Substitute Teaching

The NCTQ doesn't give a shit about the quality of teachers, let alone subs, when it is in fact in favor of LOWERING standards. Why even quote from such a discredited, debunked outfit?

You pay subs shit and don't provide benefits, you will get shit. Furthermore, there is the despicable practice by many school districts (often with union help) to bring back retirees as subs so they can hog up all the jobs and shut out fully qualified and credentialed teachers from ever subbing, and, in many cases, NEVER getting regular teaching jobs as a result. I say never get regular jobs because many if not most school districts use the substitute pool as a hiring pool for regular jobs. If teachers want to retire and can afford to, they should do it. If they are bored, they can volunteer or set up their own businesses. But in this economy, with jobs of ANY kind being scarce, hiring "double dippers" should be banned. Double dippers include subs who are retired teachers from that particular district as well as the traditional double-dipper who collects a regular salary in the same job as before while simultaneously getting a pension, like the person who replaced me when I was illegally fired by WCSD in 2008.

Mentioned in the article is Oregon, which does pay its subs far higher than most places, with the pay set by the state. It is currently at $162.50 a day (give or take a couple of dollars) for a full day. Certified and classified subs can also be eligible for PERS coverage once they hit 600 hours in a school year. However, there is a downside to the sub teacher pay, and that's that there are a whole slew of teachers signed up thinking they are going to get this "big" money but in fact they are lucky if they work more than a day or two a week unless their names are in every district in the region. They wind up getting little money for their efforts.

Today I went in for orientation at one of the places where I will be working this fall, and only five people were there for the classified subs. Meanwhile, there will be over THIRTY people for the sub teacher orientation tomorrow. As you can expect, the district as a LOT more in need for the classifieds than the certifieds, since many of the classified subs end up with permanent jobs. This leaves a lot more openings.

If things go okay, I should have quite a bit of work this year since I will be both a classified and certified sub. I need the money anyway, and I would like to get a clear credential in sped and eventually in reading. For the latter, though, I have to come up with EIGHT GRAND to pay for a credential up here. Nevada doesn't have a reading credential program. I decided against taking tests for elementary education because there are few jobs in that anyway, and these teachers are treated like dirt.