sub. teaching...

...for what I presume is the last day I will be a participant in the substitute program. The school year for the district ends on Friday, so there are no more opportunities for doing any 'day labor' work until they start back in August. Probably early in the month of Aug., rather than later, now that all the schools are climate controlled, and no one is required to suffer in the blistering sticky heat of late summer.

But... maybe not the end for my intermittent sub. career. I readily admit I have not been diligent, and have failed to actively pursue opportunities to fill in absences by regular classroom teachers. It's not all that often that I actually have a day on my calendar that is not otherwise filled. With working, or other plans for things that are generally much more entertaining. Like traveling or lunch with friends. There is the occasional doctor's appt., that might take priority over work scheduling. But more often it is something far more amusing than putting on the green shirt, black pants and plodding through a day of work.

I have the idea that the person who runs the sub. teacher program is likely shooting herself in the foot when she insists that all the people on the list are required to devote at least twenty days a year to filling as replacements. If she really weeds out all those who have not been available for that length of time, I fully expect she will come up remarkably short for people who might possibly accept those vacancies for the next school year. I've heard (from a marginally reliable source) that the idea of purging the list of qualified substitutes is merely a threat. We'll see what happens when it comes time for us to attend the required meeting in July.

If I don't get an invitation to participate next year, I don't think I will be sad. I've only done eleven days since schools started back in August, so have most definitely not reached the minimum currently required. I'm prepared to let that go, and can  readily justify that decision with the fact that going in the schools as a sub. for the teacher's aide only pays about fifty bucks a day. Theoretically the going rate is $65, but after Uncle Sam takes his bite,  the remainder tends to be around $50 - definitely not worth the time, effort, stress, aggravation, exhaustion of herding cats for seven  hours.