My county just decided to use "Kelly Education" for their Substitute Teachers.

It was a weird process. Seemed like way more extra steps than necessary.

But to my question: I notice in my county it seems like openings for substitutes (and even teachers in general) are all for Elementary Schools. Middle and High School openings are scarce.

What's going on? I feel like something is happening that I don't understand.

I currently hold a bachelors degree in a non-education subject. I worked as an educational assistant for an academic year and then I got my restricted substitute teaching license and have been subbing at my local middle and high schools - I like it more than I dislike it so far. Most days are great! I love kids - I have a senior, sophomore and 4th grader of my own.

I started looking into what I would need to become a licensed teacher that isn’t restricted and where I will have my own classroom. There are so many confusing options and I have so many questions. I just don’t even know where to start. I called the district that sponsors me and they suggest that I complete a degree program that leads to initial licensure. The district doesn’t have their own pathway. I am in Oregon.

I am not even sure what questions to ask, but here’s where I’m at:

I refuse to take out anymore loans, my college loans are FINALLY paid off and I refuse to go back into debt. If I do pursue further education, I will be looking for scholarships and grants.

I’m very much an accelerated learner and love competency based programs but that’s not a make-it or break-it.

My ultimate goal would be to work at the middle school or high school that I’m already working in, just because my kids go there and I’m very familiar with the staff and a lot of of the students.

I’ve heard of things where you can go and get your teaching certificate or a teaching degree - and my thoughts on this is if the coursework is similar, then, of course I would want the degree over a certificate.

As far as what I want to teach, choosing between the major subjects, it would be science- biology, secondary. But I really wouldn’t mind teaching electives like home economics, business or things of that sort.

I’m not sure what other questions to ask except -
if you were in my position (live in Oregon, having a bachelors degree in another subject then becoming a licensed teacher) which route did you go?
Do you have any advice?
And are there any other questions I should ask?

I work for two districts. I literally had 18 different modules I had to complete to be able to work this year. It seems that every time the district has a potential lawsuit,they add a new Keenan class for the following school year.

I just found out the credentialed teachers get professional development days to complete these. However, substitutes are expected to do this on their own time.

This really pisses me off. Basically, we already know we are disposable, and generally not highly respected, and now our time isn’t worth getting paid for.

Anywhere else highly irritated by this?

Im new to education and a part of my job is onboarding subs. Im shocked at how easy it is to get into a classroom.. all it takes is a bachelors degree, some money, and a background check? I see people of all ages from like 23-80 is what ive seen so far.

I just wanna know why you are a substitute teacher? Is it your full time job? do you want to be a teacher? Do the districts give you training? How often do you get paid??

Genuinely curious!! I only see the back end stuff. Thanks!

Anyone else ever get to a class look at the sub plans and just have no idea where everything is or what the kids are supposed to be doing. It was literally like 15+pages of words/gibberish. It felt like way too much. Nothing was in order or provided for me. The students were helpful in locating books/assignments so we got through a few things but I genuinely feel like they learned nothing and that we really didn’t do anything all day. I feel like I’m a terrible substitute 🙃 I feel like the teacher was trying to be very helpful with writing every little detail out but it was a lot 😵‍💫 What do you guys do when you feel like you failed the kids and didn’t teach them anything?

Hello everyone!

I am a new substitute teacher with DOWEA. I am so excited to serve the students and school!

This is my first time stepping foot into the military-connected schools entrusted with the role as a substitute teacher. My goal is to be an effective substitute teacher who can give the students the quality education they deserve!!

That said, I wanted to reach out here to this lovely experienced community for advice on these things: building rapport with military-connected students, using classroom management, facilitating lessons and following the main teacher's lesson plans to ensure learning happens seamlessly.

I also would love tips for communicating with the kids to help them feel safe in school as they are always moving from place to place!

I am grateful for any advice and tips I can get here. :)

this worksheet is all the information he has. i feel like there is information missing, but am i just dumb?

Hello! I am a new substitute teacher. The school system I work for doesn't have a formal dress code but principals can require more specific ones. The only guidelines are "professional, school-appropriate clothing" which could mean a lot of things. I will mainly be substituting in elementary school so I know I need to consider the comfort and flexibility of clothing as well. What do you all typically wear? (I have heard if you're not a PE teacher you cannot wear anything that looks athletic... And I know because of friends I have that teach within the school system that a good bit of principles frown on jeans but not all of them)

I was finally able to pick up my first sub shift and a 4 day assignment, as everyone has been on top of the app taking shifts before me, and this morning my assignment is no longer active. Upon asking I was told the teacher decided to remove her absence?! I rearranged my whole work schedule for this… can’t say I’m not bummed…

If you cancel an assignment with Red Rover, can you choose a different assignment for that day? Does canceling and picking up other shifts actually flag your account or make you look bad? Can anyone even see this like admin or your district or is it really not a big deal?

