Let's Get Rid of Subs
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| stereotypical substitute teacher |
If there were ever an outmoded, past-its-prime practice in education--something that deserves the dustbin--it's "covering" classes of absent teachers with substitutes. Doesn't matter what you call them (in my building, it was "guest teacher," as if students were politely entertaining distinguished visitors)--the stereotypical substitute teacher suffers from a lack of authority, relevance and dignity. (Please note: stereotypical.)
I spent three years of my working life substitute teaching (two with certification and one without), so I have enormous empathy with those who make their livelihoods subbing. I am not one of those teachers who perceives subs as second-class educators. Nor did I overlook bad behavior on the part of my students when a substitute was present, including the time a sub fell asleep while showing a film that wasn't even in the lesson plans. When you're subbing, you do what you gotta do. I get that.
It's our rigid American egg-crate system that feeds the problem with the stand-in concept embedded in the
I spent three years of my working life substitute teaching (two with certification and one without), so I have enormous empathy with those who make their livelihoods subbing. I am not one of those teachers who perceives subs as second-class educators. Nor did I overlook bad behavior on the part of my students when a substitute was present, including the time a sub fell asleep while showing a film that wasn't even in the lesson plans. When you're subbing, you do what you gotta do. I get that.
It's our rigid American egg-crate system that feeds the problem with the stand-in concept embedded in the
