Does a Sub ever teach a real lesson?

[Anonymous]

What are short term subs paid in FCPS?

What are longterm subs paid? Are they compensated for the planning time and parent teacher conference?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are short term subs paid in FCPS?

What are longterm subs paid? Are they compensated for the planning time and parent teacher conference?

Here's the current pay scale: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf/FY24-hourly-substitute-and-homebound-rates.pdf

Longterm subs are not paid for planning time or conferences or anything beyond their contracted hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are short term subs paid in FCPS?

What are longterm subs paid? Are they compensated for the planning time and parent teacher conference?

Absolutely not. They're just paid slightly more than the regular (short term) subs. Zero extra compensation for the bolded and ZERO training or support.

[Anonymous]

No, long term subs usually don’t even get benefits. As for planning time, they’re handed the curriculum and materials . They don’t make those. The better ones will grade the students’ work while they’re in the position but I have also seen long term subs leave a pile of work for the real teacher to grade when they return weeks and weeks later. There are a couple subs on here who get testy about this but we need to be real that at least at the high school level, good long term subs are few and far between. Most are simply a body in the room. Even the daily subs aren’t that great- they call the office constantly because they can’t handle the kids, they erase materials off the white board in the room they’re in just so they can write their name in 72 point font for some reason, etc etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, long term subs usually don’t even get benefits. As for planning time, they’re handed the curriculum and materials . They don’t make those. The better ones will grade the students’ work while they’re in the position but I have also seen long term subs leave a pile of work for the real teacher to grade when they return weeks and weeks later. There are a couple subs on here who get testy about this but we need to be real that at least at the high school level, good long term subs are few and far between. Most are simply a body in the room. Even the daily subs aren’t that great- they call the office constantly because they can’t handle the kids, they erase materials off the white board in the room they’re in just so they can write their name in 72 point font for some reason, etc etc

Gosh, I wonder why that might be. Think think think...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, long term subs usually don’t even get benefits. As for planning time, they’re handed the curriculum and materials . They don’t make those. The better ones will grade the students’ work while they’re in the position but I have also seen long term subs leave a pile of work for the real teacher to grade when they return weeks and weeks later. There are a couple subs on here who get testy about this but we need to be real that at least at the high school level, good long term subs are few and far between. Most are simply a body in the room. Even the daily subs aren’t that great- they call the office constantly because they can’t handle the kids, they erase materials off the white board in the room they’re in just so they can write their name in 72 point font for some reason, etc etc

Gosh, I wonder why that might be. Think think think...

I know exactly why it is, genius, but my comment wasn’t about “how do we get better subs” because we all know how and we all know the districts won’t pay more or else we wouldn’t be in this position. I’m not saying I’m confounded why subs aren’t good, I’m just saying mostly, they aren’t good. They sit in the room and legally supervise the children which is pretty much all their pay entitles us to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child has a long term sub and she has been doing a great job - the teacher is on maternity leave so she had time to prepare, she hand picked the sub, and the curriculum is team taught so she has a lot of support from the other teachers. It’s the best sub experience any of my kids have had.

Our ES always used retired teachers to cover maternity leaves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Following a teacher’s plan is one thing. Teaching material correctly, answering kids’ questions about that material, giving an assignment and providing support are all very different than just “following a plan.” The qualities that make someone “a good sub” don’t translate to being able to teach content in an area you aren’t licensed in as well as the experienced teacher can. Teaching is actually a skill; not just anyone can stroll in and do it on the fly successfully with kids they have no existing relationship with.

This.

Agree... I am in middle school admin and it's a daily struggle to get the teachers to put in for a sub and submit their plans... then we have teachers who literally leave in the middle of the day because they don't feel well so we have to scramble to cover for them... half the time I'm begging the HPE team that has planning to go sit with a class because the teacher called in and had no sub assigned or bailed.

I will say this though and it may be off topic but as a part of admin we are looking at teachers that consistently called in sick or left early and not extending contracts to them, despite the shortage

Admin PP,
Have you considered why teachers are calling in sick or leaving early? If you have a lot of teachers doing that, I’m thinking the working conditions in your particular school aren’t sustainable for your teaching staff. Bringing in new teachers will not fix that problem. This shortage exists because teachers are miserable. As admin, you can work to change that.

On topic: great subs are hard to find, and they grow tired just like the teachers do. Succeeding in a classroom as a teacher or a sub is exhausting; it takes a lot of emotional and physical energy to manage a classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, long term subs usually don’t even get benefits. As for planning time, they’re handed the curriculum and materials . They don’t make those. The better ones will grade the students’ work while they’re in the position but I have also seen long term subs leave a pile of work for the real teacher to grade when they return weeks and weeks later. There are a couple subs on here who get testy about this but we need to be real that at least at the high school level, good long term subs are few and far between. Most are simply a body in the room. Even the daily subs aren’t that great- they call the office constantly because they can’t handle the kids, they erase materials off the white board in the room they’re in just so they can write their name in 72 point font for some reason, etc etc

Gosh, I wonder why that might be. Think think think...

I know exactly why it is, genius, but my comment wasn’t about “how do we get better subs” because we all know how and we all know the districts won’t pay more or else we wouldn’t be in this position. I’m not saying I’m confounded why subs aren’t good, I’m just saying mostly, they aren’t good. They sit in the room and legally supervise the children which is pretty much all their pay entitles us to.

The comment wasn't so much about the abysmally low pay (which is true), but the way in which teachers like you seem to really disparage subs. If I had to sub for someone like you, I would definitely not return.

[Anonymous]

I would never understand, why some people will sign up for this. I saw serval TikTok on teachers calling out the subs, and students acting out. I saw a few videos of teachers laughing on how the kids acted out, I saw other videos on teachers asking students what they hated about the sub….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Following a teacher’s plan is one thing. Teaching material correctly, answering kids’ questions about that material, giving an assignment and providing support are all very different than just “following a plan.” The qualities that make someone “a good sub” don’t translate to being able to teach content in an area you aren’t licensed in as well as the experienced teacher can. Teaching is actually a skill; not just anyone can stroll in and do it on the fly successfully with kids they have no existing relationship with.

ha ha...

[Anonymous]

I taught in FCPS 15 years ago. I left light lessons and my subs always followed them. I hear that subs don't teach now so teachers don't leave plans for them. It's a chicken/egg question.

[Anonymous]

Before break, DCs teachers kept taking more and more days off to fly out of the country and take trips abroad. By the end of the week the entire grade of teachers and the SPED teacher were all gone with subs in their place. Nothing was taught. This incentivizes more parents to extend their trips because they see that teachers are gone anyway. Why does the principal allow this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would never understand, why some people will sign up for this. I saw serval TikTok on teachers calling out the subs, and students acting out. I saw a few videos of teachers laughing on how the kids acted out, I saw other videos on teachers asking students what they hated about the sub….

Yes, seems some teachers are just adult mean girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I taught in FCPS 15 years ago. I left light lessons and my subs always followed them. I hear that subs don't teach now so teachers don't leave plans for them. It's a chicken/egg question.

I'm a current sub and always receive plans - which I teach to the class.