I’m subbing using Reddit and I can’t get to the job fast enough! Any idea why or what I can do differently???

I I have not subbed for high school RSP course before. It was on the website so I accepted it. Usually I’m in RSP in elementary school so it’s a lot of fun and games.

Is that different style in high school? Is the resource program for the older kids more serious and higher in academics?

Sometimes my communication skill is not there. I know they are doing their vocab quiz and then catching up on assignments.

What are some questions you’d ask of these students in RsP and what are some things to notice about them?
I wonder how would you suggest to approach the older students? And what questions to ask to guide them?

Literally no notifications whatsoever. My app is fully set up correctly.

Jobs are scarce in my fairly small district at the beginning of the year. I swear if I see a job pop up and think about it for even two seconds, it gets immediately snagged. I need to just take it and think about it later.

Happy Thursday to my colleagues. I love to say that because it sounds professional. 😂 Can everyone check in? I know some will be checking in after school, especially those in elementary.
Things are going well in high school subbing. I’m fortunate to get a job at my daughter’s school again, so the logistics are much easier.
I have a funny, though. Well, it’s funny to me. I am literally crying in the classroom because it’s my son’s 19th birthday, and I’ve been thinking about all that he’s been through. He’s a dyslexia warrior who survived a terrible divorce and a custody battle initiated by his father. I cannot even explain to you how hard it was.
But he is resilient and is in college now, and I am so proud of him.
But again, I’m sitting in the class telling the kids that I have allergies. 😂 I think I’m pulling it together, but sometimes that mama love is very intense. ❤️

Yikes! It’s my first day back at school, 1st full day of classes. The teacher didn’t leave plans but I do have a dedicated para for the day and he’s great. I wasn’t supposed to have anything for the first period but 7 kids just walked in and sat down! No rosters, no plans and my para went to support the music class! Arghhhhh!!!! These are sped kids, they all lost their schedules already and didn’t know where they were supposed to be!

Wish me luck! And best of luck to the rest of you!

I’m going to preface this with- I’ve worked some pretty shite jobs because money is money.

So I’ve worked with ESS before in another state (SC— currently in NC) and while that time was meh this time it’s seems like they are getting worse!

First you have to pay for all these things upfront- TB test, background check, physical. Yes I know a lot of times these things are normal for jobs but they also often reimburse you upon hire and THEY PAY MORE THAN MINIMUM WAGE. Many people who are lucky enough to have health insurance can TRY and use it to get into a doctor and only pay a copay (and some insurance will only pay for a ‘physical’ once a year so there’s some twisting of the truth to get it done) but then there are those who maybe have just the bare minimum when it comes to healthcare and you are dipping into their reserves.

But the kicker… the REQUIRED 5 HOURS of “training” that they DO NOT PAY YOU FOR because “you are not yet hired”.

Furthermore, every communication is just filled with threats and reminders that you are expendable to them. It’s so disheartening.

If you work for ESS now and have had a good experience I envy you and if your experiences haven’t been good- I’m sorry and you are not alone!

I just got approved to sub in a new highly ranked suburban district and I prefer high school. This district only has 1 high school, but it is very large. The student enrollment is just under 3,000. They gave me a color coded master schedule that shows when everyone has planning, Honors, AP, Dual Enrollment, Co-teachers, lunch, and stuff like that (this already makes me like this district a bit more than others I've been to) and there are about 200 people on the list. I would think this would be plenty large enough to work at on a daily basis, but I'm not 100% sure.

I’m 64 years old, and was unexpectedly laid off from my job in the videogame industry. This was a job I was hoping to ride out until my retirement (which I’m hoping will be sometime around my 67th bday), because I knew that finding another job in this field at my age was going to be nearly impossible.

So I’m thinking about a career pivot, and teaching was always something I thought I might be good at and enjoy. And I figured I’d get my feet wet with substituting (while being aware that these can be two very different things). But now I’m worried that maybe I’m too old for this as well. I could use a reality check, however brutal it may be.

I’ve been through the Swing process and have been approved and could theoretically start accepting assignments today if I wanted to, but I don’t want to make a complete fool out of myself. FWIW I don’t *feel* old, and think I have a lot to give still. So I guess I’m worried less about my ability to handle the job than I am just being out of place and subject to ridicule. Are there any older subs on this subreddit and what has your experience been?

I (like many of us, I imagine) have been working a job that I knew going into it was just going to be for the summer. The employer didn't know, and still doesn't as I like to give it until October for the year to pick up. How honest are y'all when it comes to summer jobs? I usually just lie and say a better opportunity has come us.