to be hung up if I'm absent on Monday. For someone as disorganized as me, that's crazy organized in case of an absence.


Each year at the start of cold and flu season, the experts pop on our morning shows and tell us to "Stay HOME" if we're sick, even if we've got a cold. I'm sorry, but in what universe is a cold an acceptable excuse to stay home? It takes at least a week or two to get over a cold. Who can take 2 weeks off school? Heck, if I did that I'd blow through my sick days for the year! So no, teachers can't just stay home when they're sick (this makes me wonder how stay-at-home-moms do it. You ARE home sick. Can you go to a spa for a week instead?). If a teacher is unfortunate enough to have a bad class, staying home till a cold blows over could mean returning to chaos. I sometimes wonder how teachers in BD classrooms fare. Who subs for them? Is it even worth it to get a sub in that situation? It can be dangerous to come into a classroom where kids act out and become extremely aggressive over small things and resort to physical violence. I defintely count my blessings that BD education wasn't my calling. I'd probably have quit by now if it was. I give those men and women a TON of respect for being able to do what they do.


Sometimes coming in to work when I'm sick is hell on wheels. It takes three times as long to process questions and understand what I'm supposed to be doing. It takes all the remaining strength I've got to stay awake and focused and on. I think having to stay on is the worst part of being sick and at work. When I feel like crap I just want to stay home in bed, drink soup, watch Maury tell some deadbeats they ARE the father, and nap on and off. I can't fault the kids when they come in and loudly announce "GOOD MOOOOOOOOOOOOOORNING!" It's not their fault I'm sick and exhausted. They're just being kids. They don't understand that the louder they are, the crankier I get. They just want to say good morning and tell me that Sophie won't be their friend anymore. They don't *get* it, and that's okay. I actually get angrier with myself for being short with them than I get with them for being normal. Kids are self-absorbed. It's natural. They just don't think outside their little boxes. "Wait...you mean my teacher is a person too? With feelings? Now that's just crazy talk!"


Sometimes a sub can make or break your first day back. I've had good subs and bad subs and those bad subs can make your first day "better" just as bad as your last "bad" day. Subs who for whatever unknown reason don't follow lesson plans, collect homework, or just follow the basic plan of attack for a day basically make that day a wasted day. It makes the homework assigned irrelevant. It makes for an interesting first day back.


Ultimately, whenever I sub, I try to be the sub I would want. I take details notes on each class and follow the instructions to the letter. I write down what I did and if I gave points or demerits to kids. It might be a little obsessive, but I know that those are the kinds of notes I would appreciate if I were out sick. It's incredibly helpful to come back and know without a doubt what happened while you were gone. It's a huge PITA to come back and not know what happened and have to hear from your students what went down. It's a terrible inconvienience. A sub who doesn't do a decent job can be blackballed, and speaking from my side of that fence it's nothing personal but think about it....would you want someone sub par to fill in for you and ultimately leave more work for you to come back to? Would you want to deal with all that stuff when you come back? No one does! It's funny....teachers are some of the only people who can't take off without a backup plan and someone to cover their shifts.

Hopefully, I won't need a sub for the remaining days in the school year. There's a possibility for one, but hopefully it'll work itself out.

I can't believe I have just a few more days of work left. Crazy.