Enter the Substitute

Photo Credit - George Hoden - Public Domain Pictures

I’ve added a new hat to my wardrobe of life experience, I became a substitute teacher this week. I think that this will be a workable solution to help me make ends meet and still allow me to moderate my energy levels so that I don’t end up with a flare up or an illness. Being on disability makes it very difficult to survive. Some people think that we just sit back and let the money roll in while we do nothing to earn it, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The fact of the matter is that living on disability alone a person, most likely, will not be able to support their self. In addition, some people forget that the amount of disability a person receives is dependent on what they paid into the system in the first place. It’s not a handout, it’s an insurance policy.

Anyway, I digress. Substitute teaching, it’s a good thing. I can choose which days to work so if I’m not up to it I don’t need to accept a job. I can also do half days which is necessary since it takes me so long to become mobile in the mornings. I’m certainly not going to become rich doing this but it should fill the gap enough that I won’t have to worry about the normal day to day bills. But, there’s more to this substituting than meets the eye because it’s really not about me, it’s about the kids.

It’s been about 35 years since I was in high school and, yes, things have changed. I’m quite sure that as time goes on and I continue to spend more time in the schools I’ll see even more changes, or maybe even similarities. My first day allowed me to see just how different things are now. It was hard to fathom as I experienced a world that I once lived in which has now become almost alien. This first experience was in a high school, today I was at a middle school. I would strongly suggest that any parent, if given the opportunity, take a day out and spend it at your child’s school. I’m certain that it will be an eye opener for you. The days of the quite, focused learning environment are gone, probably for good. Your children are not being given the gift of education that you were handed. No, the kids today who want to learn have to fight every second of their day to get that education which I, honestly, took for granted. Between the over stuffed classes and the disruptions caused by the students who don’t want to be there, it’s honestly a miracle that anyone can learn anything. I’m here to tell you, things have changed more than any person, of my era, could possibly imagine.

That said, when you get down to it, the kids I met and worked with are super. I had a lot of fun with them and could tell that down deep they are all just kids. I don’t know if their lives will be impacted by my presence and I don’t know what this school/war zone will do for, or to, them, but I hope that they will leave my class feeling better about themselves and others. To the parents I’d just like to remind you how important it is for you to be a part of their lives and the biggest part of their lives, right now, is school. They need you to be there for them, seriously. You can’t expect to understand and share their lives if you fail to be involved in the largest area of it.