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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It's our area's way of "fully staffing" schools with folks who have no training. [/quote]
1. One wonders why we have to come up with creative ways to fill teacher vacancies - could be that teachers have to deal with the condescension, disrespect, and know-it-all attitude of parents in "our area" - cause-effect of the need to "fully staff" our schools. 
[b]2. "The folks who have no training" are carefully vetted by FCPS - they are long term subs, IAs, parents who have put their children through the system and have volunteered during that time, professionals transitioning for various reasons, including those looking for something meaningful to do with their time and, maybe, give back to their community...until they find out why there are those vacancies in the first place, and run for the exits! [/b]
3. Like the draft or jury duty, our country should introduce mandated teaching service in a public school for all of us to learn to respect our diligent, hardworking, sincere educators, entrusted with molding the foundation of the future of our country.[/quote]

NP.  The bolded perfectly describes my short-lived experience as a sub with FCPS.  I had considered a career switch for some time and thought I might enjoy teaching.  SO GLAD I decided to try subbing before going to all the time, trouble, and expense of becoming a teacher trainee and acquiring licensure, etc.  What a hellish experience.

I took on an elementary school long-term sub role and regretted it within days.  There was zero training, and I was expected to take on ALL of the responsibilities of a teacher - to include lesson planning, grading, parent/teacher conferences, classroom management (of a very unruly and poorly behaved class), etc.  The few kids who actually wanted to be there were a delight, but the rest made it their mission to be as disruptive and disrespectful as possible.  When I asked for help from admin, I literally got a shrug.

Needless to say, I absolutely ran for the exits after about a month there.  Never again - but at least, now I know.[/quote]

Advice for people looking to go into teaching: never ever take on a long-term sub position. It is a terrible job - no benefits, low pay, and ALL the responsibilities of teaching. Do not do it. I went through education school and took a long term sub position after I graduated. It was a desperate time, tiny town with few job openings, so I jumped at the opportunity - not knowing what I signed up for.

The position almost pushed me away from the career altogether. I got told to do literally everything a teacher does with ZERO prep time (it was the middle of the year), so no workdays, etc. There was no point in taking on the horrible job due to low pay, no benefits, and it didn’t even count towards my experience. I moved to a big city where there was a huge shortage of teachers and began working. I am still in this field many years later.

I suggest taking a job as a TA. Being a TA is far less stressful but it enables you to observe and think about whether or not you want to be a teacher. You have a chance to interact with many staff members who teach other subjects or provide other services (counselors, SLPs, OTs, psychologists, just to name a few) in a school and you might find that you prefer to do that instead.

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