When the Teacher needs a Teacher

   The position of substitute teacher is not the most sought after.  In some school districts it can make you or break you within one day.  Those who survive may contemplate if their need for an income outweighs the disrespect and taunts received from the children. It is an overlooked service to the community, one that could have a great impact if the system is restructured.

          When I first entered the education field, I started as a substitute teacher (hereafter, sub).  Unlike the average sub that allows the students to have a free day, I took my job seriously. This angered many students, but I did not care. I was working in an area where almost all the students looked like me. It was my duty to see that those black and brown students had a complete education.  My persistence with them stemmed from personal experience where subbing went from fun to sheer disaster.

          I attended high school in the lowest paid district in Long Island and all metropolitan New York City. At the beginning of my sophomore year, contract negotiations did not go in the teachers’ favor. This sparked a mass exodus of teachers from the district.  In some classes we suffered through a string of subs. Teachers who could not find jobs outside the district often called in sick. When they were physically present, they were mentally absent.

My trigonometry teacher was one looking to escape but, she had difficulty finding work elsewhere. As a result, she barely came to class and when she did, she was not prepared. She was known throughout the school as Babyface Fenster, which is a character on Bugs Bunny that cries all the time.  Like the character, she would break down and cry at the drop of a hat when she could not get students to comply. As an alternative to teaching, she showed homemade videos of her travels through Europe. We were bored and uninterested. There was no wonder why she could not find another job. At least three fourths of the class failed, and this was an advanced placement class, (we were a year ahead in our studies). For the first time in my childhood, I ended up in summer school.

          A different scenario played out in my biology class. Our teacher was one of the first escapees. In her place, was sub after sub. We barely did any work. That class became our social hour. When a permanent replacement was finally employed, there were only three months left in the school year. This meant we worked exclusively on state mandated science labs to make up for lost time.  We could barely complete them without getting the answers from the sub. That is because we did not do the reading or required classwork that proceeded this portion of class. In the end, I believe the entire class failed the state required Regents exam.

          As a sub, I made sure the students completed whatever work was provided by the teacher. Unknown to me, the teacher’s liked my style.  When the opportunity for a long-term sub position became available, I was personally recommended.  The transition from substitute to teacher was a complete metamorphosis. The same students who resisted my authority as a sub, now had to respect me because I was responsible for their grades. Where I was once anxious to find employment in the legal field, I could relax until the end of the school year.

          Thinking my career as a teacher would end in June, fate would direct my path.  On the last day of school, I received an email invitation to join a new project.  New York City Board of Education sponsored the training and applicable master’s degree for non-pedagogy professionals to change careers and teach. Had I never taken on the long-term teaching position, I would have never entertained the idea. So, I accepted the invitation with honor and beat out thousands of applicants through a rigorous three step interview process.  In the end, I became part of the first 300 people to be officially called a NYC Teaching Fellow, passing up an offer at a Manhattan law firm. Now it was my turn to have someone sub for me.

          I did not always get the dedication from subs that I put into the job and that was okay because I understood the dynamics. Plus, it was like a break for my students. However, I could not overlook foolishness, which is what I experienced one day when I attended an offsite teacher’s training.  On that day, our session ended a little early so, I decided to make a surprise visit to my classroom to pick up some work. It was the middle of the last period and I had no intent on staying in the class. As I walked down the long corridor leading to my classroom, I could see unfamiliar students walking in and out of the class.  When I entered the class, my students’ faces lit up in fear.  Most were seated, those who were not, began scrambling to their seats.  I learned that the unfamiliar students were there for the sub’s entertainment.  I had never seen these students before, but they appeared to be seniors. My students, who were sophomores, did not know them either. To some degree, it was as if my students were being held hostage.

The unfamiliar students and the sub were having a good ‘ole time eating snacks, laughing, and talking at my desk.  All that was missing was a deck of cards and some music. I made everyone who did not belong there, leave, including the sub.  Then my students started singing like hummingbirds with all fingers pointing to the sub.  Based on what I saw, I believed every word and reported it to the principal.

          Having played both positions as teacher and substitute, I see the relationship more as a partnership rather than a random stranger showing up to class.  Given these examples and countless others, I find it imperative to transform the substitute position. There needs to be some familiarity between the teacher, sub, and students. This will cut down on behavioral issues when the teacher is out and will stabilize the flow of class work. It will also legitimize the sub’s position, making it a favorable career choice for some. As we have seen from the pandemic, a substitute teacher can easily be considered an essential worker. It is inevitable that teachers need a day off from time to time, why not have a system in place that is less chaotic for the entire school.  If we treat public education as a cooperative instead of a retail chain, great things can be accomplished.