Today's call came really early. I had planned to go shopping with my daughter, so I was up and almost ready. We moved our shopping trip to later in the day, and I was off and running. Of course, I saved a little money by not having a full shopping day. Anyway, my salary as a substitute fits nicely with a shorter shopping spree.
Being able to teach and not have the full responsibility is a little like being a grandparent. When you're the one in charge, you have to make sure things run smoothly and enforce rules that have been put in place. It's not always easy, because the kids naturally behave better for the real teacher. The big perk is that once I leave, the paperwork doesn't follow me home and take over my sofa and dining room table. Papers to grade don't travel in my school bag all week and become a weekend project. Plus, I don't have to stay after school for meetings.
When I return to a class I have subbed in before, I do get a few smiles. That's the biggest perk of all.
Kids sure are bigger than they used to be!