Substitute Duty (like Jury Duty) - what do you think?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I already have issue with some of the teachers my kids are exposed to because of their viewpoints on race, politics, fashion, ethics, sexist ideas, lifestyle habits (diets, exercise, work load), I don't need them to hear from yet another random person and their hang ups.

Diet and exercise? I’m curious about this one!

But yeah, you do not want people forced into caring for your kids. It’s hard enough for the people who chose it.

NP, but I had a teacher who was really into pushing the vegan lifestyle

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent I’d love to sub! No one ever allows volunteers in- why?!

They did at my kid's elementary school, but I think this was add-ons not subs, and maybe they had to register to be a sub.

[Anonymous]

I remember a sub, who started yelling.

"You want to talk, I DARE you to talk!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent I’d love to sub! No one ever allows volunteers in- why?!

Subs aren’t volunteers. It is a paid position. Apply to be a sub if you want.

Parent here. I don't want to be in a paid or a regular position. I'd like to just volunteer one day a month or so. I volunteer for dumb PTA stuff that doesn't help kids at all, whereas this would help. I have a minor in education if that helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of subs are already "untrained randos" so it might not be much worse than the current situation although possibly a pedophile magnet type of position.

Unfortunately, you're 100% right. Subbing doesn't pay enough to attract enough normal and competent people who can do the job in a professional manner. I am a SAHM with a math degree and teaching experience, and absolutely no desire to go full-cringe and start talking to stranger kids about inappropriate subjects. (In HS we had all sorts of rando subs who talked religion, politics, sex lives, and treated students like their bartender/therapist.) I'm sure I could be an unproblematic sub. Unfortunately it doesn't pay enough for me to cover a high quality child care set up for my mildly SN kid. Not surprising that a system that underpays its regular workforce also underpays its back ups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent I’d love to sub! No one ever allows volunteers in- why?!

Subs aren’t volunteers. It is a paid position. Apply to be a sub if you want.

Parent here. I don't want to be in a paid or a regular position. I'd like to just volunteer one day a month or so. I volunteer for dumb PTA stuff that doesn't help kids at all, whereas this would help. I have a minor in education if that helps.

My mom wanted to do lunch duty one day a week and the school told her it was a full time position paying "a living wage" when she would have done it for free every Wednesday or whatever.

[Anonymous]

I work in an elementary school with some pretty challenging students.

Out of 10 randomly selected parents, I would predict an outcome roughly like this by the end of the day:

4 have yelled at the kids
3 have threatened the kids
2 have walked out
1 has smacked a kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in an elementary school with some pretty challenging students.

Out of 10 randomly selected parents, I would predict an outcome roughly like this by the end of the day:

4 have yelled at the kids
3 have threatened the kids
2 have walked out
1 has smacked a kid

Even regular teachers yell at students. I'm optimistic but I think the proportion who would resort to physicalviolence would be much lower. More likely they would just walk out.

The real need for quality subs is in high school and middle school where you want people with deeper subject matter expertise to keep continuity with the regular teacher's lesson plans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For everyone no. For parents with kids at the school yes.

Why? If we all only paid for or did our part for the benefits we personally received there would be a lot of underfunded services.
Also one could argue an educated populous benefits us all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent I’d love to sub! No one ever allows volunteers in- why?!

Subs aren’t volunteers. It is a paid position. Apply to be a sub if you want.

Parent here. I don't want to be in a paid or a regular position. I'd like to just volunteer one day a month or so. I volunteer for dumb PTA stuff that doesn't help kids at all, whereas this would help. I have a minor in education if that helps.

What would you do if you volunteered? I’m an ES teacher and I’m not sure what I would have a volunteer do that wouldn’t require planning by me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent I’d love to sub! No one ever allows volunteers in- why?!

Subs aren’t volunteers. It is a paid position. Apply to be a sub if you want.

Parent here. I don't want to be in a paid or a regular position. I'd like to just volunteer one day a month or so. I volunteer for dumb PTA stuff that doesn't help kids at all, whereas this would help. I have a minor in education if that helps.

If you sign up to be a sub, you indicate which days and locations you are available to sub. If that's only one day a month, then fine. And you can donate your pay if it bothers you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent I’d love to sub! No one ever allows volunteers in- why?!

Subs aren’t volunteers. It is a paid position. Apply to be a sub if you want.

Parent here. I don't want to be in a paid or a regular position. I'd like to just volunteer one day a month or so. I volunteer for dumb PTA stuff that doesn't help kids at all, whereas this would help. I have a minor in education if that helps.

My mom wanted to do lunch duty one day a week and the school told her it was a full time position paying "a living wage" when she would have done it for free every Wednesday or whatever.

But they need somebody every day, and patching together volunteer coverage is not free for the school because it requires a lot of planning and oversight. And meanwhile there are people in the community who need that paid work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UGH! When will people realize that teaching (and good subbing) is a highly developed skill. You have to know what you are doing. Both have the knowledge of the subject area and the art of managing a classroom and connecting to students.

And as a reminder, there isn’t a teacher shortage. There is a pay shortage. Increase pay, decrease BS that should no longer be part of teacher responsibility and decrease class size. BOOM, suddenly you’ll have enough teachers.

No, you wouldn’t. Addressing the work-life balance is more important than addressing pay.

Reducing class size and removing BS work will allow teachers to have work life balance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UGH! When will people realize that teaching (and good subbing) is a highly developed skill. You have to know what you are doing. Both have the knowledge of the subject area and the art of managing a classroom and connecting to students.

And as a reminder, there isn’t a teacher shortage. There is a pay shortage. Increase pay, decrease BS that should no longer be part of teacher responsibility and decrease class size. BOOM, suddenly you’ll have enough teachers.

No, you wouldn’t. Addressing the work-life balance is more important than addressing pay.

Reducing class size and removing BS work will allow teachers to have work life balance.

That's true, although I think you'd find that you can't get rid of most that "BS work" (e.g., you're not sending kids with special needs back to self-contained classrooms, so IEPs and 504s are here to stay). And cutting class sizes by 10% doesn't cut your work by 10%.

But lower student-teacher ratios and more prep time doesn't come without a cost. And higher salaries are going to that much harder to afford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent I’d love to sub! No one ever allows volunteers in- why?!

Subs aren’t volunteers. It is a paid position. Apply to be a sub if you want.

Parent here. I don't want to be in a paid or a regular position. I'd like to just volunteer one day a month or so. I volunteer for dumb PTA stuff that doesn't help kids at all, whereas this would help. I have a minor in education if that helps.

My mom wanted to do lunch duty one day a week and the school told her it was a full time position paying "a living wage" when she would have done it for free every Wednesday or whatever.

Wow, as a teacher who does lunch duty every day I'd be happy to let your mom volunteer to take my shift every Wednesday! That's be awesome!